IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OF TENNESSEE

AT NASHVILLE

Assigned on Briefs December 1, 2015

STATE OF TENNESSEE v. ANTHONY BLAKE WISDOM

Appeal from the Criminal Court for Davidson County

No. 2012-C-2245 Steve R. Dozier, Judge

No. M2015-00099-CCA-R3-CD – Filed March 8, 2016

The Defendant, Anthony Blake Wisdom, was convicted by a Davidson County Criminal 

Court jury of aggravated robbery, a Class B felony. See T.C.A. § 39-13-402(a)(1)

(2014). The Defendant was sentenced as a Range II, multiple offender to fourteen 

years. On appeal, the Defendant contends that the evidence is insufficient to support his

conviction. We affirm the judgment of the trial court.

Tenn. R. App. P. 3 Appeal as of Right; Judgment of the Criminal Court Affirmed

ROBERT H. MONTGOMERY, JR., J., delivered the opinion of the court, in which NORMA 

MCGEE OGLE and ROBERT L. HOLLOWAY, JR., JJ. joined.

Jay Umerly (on appeal) and Kyle Parks (at trial), Nashville, Tennessee, for the 

appellant, Anthony Blake Wisdom.

Herbert H. Slatery III, Attorney General and Reporter; Clarence E. Lutz, Senior 

Counsel;, Glenn Funk, District Attorney General; and J. Wesley King, Assistant District 

Attorney General, for the appellee, State of Tennessee.

OPINION

This case arises from the robbery of an Iraqi immigrant who came to the United 

States in 2012, following three years of working with the United States Army in Iraq. 

The victim testified that he shared an apartment in Nashville with four roommates. He 

stated that on May 16, 2012, he met Sarah Syres at the apartment complex laundromat. 

He said she asked to use his cell phone, he borrowed his roommate‟s phone, and Ms. 

Syres used the phone for a long time. The victim said that he returned the phone to his 

roommate, and that Ms. Syres told the victim she was hungry. He stated that they went 

to a friend‟s apartment, that Ms. Syres ate a salad, and that she asked him for twenty 

dollars because she was hungry. The victim said that he gave her the money and that 
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she performed a sex act on him, although he did not remember the events immediately 

preceding the act. He stated Ms. Syres told him that she had to give a gift to an 

acquaintance and left. 

The victim testified that the next day, he and one of his roommates were outside

their apartment smoking cigarettes when Ms. Syres approached them. The victim said

his roommate and Ms. Syres went inside to the roommate‟s bedroom, and when they 

emerged, Ms. Syres asked the roommate for transportation. The victim stated that he 

spoke to Ms. Syres for a few minutes before she left, that his roommate told the victim

he would return, and that within an hour Ms. Syres returned to the apartment with two 

people with whom the victim was not acquainted. 

The victim testified that when Ms. Syres returned, he saw Ms. Syres, a man, and 

another woman standing by the driver‟s side door of a white van. The victim said that 

he went inside and resumed an Internet video conversation with his family in Iraq. The 

victim stated that he had forgotten to lock the door and that the man and Ms. Syres

walked into the apartment. The victim said Ms. Syres told the man that the victim‟s 

apartment was “the apartment” and that she knew the victim was alone in the apartment 

because she had been there earlier. 

The victim testified that the man pulled out a small black pistol from his pocket. 

The victim said the man pointed the pistol at him, asked what the victim was doing, 

pushed the victim down, and pointed the pistol at the victim‟s head. The victim stated 

that Ms. Syres left the apartment but that the other woman, who was drunk and eating

an ice cream cone, stayed. The victim said the man told the woman to pick up items to 

steal and that the woman put two laptop computers, the telephone, and a cell phone in a 

white bag. 1 The victim stated that the man threw him on the couch, put a knee on his

chest, and pointed the gun at his head. The victim said that the man asked if the victim 

used illegal drugs and that the victim told him no. The victim said the man took a pack 

of cigarettes and the victim‟s wallet from his pockets, threw the victim‟s passport on the 

floor, and told the victim, “[G]et up, let‟s go.” The victim stated that the man took $100 

from the victim‟s wallet.

The victim testified that the man took him outside and that the victim‟s neighbor

was in the hallway. The victim said that he was upset and crying, that he locked the 

apartment door, and that he asked the neighbor for help. The victim said that the man 

with the pistol ran away and that the neighbor chased the man. The victim stated that he 

saw the man and the second woman drive away in the white van, that the neighbor

chased them in his truck, and that the neighbor‟s truck struck the van‟s rear bumper. 

The victim said that the police arrived three or four minutes later. 

