# FIL ED Fe b. 27, 1 997 Cec il Crow son , Jr . A ppell ate Court Clerk IN THE CO URT OF CR IM IN AL AP PEALS OF TENN ESSEE AT JAC KSON AU GU ST 1996 S ESSI ON STATE OF TENN ESSEE , * C. C. A. #02C 01- 9510- CR -0 0305

Ap pe l l ee , * SH EL BY C OU N TY VS . * Ho n . J o se p h B. Da ile y, Ju d ge J O E A . HE NS O N, * (A ggra va t e d B u rg la ry)

Appel lan t. *

For Appel lan t: For Appel lee : On ap peal : Cha rl es W . Bu rs on W alk er Gw inn Atto rn ey Gene ra l & R epor

ter Ass is tant Publ icD efender Cy ri l V. F ra ser At t ri al: Cou nsel for t he St ate W il li am M oore 450 J ames R ober tso n Par kway Ass is tant Publ icD efender Nas hv il le, TN 37243- 0493 201 Po pla r Av enue S u it e 2 -0 1 Da vid C. He n ry Me mphis , TN 381 03 Ass is tant Di str ict Attor ney Gene ra l 201 Po pla r Av enue Of couns el: Third F loo r A.C . W har

ton, Jr . Me mphis , TN 381 03 Shel by C ounty Publ icD efender

OPIN ION F ILED :______

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______ AFF IR ME D GARYR . W AD E, J UD GE2 OPIN ION The defendant, Joe A. H enson , was conv icted o f agg ra v ated burg lar y . The tr ial co urt i mposed a R ang e II I s entenc e of fourtee n y ears.

In t his appeal of ri g ht, the d efendant c ontendsthatthe ev ide nce w as ins uff ic ien t. W e di sag re e and aff ir m the jud g ment of the tr ial co urt.

Abo ut 9: 00 P. M. on May 20, 199 4, th e v ictim, Kwame W illiams, re tur ned t o hi s resi dence to find hi s front d oor open. A man the v icti m id enti fied as the d efendant "was comi ng out. " The v icti m g ra bbed t he defendant, demandi ng to know w hat h e was doi ng i nsi de. The defendant an swered th at he was loo ki ng for VickyJone s, a cousin to the v ictim, who had moved ou t of the W illiams residen ce abo ut a m ont h be fore. T he d efend antwas ab le to brea k f ree f rom th e v ictim's grasp and f led; h is shirt was ripped in the proce ss. Th e v ictim instruct ed a neighbo r to call pol ic e and then chas ed th e defendant about a bl ock . He desc ri bed t he defendant as "a bla ck male , [w ith a] low haircut , [an d] ... a green shirt." W hen the victim ins pect ed th e i nter ior

of the resi dence , he found that nothi ng had been t aken but that his tel ev is ion , w hic h he always l eft on, h ad been unpl ug g ed. The front door appeared to hav e been "ki ck ed i n"; t here was a "footpr int[on the d oor] and the hin g es w ere off ." About tw enty-fiv e mi nutes l ater , t he v icti m id enti fied th e defendant w ho was by

then i n the cu sto dy

of pol ic e. A few min utes after

the re por

t of the burg lar

y , Po li ce Off ic er

Thomas Ty nes re spond ed to a c all from a re si dence i n the sa me nei g hbor hood. The defendant, w ho was not k now n by the occ upant, was on th e roof of the hous e; t he defendant ex pla ine d to off ic ers a rr iv ing at the s cene that he had soug ht refuge from sev eral peopl e w ho had been "fig hti ng and chas ing " hi m. W hen O ff ic er Ty nes3 lea rn ed th at t he al tercat ion had beg un atthe re si dence of the v icti m, he sus pect ed the d efendant had commi tted the b urg lar y . The defendant c lai ms t hat t he s tate w as unabl e to prov e tha t he had entered th e resi dence w it hout the e ffect iv e c onsen t of the ow ner or thatthe defendant i ntended to commi t a theft the re in. Bo th el ements are es sent ial to the offense. The s tate, of course, i nsi ststhatthe proof w as suffici ent. Itarg ues that there was ci rc umstan ti al ev ide nce that the d efendant ent ered th e resi dence w it h the int ent t o c ommit a the ft.

A "person commi ts burg lar y w ho, w it hout the e ffect iv e c onsen t of the proper ty ow ner .. . [ e]nte rs a bu il din g .. . w it h i ntentto commi t a felony or theft.. .." Tenn. C ode An n. § 39- 14- 402( a) (1 ). A burg lar y co mmitt ed unde r Tenn. C ode An n. § 39- 14- 402( a) (1 ) is a C las s D felony . W hen a habi tati on, "a ny st ru ctu re .. . desi g ned or

adapt ed for the o v er nig ht ac commodati on of persons ," i s i nv olv ed, t he burg lar y i s a g g ra v ated and a Cl ass C felony . Tenn. C ode An n. §§ 39- 14- 401, -4 03. On ap peal , t he s tate is enti tl ed to the strong estl eg it imat e v iew of the e vid e n c e , a n d a ll re a s o n a b le in fe re n c e s wh ic h m ig h tb e d ra wn t h e re f ro m . St a t e v. Cab bag e, 57 1 S. W .2d 8 32 ( Tenn. 1978 ). The c re dib il ity of the w it ness es, the w eight gi v en th eir testim ony, and the reco nciliation of conf licts in the evidence are matters e ntr ust ed ex cl usi v ely to the j ur

y as the tr ier

of fact. By rg e v . St ate, 575 S.W .2d 292 (T enn . Crim. App . 197 8). A criminal conviction can be set a side on ly w hen t his co urt finds thatthe "ev ide nce is i nsuffici ent t o s uppor t t he findi ng by

the tr ier of fact of g uil t beyond a re asona ble doubt ." Tenn. R . Ap p. P . 13( e) .

The proof bythe sta te was that there had been a forced entr y of the4 residen ce an d tha t the televisi on, w hich ha d be en left in ope ration bythe victim dur ing the ti me of his abs ence, had been un plu g g ed. By al l appearances , t he v icti m's retur n to his resi dence i nter ru pted the d efendant'spl ans. I n our v iew , t he jur y was enti tl ed to i nfer from thi s e v ide nce that the d efendant i ntended to commi t a theft or othe r felony

i nsi de th e resi dence . Cer tai nly , t here i s n o req uirement t hat a burg lar be s ucc ess ful i n c onsummati ng the theft i n order to be g uil ty

of the b urg lar

y . See e. g ., Duc hac v . St ate, 505 S. W .2d 2 37 ( Tenn. 1973 ). C lea rl y , a ra ti onal tr ier of fact cou ld have foun d the essen tial elem ent s of the crime of

agg rav ate d bu rg lary bey ond a re asona ble doubt . The ev ide nce of the defendant' s g uil t s ati sfies the stan dard prescribed . See Jackso n v . Virg inia, 44 3 U.S. 30 7 (197 9).

Acc ordin g ly , t he j udg ment i s a ff ir med.

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_______ Ga ry R. W a d e , J u d ge CONCUR:

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___ W il li am M . Ba rk er , J udg e

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____ Jer ry L. Smit h, J udg e