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Finally, the victims and owners of both residences were military personnel. We agree with the trial court's conclusion that the crimes were sufficiently similar so that proof of the former crime tended to prove that Butler also committed the crime at issue in this case. See Judkins v. State, 282 Ga. 580, 582-583(3) (652 S.E.2d 537) (2007); Morgan v. State, 287 Ga.App. 569, 573-754(4) (651 S.E.2d 833) (2007); Drake v. State, 274 Ga.App. 882, 883-884(2) (619 S.E.2d 380) (2005).” Kimble v. State, 285 Ga.App. 420, 646 S.E.2d 511 (May 17, 2007). Other transactions were sufficiently similar: “all three offenses (burglaries and attempted burglaries) were committed in rural or isolated locations on property located at or near the county line. The houses on the properties were all described as ‘ranch’ style houses with basements, and all the houses sat back from the road or were surrounded by trees. In each instance, Kimble drove his vehicle to the residence and parked it nearby. And all three offenses were committed in the middle of the day (between 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.) while the homeowners were either at home or returned to their residence while the crimes were in progress.” Denny v. State, 280 Ga. 81, 623 S.E.2d 483 (December 1, 2005). Other crime was sufficiently similar to admit in defendant’s prosecution for burglary and murder: in both crimes, defendant and accomplices would drive around rural areas looking for homes that looked empty, “and that ‘sat back’ some distance from the street.” Defendant and his accomplices would force entry through a door and steal “items that could easily [be] carried by hand.” Alexander v. State, 276 Ga.App. 288, 623 S.E.2d 160 (November 8, 2005). Evidence of prior burglaries were admissible in defendant’s prosecution for burglary and sexual assault, although prior offenses did not involve sexual assaults. “Like the incident charged here, both of the prior incidents involved Alexander’s unauthorized nighttime entry into the homes of individuals living in close proximity to him. The other transactions involved females acquainted with Alexander, and the victim in this case stated that Alexander ‘looked familiar.’ We agree with the State’s argument that the prior incidents demonstrated Alexander’s ‘growing boldness’ or ‘escalation’ in his criminal activity.” Fitz v. State, 275 Ga.App. 817, 622 S.E.2d 46 (October 13, 2005). “[T]here was sufficient similarity between the three prior crimes to which Fitz pled guilty and the charged offense to warrant their admission. Like the charged offense, all three prior burglaries to which Fitz pled guilty occurred during the day and were burglaries of residential, single family homes with ranch style layouts located in Henry County, Georgia. All the burglaries were committed for the purpose of theft. Furthermore, as with the charged offense, two of the prior burglaries involved the theft of financial documents, and two of the prior burglaries involved entry through a garage.” Gibson v. State, 268 Ga.App. 696, 603 S.E.2d 319 (July 23, 2004). Prior burglary of business was sufficiently similar to burglary of shed behind house: “Here several similarities lead us to conclude that the trial court did not clearly err in finding the two transactions sufficiently similar. In both transactions, Gibson (1) entered an unoccupied building (2) without destructive force through an abnormal portal such as a window or attic (3) in Columbus, Georgia, and (4) took small items of property that could be transported in a bag. [Cit.] The six-year gap between the acts ‘was not so great as to require that the evidence be excluded.’ [Cit.]” Smalls v. State, 242 Ga.App. 39, 528 S.E.2d 560 (January 21, 2000). Burglary conviction affirmed; similar transaction evidence was properly admitted. “In this case, the evidence showed that Smalls entered the unoccupied residences of college students with the intent to commit theft.” 34. SIMILARITY OF OFFENSES – DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Parker v. State, 296 Ga. 199, 766 S.E.2d 60 (November 17, 2014). Malice murder and related convictions affirmed; trial court properly admitted similar transaction evidence. Defendant was charged with murdering his wife and concealing her body. “In each of the four similar transactions admitted in this case, appellant engaged in violent, threatening, and controlling behavior toward his then wife or other family members. Handcuffs and/or a gun were used in two of the instances and all involved a threat by appellant to kill someone and hide his or her body where no one could find it.” Long v. State, 324 Ga.App. 882, 752 S.E.2d 54 (November 20, 2013). False imprisonment and related convictions affirmed; trial court properly admitted similar transaction evidence. “Long argues that the acts here were not similar because the victim in this case was falsely imprisoned through the use of binding, while the victim in the similar transaction was falsely imprisoned through the use of a knife and the presence of a shotgun. But ‘[w]hen considering the admissibility of similar transaction evidence, the proper focus is on the similarities, not the differences, between the separate crime and the crime in question.’ (Citation and punctuation omitted.) Latimore v. State, Ga.App. (748 S.E.2d

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