 

1 One laptop computer and the cell phone belonged to the victim, the other computer belonged to a roommate.
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The victim testified that he did not know the second woman and that she 

followed the man‟s order to collect the victim‟s belongings. The victim said that he 

spoke to Detective Charles McEachron and later identified the two women and the man 

in photograph lineups. 

Copies of the three photograph lineups were received as exhibits. The victim 

testified that the first photograph he chose depicted the woman who put the computers 

and telephones in the bag and that the woman was later identified as Kira Bukowski. 

The victim said that the second photograph he chose depicted Sarah Syres. The victim 

stated that the third photograph he chose depicted the man who robbed him and that he 

identified the man as the Defendant. The victim said that neither the Defendant nor Ms. 

Bukowski had permission to be in his apartment.

The victim testified that relative to his sexual encounter with Ms. Syres, he was 

unaccustomed to American culture and did not know how to begin a romantic 

relationship. He thought he and Ms. Syres could be friends and progress into a romantic 

relationship. He denied paying for sex previously. The victim said that prostitution was 

illegal in Iraq, that he did not think prostitution was “okay” in America, and that the 

twenty dollars he gave Ms. Syres had nothing to do with sex.

The victim testified that when he saw Ms. Syres on May 17, he did not know she 

and his roommate were going to the roommate‟s bedroom to have sex. The victim 

stated that Ms. Syres spoke to him and indicated she would return to the apartment 

complex later in the day. He said that on May 16, Ms. Syres asked him for twenty 

dollars but that he only had a $100 bill. The victim stated that he obtained smaller bills

from his roommate. 

The victim testified that when Ms. Bukowski took his computer, he and his 

mother had been video chatting online. He said that Ms. Bukowski did not take the 

computer charger. He stated that Ms. Syres did not enter the apartment and that after 

telling the Defendant and Ms. Bukowski, “this is the apartment,” she walked away. The 

victim said that he believed Ms. Bukowski was drunk because she was “going left and 

right . . . laughing and eating ice cream, smiling, and [the Defendant] had the pistol to 

my head.” The victim agreed that the Defendant did not take the computers but said 

that the Defendant told Ms. Bukowski to take them. The victim said that the Defendant

put the gun in his pocket when he saw the neighbor. 

Metro Nashville Police Detective Charles McEachron testified that on May 17, 

2012, he responded to an armed robbery call. He said that after speaking with officers 

at the scene, he spoke with the victim. Detective McEachron stated that the victim told 

him that the victim had forgotten to lock the apartment door and that upon exiting the 

apartment‟s bathroom, he saw two women and one man standing inside the apartment. 

The victim told him that the man grabbed him, asked for drugs and money, went 
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through the victim‟s pockets, and removed a pack of cigarettes and a tube of lip balm. 

The victim said that the man threw him face down onto a couch and placed a gun to the 

back of his head. The victim told Detective McEachron that he noticed other 

individuals taking property from the apartment and running out the door. 

Detective McEachron testified that after speaking to the victim, he spoke to a 

witness and searched for the suspects‟ van. He said that another officer located a white 

Chrysler minivan without a license plate about four-tenths of one mile from the 

apartment complex. Detective McEachron stated that upon arriving at the van‟s

location, he saw damage to the left rear bumper and that the van‟s appearance was 

consistent with information he had received. Detective McEachron said that no 

suspects were at the scene but that witnesses said they saw people running away from 

the van and removing the license plate. 

Detective McEachron testified that he called the identification unit to process the 

van‟s exterior. He said he returned to the apartment complex and investigated further 

and later returned to the police station to determine the identity of the van‟s owner, the 

people inside the van, and a woman known to the victim as “Sarah.” Detective 

McEachron said that he searched the van‟s vehicle identification number (VIN) and that 

the van was registered to Patricia Bukowski. He said that the license plate number of 

the fleeing van provided by witnesses at the apartment complex was one character 

different from the number found during his VIN search. Detective McEachron said that 

upon searching previous vehicle incidents, he learned that Patricia Bukowski lived with 

Kira Bukowski and that Kira Bukowski matched the description of one of the women 

involved in the robbery. 

Detective McEachron testified that he constructed a photograph lineup which 

included Kira Bukowski, but the victim did not identify Ms. Bukowski with certainty. 

Detective McEachron stated that on May 23, 2012, he received the latent fingerprint 

analysis report, which identified Ms. Syres‟s and the Defendant‟s fingerprints on the 

van. Detective McEachron compiled two photograph lineups with Ms. Syres‟s and the 

Defendant‟s pictures and showed them to the victim. Detective McEachron said that the 

victim identified Sarah Syres and the Defendant. 

