Title: Davis v. State

State: arkansas

Issuer: Arkansas Supreme Court

Document:

Lynn O. DAVIS v. STATE of Arkansas

CR 95-645                                          ___ S.W.2d ___

                    Supreme Court of Arkansas
                 Opinion delivered June 24, 1996


1.   Evidence -- motion for directed verdict a challenge to
     sufficiency of evidence -- factors on review of denial of
     motion. -- A directed verdict motion is a challenge to the
     sufficiency of the evidence; sufficient evidence means
     substantial evidence to support the jury's verdict;
     substantial evidence is that which is forceful enough to
     compel a conclusion one way or another and which goes beyond
     speculation and conjecture; the court reviews the evidence in
     a light most favorable to the appellee and considers only that
     evidence which supports the verdict.

2.   Criminal law -- elements of capital murder -- "knowingly" and
     "under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human
     life" defined. -- A person acts "knowingly" with respect to
     his conduct or attendant circumstances when he is aware that
     his conduct is of that nature or that such circumstances
     exist; he acts "knowingly" with respect to a result of his
     conduct when he is aware that it is practically certain that
     his conduct will cause such a result; a person acts "under
     circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of
     human life" when he engages in deliberate conduct which
     culminates in the death of some person.

3.   Criminal law -- case inapplicable -- capital murder does not
     require proof of premeditation and deliberation. -- The
     appellant, citing Midgett v. State, 292 Ark. 278,