FI RST DI VI SI ON

DOYLE, C. J.

, PHI PPS, P. J, and BOGGS, J.

N O T IC E : M otions for r e c ons i de r a tion m us t be

ph y sic a l ly r e ce iv ed i n our c le r k ’s offic e w ithin te n

da y s of the da te of de c is ion to be de e m ed tim e ly file d.

http://w w w .ga a ppe a l s .us /r ule s

Septem ber 23, 2015



# I n th e Co u r t o f

A p p eals o f

G eo r g ia

A1 5 A1 03 7 . W ILLIAM S v . THE STATE. DO-0 3 9 C

D O Y LE , Ch ief J ud g e.

Ro n ni e O’ Neal W i l l i am s was co n v ict ed of po s ses s i o n of co cai n e. 1 He ap p eal s

t h e d en ial o f h i s s u b s eq u en t m o t i o n fo r new t ri al

, arg u i n g t h at t h e t ri al co u rt erred by

d en y i n g h i s m o t i o n fo r a d i rect ed v erd i ct . W e d i s ag ree an d affi rm

.

“ On ap p eal fro m a c r i m i n al co n v i ct i o n, t h e ev id en ce m u s t b e vi ewed i n t h e

l i gh t m os t fav o rab l e t o s u p po rt t h e v erd i ct

, a n d [t h e d efen d an t ] n o l o ng er en jo y s a

p res u m p t i o n o f i n n ocen ce; m o reo v er, an ap pel l at e co u r t d e t erm i n es ev i d en ce

s u ffi ci en cy

an d d o es n ot wei g h t h e ev i d en ce o r d et erm i n e wi t n es s cred i b i l i t y .” 2

1 OCGA § 1 6 -1 3-3 0 (a).

2 (Ci t at i o n s

, p un ct u at i on

, an d fo o t n o t es om i t t ed .) J a c ks o n v. St a t e

, 2 5 2 Ga.

Ap p . 2 6 8 (1 ) (5 5 5 SE2 d 9 0 8) (2 0 0 1 ).So v i ewed

, t h e reco rd s h o ws t h at o n A p ri l 2 3

, 2 01 2

, wh i l e o n p at ro l

,

In v es t i g at o r Do n al d M cNei l o b s erv ed a pi l l b ot t l e s t an d i n g u p r i g h t a t t h e rear o f a

v eh icl e park ed n ear a g ro cery s t o re. Sh o rt l y t h ereaft er, Wi l l iam s p i ck ed u p t h e p i l l

b o t t l e. In v es t i g at or M cNei l as k ed W i ll i am s wh a t w as i n h i s h an d

, an d W i l l i am s

rep l i ed

, “ [Y] o u k n ow wh at it i s

, i t ’s d r u g s .” W i l l i am s t h en st at ed th at t h e d ru g s

b el o n g ed t o an o t h er p ers o n

, J o hn n y Do n al d s o n

, wh o W i ll i am s i n d i cat ed was o n t h e

o t h er s i d e o f t h e s t ore. In v es t i g at o r M cNei l was u n ab l e t o fi n d Do nal d s on

, an d h e

ret u rn ed an d arres t ed W i l li am s , ch arg in g h i m wi t h p o ss es s i o n o f co cai ne.

At t ri al

, an o t her o ffi cer tes t i fi ed t h at h e fi el d t es t ed t h e it em s i n t h e p i l l b o t t l e,

an d t h ey t es t ed p o s i t i v e fo r t h e p res en ce of co cai ne. 3 A fo ren s i c ch em i s t fo r t h e

Geo rg i a Bu reau o f In v es t i g at i on (“ GBI”) t es ti fi ed t h at t w o t e st s o f t h e su b s t an ce

fo u n d i n t h e p i l l b o tt l e t es t ed p o s i t i v e f o r t h e pres en ce o f co cai ne. Th e p ro s ecu t o r,

h o wev er, n eg l ect ed t o t en der t h e co cai ne fo r ad m i s s i on in t o ev i d en ce. A ft er t h e St at e

res t ed

, W i l l i am s m o v ed fo r a d i rect ed v erd i ct on t he b as i s t h at t he St at e had n o t m et

i t s b u rd en o f p ro o f. Th e t ri al co u rt d en i ed t h e m o t i o n

, a n d t h en g ran t ed t h e

p ro s ecu to r’ s req u es t t o reo p en t h e ev i d en ce fo r t h e p u rp o s e o f t en d eri n g t h e co cai ne.

3 In v es ti g at o r M cNei l h ad t h e co cai n e d u ri n g t h e t ri al

, an d h e o p en ed t h e s eal ed

p ack ag e co n tai n i n g i t an d res eal ed i t d u ri n g h i s t es t i m o ny

.