On cross-examination, Detective McEachron testified that initially, the victim 

did not mention having a video conversation with his family when the robbery occurred 

and that Detective McEachron thought the victim was not being completely honest with 

him. Detective McEachron said that when he showed the victim the second photograph

lineup, the victim told him that he and Ms. Syres had sexual contact and that the 

victim‟s roommate also had sexual contact with Ms. Syres. Detective McEachron said 

the victim admitted he exchanged twenty dollars for sexual favors.
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Detective McEachron testified that he interviewed Ms. Syres and Ms. Bukowski. 

He said that Ms. Syres‟s and Ms. Bukowski‟s accounts differed and that neither account 

was consistent with the victim‟s account. Detective McEachron said Ms. Syres told him 

that she learned the victim had $100 when they were “making the deal” and that she and 

Ms. Bukowski went to the victim‟s apartment to discuss arranging another sexual 

transaction before the robbery. 

Detective McEachron testified that he saw an unplugged power cord for a 

computer lying on the victim‟s living room floor. He did not remember whether the 

victim mentioned his passport during the initial interview. Detective McEachron said 

the victim told him that the man who robbed him had touched the victim‟s wallet, but

Detective McEachron did not remember if the wallet or passport had been analyzed for 

fingerprints. Detective McEachron stated that the computers were not recovered. He 

said that a gun had not been recovered and that the evidence of a gun being involved

came from the victim‟s statement and Ms. Syres‟s and Ms. Bukowski‟s interviews. 

Kira Lynn Bukowski testified that she had pending an aggravated robbery charge

in connection with this case. She said that on July 10, 2013, she signed an immunity 

agreement and that she did not have any other agreement with the State in exchange for 

her testimony. The agreement was received as an exhibit. It specified that a statement

given on July 10, 2013, would not be used as evidence against Ms. Bukowski unless her 

testimony under oath differed materially from the statement. 

Ms. Bukowski testified that on May 17, 2012, Ms. Syres called Ms. Bukowski 

asking for a ride to a “date.” Ms. Bukowski said that Ms. Syres worked as a prostitute 

and that Ms. Syres expected to be paid $100 for the date. Ms. Bukowski stated that the 

Defendant drove them to the apartment complex in Ms. Bukowski‟s mother‟s van and 

that the Defendant insisted Ms. Bukowski accompany Ms. Syres to the date to “hurry it 

up a little.” Ms. Bukowski said Ms. Syres knocked on the apartment door, and when the 

victim opened the door, the Defendant suddenly came upstairs with a gun and pushed 

them all into the apartment. Ms. Bukowski stated that she had not seen the Defendant 

with a gun prior to that moment. 

Ms. Bukowski testified that Ms. Syres ran away and that Ms. Bukowski was 

“befuddled” with an ice cream cone in her hand. Ms. Bukowski said that the Defendant 

pushed the victim onto a couch and held down the victim. The Defendant pointed a gun 

at the victim‟s head and asked him, “[W]here is the money?” The Defendant told Ms. 

Bukowski to take two laptop computers and to go to the van. Ms. Bukowski said that 

she was shocked and afraid of the Defendant and that she took the computers and 

possibly a cell phone. Ms. Bukowski stated that she had never seen the victim before

the incident. 
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Ms. Bukowski testified that she returned to the van and sat in the passenger seat 

until the Defendant returned. She said that the Defendant started the van and that the 

victim chased them. A large truck or sport utility vehicle (SUV) started following them

as they left the apartment complex. She said that they drove to an apartment complex 

on Tampa Drive, that the Defendant took the computers out of the van, and that she did 

not see them again. Ms. Bukowski stated that she and the Defendant went to a friend‟s 

apartment for ten or twenty minutes and left with other friends.

On cross-examination, Ms. Bukowski testified that she was not under oath when 

she gave her statement in connection with the immunity agreement, that the prosecutor 

told her to tell the truth, that she had previously been to prison, and that she did not wish 

to return. She said that in May 2012, she worked as a prostitute and cared for her 

mother and son and that she used cocaine, Lortab, Xanax, and alcohol. Ms. Bukowski 

stated that she met Ms. Syres in February or March 2012, that Ms. Syres also worked as 

a prostitute, and that Ms. Bukowski looked after Ms. Syres. Ms. Bukowski said that 

before the robbery, Ms. Syres had lived with her for three months and that the 

Defendant had lived with them for two weeks. Ms. Bukowski stated that Ms. Syres

used cocaine.

