**STATE OF GEORGIA

SUPERIOR COURT OF [COUNTY] COUNTY**

State of Georgia,
   v.
[DEFENDANT FULL LEGAL NAME],
Defendant.

Criminal Action File No.: [CASE NO.]

MOTION TO SUPPRESS EVIDENCE

AND INCORPORATED MEMORANDUM OF LAW

[// GUIDANCE: This template is drafted for use in a Georgia felony or misdemeanor prosecution in Superior Court. Adapt the caption if the case is pending in State Court, Probate Court, or Juvenile Court.]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction & Relief Requested
2. Procedural Posture
3. Statement of Material Facts
4. Grounds for Suppression
   4.1 Warrantless Search / Seizure
   4.2 Invalid Warrant (Lack of Probable Cause / Particularity)
   4.3 Unlawful Execution & Scope
   4.4 Involuntary Statements & Miranda Violations
   4.5 Fruit-of-the-Poisonous-Tree Doctrine
   4.6 Statutory Suppression under O.C.G.A. § 17-5-30
   4.7 Good-Faith Exception Inapplicability
5. Burden of Proof & Evidentiary Hearing Request
6. Preservation of Additional Objections
7. Prayer for Relief
8. Verification (O.C.G.A. § 17-5-30)
9. Certificate of Service
10. Proposed Order

1. INTRODUCTION & RELIEF REQUESTED

COMES NOW the Defendant, [DEFENDANT NAME] (“Defendant”), by and through undersigned counsel, pursuant to the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution; Article I, Section I, Paragraph XIII of the Constitution of the State of Georgia; and O.C.G.A. § 17-5-30, and respectfully moves this Honorable Court for an order suppressing and excluding from evidence all physical evidence, testimonial evidence, derivative evidence, and all fruits thereof obtained as a result of the unlawful search, seizure, detention, and interrogation more fully described below.

2. PROCEDURAL POSTURE

1. On [DATE OF ARREST/SEARCH], law-enforcement officers of [AGENCY NAME] conducted a [SEARCH TYPE, e.g., warrantless search of Defendant’s residence / vehicle / person] and seized the following items: [DESCRIBE ITEMS].
2. Defendant was subsequently charged by [INDICTMENT / ACCUSATION] filed on [FILING DATE] with [LIST CHARGES].
3. This Motion is timely filed within ten (10) days after arraignment or within the time otherwise fixed by the Court, in compliance with O.C.G.A. § 17-5-30(a).

[// GUIDANCE: Modify ¶3 if an extension of time has been granted or if the Court operates under a standing scheduling order.]

3. STATEMENT OF MATERIAL FACTS

[PLACEHOLDER FOR DETAILED FACTUAL RECITALS. INCLUDE—
• Time, location, and circumstances of initial encounter
• Basis (or lack thereof) for stop/detention
• Statements made by officers and Defendant
• Warrant application contents (if applicable)
• Manner of entry, scope of search, items seized
• Chain of custody issues]

[// GUIDANCE: Where possible, attach police reports, body-worn camera transcripts, and the search warrant/affidavit as Exhibits A, B, etc. and reference them herein.]

4. GROUNDS FOR SUPPRESSION

4.1 Warrantless Search / Seizure

1. The warrantless search and seizure of Defendant and Defendant’s property violated the Fourth Amendment and its Georgia constitutional counterpart because no recognized exigent circumstance, consent, or other lawful exception existed.
2. Any evidence obtained therefrom, and any fruits thereof, must therefore be suppressed.

4.2 Invalid Warrant (Lack of Probable Cause / Particularity)

1. The warrant issued on [DATE] was unsupported by probable cause and failed to describe with particularity the place to be searched and the items to be seized, contravening U.S. Const. amend. IV and Ga. Const. art. I, § I, ¶ XIII.
2. O.C.G.A. § 17-5-21 similarly requires probable cause and particularity, rendering the warrant facially invalid.

4.3 Unlawful Execution & Scope

1. Officers exceeded the permissible scope of the warrant by [DESCRIBE OVERBREADTH OR IMPROPER EXECUTION—e.g., conducting a no-knock entry without authorization, searching areas not described in the warrant, seizing items not enumerated].
2. All evidence seized outside the warrant’s scope is inadmissible.

4.4 Involuntary Statements & Miranda Violations

1. Defendant’s statements on [DATE/TIME] were the product of custodial interrogation without a knowing, voluntary, and intelligent waiver of Miranda rights.
2. Alternatively, any purported waiver was tainted by the preceding unlawful detention, necessitating suppression under the derivative-evidence doctrine.

4.5 Fruit-of-the-Poisonous-Tree Doctrine

1. Because the initial search/seizure was unlawful, any subsequently obtained evidence—physical or testimonial—must be excluded as fruit of the poisonous tree.
2. No intervening circumstance purged the taint, nor did the prosecution obtain the evidence through an independent source or inevitable-discovery pathway.