2W i ll i am s o bject ed at t h e t i m e o f t h e t en der, bu t th e t ri al co urt o v erru l ed t he o b ject i o n

an d ad m i t t ed t h e ex hi b i t

. Th e j u ry fo u n d W i ll i am s g u i l ty

, an d t h e tri al co u rt s en t en ced

h i m t o s erv e 1 5 y ears i n p ri s o n. Th e tri al co u rt d en ied W i ll i am s ’ s s ub s eq u en t m o t i o n

fo r n ew t ri al , an d t h i s ap p eal fo l l o wed

.

On ap peal

, W i l l iam s arg u es t h at th e t ri al co u rt erred b y d en y i n g h is m o t i o n fo r

d i rect ed v erd i ct b ecau se t h e St at e fai l ed t o m eet it s b u rd en o f p ro of b y fa i l i n g to

t en d er t h e p hy s i cal s am

pl e o f t h e d ru g h e al l eg ed ly p o ss es s ed

. T h i s en u m erat i o n i s

wi t h o u t m eri t

.

“ A d efen d an t i s en t it l ed t o a d i rect ed verd i ct on l y wh ere t h ere is n o co n fl i ct in

t h e ev i d en ce an d t h e ev i d en ce in t ro d u ced at t ri al wi th al l reas o n ab l e ded uct i o n s an d

i n feren ces t h erefro m dem an d s a v erd i ct o f no t g u il t y as t he o n l y l eg al fi n d i n g

p o s s i b l e.” 4 Th e Su p rem e Co u rt o f Geo rg ia h as ex p l ai n ed t h at

fai l u re o f th e pr o s ecu t i o n i n a d ru g -p os s es si o n cas e t o i nt ro d uce p hy s i cal

s am p l es o f t h e d ru g al l eg ed l y p o s ses s ed d o es rai s e s u b s t an t ial q ues t i o n s

wi t h res p ect to wh et h er t h e ev i d en ce i s s u ffi ci en t t o au th o ri ze a v erd i ct

o f g u i l t y. Ho wev er, in o u r o p i n i o n t h e ab s en ce o f s u ch p ro o f d o es n o t

l ead i n el u ct ab l y t o t h e co n cl u s i o n t h at t here h as b een n o pro o f of co rp u s

d el i ct i

. . . . [

T] h e co n cep t o

f co r p u s d el ict i r eq u i r e s t h a t i n a d r u g

p o s s es s i o n ca se th er e b e pr o of b y t h e [ S ] t at e t ha t t h e d

ef e n d a n t

4 S l a d e v. S t a t e , 2 2 2 Ga. Ap p . 4 0 7 , 4 08 (4 7 4 SE2 d 2 0 4 ) (1 9 9 6 ).

3p o s s es sed (o r p er h a p s at t emp t ed t o p os s es s) t h e i l l eg a l d r u g ; h o wever

,

t h er e i s no i nva r i a b l e r eq u i r emen t t h a t i n ever y s u ch ca s e, t h e d

r u g i t s el f

b e p r o d u ced

. 5

Here, th e St at e i n t ro d u ced t h e t es t i m o ny o f t h e o ffi cer wh o reco v ered t h e p i l l

b o t t l e fro m Wi l l i a m s

, as wel l as t h at o f t h e o ffi cer an d t he G BI ch em i s t wh o

co n du ct ed t es t s o n t h e co n t en ts o f t h e b ot t l e, w h i ch t es t s in d i cat ed t h e p res en ce o f

co cai n e. “ Acco rd i n g l y

, t he St at e h as g i v en reas o n ab l e as s u ran ce o f t h e i d en t i t y o f t h e

ev i d en ce. Th at t he co cai n e [p os s es s ed b y W i l li am s ] w as n ot p ro d u ced at t ri al i s o f n o

s i gn i fi can ce [b ecau s e] th e St at e i s n o t req u i red to i n tro d u ce t h e i l l eg al d ru g i ts el f i n to

ev i d en ce.” 6 Th u s

, t h e t r i al co urt di d no t err by den y i n g W i l li am s ’ s m o t i o n s fo r

d i rect ed v erd i ct an d fo r a n ew t ri al

.

Ju d g men t a f f i r m ed . Ph i

p p s , P. J., a nd

Bo g g s , J., co n cu r

.

5 (Ci t at i o n s o m i t t ed ; em

p h as i s s u p p l i ed .) Ch a ncey v. S ta t e

, 2 5 6 Ga. 4 1 5

, 4 2 1

(III) (1 ) (A) (c) (3 4 9 SE2 d 7 17 ) (1 9 8 6 ).

6 (Ci t at i o n o m i t t ed .) S l a d e , 2 2 2 Ga. Ap p. at 4 0 8 (1 ).

4