Ms. Bukowski testified that on May 16, 2012, she and the Defendant picked up

Ms. Syres from the victim‟s apartment complex. Ms. Bukowski said that on May 17, 

she drank six or seven malt liquor drinks and vodka, took at least three Lortab pills, one 

“bar” of Xanax, and some cocaine. She said that she and Defendant were together all

day and that Ms. Syres went out earlier in the day. She said that when she and Ms. 

Syres knocked on the victim‟s door, the victim briefly discussed obtaining change for a 

$100 bill before the Defendant appeared. Ms. Bukowski stated that the Defendant “bum 

rushed” her and the victim into the apartment and unsuccessfully attempted to push Ms. 

Syres inside, as well.

Ms. Bukowski did not remember picking up a cell phone or whether she 

unplugged the laptop computers from their power cords. She said that she did not see or 

take the victim‟s passport or wallet. She stated that she looked for Ms. Syres when she 

returned to the van but that Ms. Syres was not there. Ms. Bukowski said that the 

Defendant had a handgun, that she did not know very much about guns, and that she had

never seen the gun previously. Ms. Bukowski did not remember her statement to police 

that the gun was a plastic toy gun. She said that she did not know whether the gun was 

a toy. Ms. Bukowski said that she had previously engaged in criminal behavior, 

including theft. She acknowledged that she volunteered to assist the police when she 

was arrested. On redirect examination, Ms. Bukowski testified that the police told her 

during her interview that they might not arrest her if she helped them and that she 

wanted consideration for her testimony.
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Sarah Syres testified that she had pending an aggravated robbery charge and that 

she signed an immunity agreement on July 10, 2013. A copy of the agreement, which 

was identical to the one signed by Ms. Bukowski, was received into evidence.

Ms. Syres testified that a few days prior to the robbery, she was working as a 

prostitute when she met the victim at his apartment complex. She said that the victim 

told her he had never “been with” an American woman and that they discussed meeting 

in the victim‟s friend‟s apartment. She stated that they went to the apartment, that she

was paid, and that after their business was concluded, she called Ms. Bukowski for a 

ride. Ms. Syres said she made and ate a salad at the apartment while waiting for Ms. 

Bukowski.

Ms. Syres testified that two or three days later, the victim‟s roommate, with 

whom she was acquainted, picked her up and that they went to the victim‟s apartment, 

where the victim was present. As she left the apartment, she asked the victim if he had 

any money, and the victim told her he had $100. Ms. Syres told the victim to obtain 

smaller bills and that she would return in an hour. Ms. Syres said the victim‟s 

roommate took her to another apartment complex, where she bought cocaine and saw 

Ms. Bukowski and the Defendant. Ms. Syres stated that she asked Ms. Bukowski and 

the Defendant to take her to the victim‟s apartment complex and that when they arrived,

the Defendant insisted Ms. Bukowski accompany Ms. Syres. Ms. Syres said that the 

victim was on his apartment balcony and waved at her. Ms. Syres stated that she did 

not want to bring an uninvited person to the victim‟s apartment but that Ms. Bukowski 

followed her to the victim‟s door. 

Ms. Syres testified that she entered the apartment, that Ms. Bukowski remained 

outside, that the victim said he did not have change, and that Ms. Syres said she would 

come back later. Ms. Syres said that she asked the victim for a cigarette, that the victim 

walked away, and that she left the apartment. Ms. Syres stated that when she left the 

apartment, she heard someone coming up the stairs and saw the Defendant come into

the hallway holding a gun. Ms. Syres said that she had seen a plastic gun in the van

previously but that she did not know if the Defendant was holding the same gun. Ms. 

Syres stated that she told the Defendant, “[D]on‟t do this to me,” that the Defendant told 

her to get out of the way, and that Ms. Syres left. 

Ms. Syres testified that she tried calling Ms. Bukowski‟s and the Defendant‟s cell 

phones but that neither of them answered. Ms. Syres said she did not return to the van. 

Ms. Syres went to the apartment complex where she originally encountered Ms. 

Bukowski in the hope that they would return there, but she did not see them. Ms. Syres 

stated that she went to Ms. Bukowski‟s home and did not know what happened at the

victim‟s apartment until she was arrested. 
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On cross-examination, Ms. Syres testified that she understood the immunity 

agreement to mean that she would not be prosecuted for additional charges arising from

information in her testimony. She said that on May 16, she and the victim discussed the 

particulars of their transaction before going to the victim‟s friend‟s apartment, that the 

victim paid in advance, and that the victim understood they were not dating. Ms. Syres

stated that when the Defendant and Ms. Bukowski picked her up on May 17, the 

victim‟s having $100 was discussed. Ms. Syres said Ms. Bukowski appeared 

intoxicated that day. Ms. Syres stated that she told the police she saw a toy gun the size 

of a person‟s hand in the van days before the robbery but that she did not see 

ammunition or a real gun in the van. Ms. Syres clarified that she did not see the toy gun 

the day of the robbery. 