4.6 Statutory Suppression Under O.C.G.A. § 17-5-30

1. O.C.G.A. § 17-5-30(b) mandates suppression of evidence obtained in violation of constitutional or statutory rights.
2. The statute is self-executing and affords Defendant standing to challenge both the search warrant and the manner of its execution.

4.7 Good-Faith Exception Inapplicability

1. While O.C.G.A. § 17-5-30(b) contemplates the exclusionary rule “unless otherwise provided by law,” the State bears the burden of invoking any good-faith exception.
2. The officers’ reliance on the warrant (if any) was objectively unreasonable because:
   a. The affidavit was so lacking in probable cause that belief in its validity was entirely unreasonable;
   b. The issuing magistrate wholly abandoned a neutral and detached role; and/or
   c. The warrant was facially deficient.
3. Accordingly, the good-faith exception does not apply, and suppression remains the appropriate remedy.

[// GUIDANCE: Tailor subsection 4.7 to anticipated State arguments. Insert additional statutory or constitutional violations as needed (e.g., electronic surveillance, cell-site data, vehicle exceptions).]

5. BURDEN OF PROOF & EVIDENTIARY HEARING REQUEST

1. Pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 17-5-30(b), once Defendant makes a prima facie showing of illegality, the burden shifts to the State to justify the search and seizure.
2. Defendant respectfully requests a full evidentiary hearing, including the right to cross-examine the affiant(s) and all participating officers, and to introduce evidence in support of suppression.

6. PRESERVATION OF ADDITIONAL OBJECTIONS

Defendant expressly reserves and preserves all constitutional, statutory, and evidentiary objections discoverable through ongoing investigation, discovery, or future factual developments, including but not limited to challenges under:

• O.C.G.A. § 17-5-1 et seq. (Search Warrants)
• O.C.G.A. § 24-1-1 et seq. (Georgia Evidence Code)
• Federal Wiretap Act and Georgia Electronic Surveillance Act (if applicable)

7. PRAYER FOR RELIEF

WHEREFORE, Defendant respectfully prays that this Honorable Court:

A. Grant an evidentiary hearing on this Motion;
B. Suppress and exclude from trial all evidence obtained in violation of Defendant’s rights, including the items listed in Exhibit [A];
C. Suppress all statements, admissions, or confessions obtained in violation of Defendant’s constitutional and statutory rights;
D. Suppress all derivative evidence and fruits thereof;
E. Order the State to refrain from making reference to, or attempting to introduce, any suppressed evidence at trial; and
F. Grant such other and further relief as the Court deems just and proper.

Respectfully submitted this ___ day of _, 20.

[LAW FIRM NAME]
[ADDRESS] • [PHONE] • [EMAIL]

[ATTORNEY NAME],
Georgia Bar No. [BAR NUMBER]
Counsel for Defendant

8. VERIFICATION

(O.C.G.A. § 17-5-30 Affidavit)

COMES NOW [DEFENDANT NAME], who being first duly sworn, deposes and states that the factual statements contained in the foregoing Motion to Suppress are true and correct to the best of [his/her/their] knowledge and belief.

[DEFENDANT NAME]

Sworn to and subscribed before me
this ___ day of _, 20.

Notary Public
My commission expires: ______

[// GUIDANCE: GA practice permits verification by counsel where facts are based on the record (e.g., warrant and affidavit). Replace with attorney affidavit if preferred.]

9. CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I hereby certify that I have this day served the foregoing Motion to Suppress Evidence upon the Office of the District Attorney for the [___] Judicial Circuit by [STATUTORY METHOD—e.g., hand delivery / e-service / first-class mail] addressed as follows:

[NAME & ADDRESS OF ASSISTANT DA]

This ___ day of _, 20.

[ATTORNEY NAME]

10. PROPOSED ORDER

[COURT CAPTION AS ABOVE]

ORDER ON DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO SUPPRESS

Having considered Defendant’s Motion to Suppress Evidence, the State’s response, the evidence adduced, and the arguments of counsel, the Court finds that the search, seizure, and interrogation at issue violated Defendant’s constitutional and statutory rights. Accordingly, it is hereby

ORDERED that Defendant’s Motion is GRANTED. The State shall not introduce at trial any physical evidence, statements, or derivative evidence obtained as a result of the unlawful search and seizure conducted on [DATE].

SO ORDERED, this ___ day of _, 20.

Judge, Superior Court of [COUNTY] County
[___] Judicial Circuit

[// GUIDANCE: Many Georgia judges prefer a separate, fill-in-the-blank proposed order. Attach as a stand-alone document if local rules require.]