Daryl Baptiste v. State
CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
Date FiledJuly 13, 2026
DocketA26A2414
StatusPublished
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Full Opinion
Court of Appeals
of the State of Georgia
ATLANTA,____________________
July 13, 2026
The Court of Appeals hereby passes the following order:
A26A2414. DARYL BAPTISTE v. THE STATE.
In 1994, Daryl Baptiste was indicted for armed robbery and other crimes. In
October 1996, the trial court entered an order of nolle prosequi in the case, noting that
Baptiste had been re-indicted earlier that year for crimes relating to the same incident.
Baptiste ultimately pled guilty to two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of
false imprisonment. The trial court denied Baptiste’s subsequent motion to withdraw
his guilty plea, and we affirmed that ruling on appeal. Baptiste v. State, 229 Ga. App.
691 (494 SE2d 530) (1997).
Since then, Baptiste has tried multiple times, without success, to challenge the
nolle prosequi order in this Court.1 In Case No. A23A0216, we dismissed Baptiste’s
appeal from the trial court’s rejection of various challenges to the nolle prosequi
order, explaining that he failed to present “a cognizable basis for an appeal.” (Sept.
14, 2022). We cited McIntyre v. State, 189 Ga. App. 764, 764(1) (377 SE2d 532) (1989),
in which we held that “[a] nolle prosequi pursuant to OCGA § 17-8-3 may be entered
without the consent of the accused at any time prior to the attachment of jeopardy.”
See also Popoola v. State, 198 Ga. App. 324, 325 (401 SE2d 344) (1991) (defendant
could not appeal order of nolle prosequi “as entry of a nolle prosequi may be made
without the defendant’s consent prior to the attachment of jeopardy”). Soon
thereafter, we dismissed another effort by Baptiste to appeal the nolle prosequi order,
1
Baptiste maintains that the disposition of the 1994 charges barred the 1996 re-
indictment.
finding that the appeal was both untimely and barred by res judicata. See Case No.
A23A0753 (June 8, 2023). In 2025, Baptiste filed a motion for an out-of-time appeal
from the nolle prosequi order. The trial court dismissed the motion, and Baptiste
appeals again.
“It is well established that any issue that was raised and resolved in an earlier
appeal is the law of the case and is binding on this Court.” Ross v. State, 310 Ga. App.
326, 327 (713 SE2d 438) (2011) (citation and punctuation omitted). Our dismissals of
Case Nos. A23A0216 and A23A0753 bar Baptiste’s continuing efforts to seek an
appeal of the nolle prosequi order. See Howard v. State, 289 Ga. 207, 207(1) (710 SE2d
761) (2011) (defendant “cannot re-litigate here the same issues that were dismissed
in his prior appeals”). Simply stated, Baptiste is not entitled to “another bite at the
apple.” Canty v. State, 379 Ga. App. 13, 14 (927 SE2d 560) (2026).
Accordingly, this appeal is hereby DISMISSED.
Court of Appeals of the State of Georgia
Clerk’s Office, Atlanta,____________________
07/13/2026
I certify that the above is a true extract from
the minutes of the Court of Appeals of Georgia.
Witness my signature and the seal of said court
hereto affixed the day and year last above written.
, Clerk.