Ms. Syres testified that Ms. Bukowski “pretty much went along with” the 

Defendant‟s demand to accompany Ms. Syres to the victim‟s apartment. Ms. Syres did 

not remember telling the police that Ms. Bukowski insisted on coming with her. Ms. 

Syres said that her conversation with the victim prior to the robbery lasted three to five 

minutes. She stated that she had walked halfway down the hallway when she met the 

Defendant, that the door to the victim‟s apartment was closed but not locked, and that 

Ms. Bukowski remained in front of the closed door. 

Ms. Syres testified that she and Ms. Bukowski were housed together at the jail 

and that they had discussed the robbery. Ms. Syres said that she bought and used 

cocaine on May 17 prior to the robbery. She stated that she was upset by the robbery 

but agreed that she did not call the police because she was high and had been working 

as a prostitute.

Metro Nashville Police Investigator Lynnette Mace testified that she collected 

fingerprints from a pack of cigarettes and a laptop computer power cord located inside 

the victim‟s apartment. She said that she also collected fingerprints from a white Dodge 

Grand Caravan located on Tampa Drive. 

Linda Wilson, an expert in latent fingerprint examination, testified that she 

identified Ms. Bukowski‟s left palm print taken from the right front fender of the van, 

Ms. Syres‟s fingerprints taken from the front right door, and the Defendant‟s 

fingerprints taken from the laptop computer‟s power cord in the victim‟s apartment and 

from the van‟s driver‟s side and passenger side doors. 

Upon this evidence, the Defendant was convicted of aggravated robbery. The 

trial court sentenced the Defendant to fourteen years in confinement. This appeal 

followed. 

I. Sufficiency of the Evidence
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The Defendant contends the evidence is insufficient to establish the theft element 

of aggravated robbery, arguing that there was conflicting testimony relative to whether a

theft occurred. The State responds that the testimony and forensic evidence are 

sufficient to support the conviction. We agree the evidence is sufficient. 

In determining the sufficiency of the evidence, the standard of review is 

“whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any

rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a 

reasonable doubt.” Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319 (1979); see State v. Vasques, 

221 S.W.3d 514, 521 (Tenn. 2007). The State is “afforded the strongest legitimate view 

of the evidence and all reasonable inferences” from that evidence. Vasques, 221 S.W.3d 

at 521. The appellate courts do not “reweigh or reevaluate the evidence,” and questions 

regarding “the credibility of witnesses [and] the weight and value to be given the 

evidence . . . are resolved by the trier of fact.” State v. Bland, 958 S.W.2d 651, 659 

(Tenn. 1997); see State v. Sheffield, 676 S.W.2d 542, 547 (Tenn. 1984).

“A crime may be established by direct evidence, circumstantial evidence, or a 

combination of the two.” State v. Hall, 976 S.W.2d 121, 140 (Tenn. 1998); see State v. 

Sutton, 166 S.W.3d 686, 691 (Tenn. 2005). “The standard of review „is the same 

whether the conviction is based upon direct or circumstantial evidence.‟” State v. 

Dorantes, 331 S.W.3d 370, 379 (Tenn. 2011) (quoting State v. Hanson, 279 S.W.3d 

265, 275 (Tenn. 2009)).

Robbery is defined as “the intentional or knowing theft of property from the 

person of another by violence or putting the person in fear.” T.C.A. § 39-13-401

(2014). Theft of property occurs when “with intent to deprive the owner of property, [a]

person knowingly obtains or exercises control over the property without the owner's 

effective consent.” T.C.A. § 39-14-103(a) (2014). Aggravated robbery, in relevant 

part, occurs where a robbery is accomplished with “a deadly weapon or by display of 

any article used or fashioned to lead the victim to reasonably believe it to be a deadly 

weapon.” T.C.A. § 39-13-402. 

In the light most favorable to the State, the record reflects that the Defendant 

pushed his way into the victim‟s apartment while holding what the victim believed was 

a pistol. The Defendant pushed the victim onto a couch and held the victim down,

placed the gun to the victim‟s head, demanded drugs and money, and instructed Ms. 

Bukowski to take two laptop computers. Ms. Bukowski took the computers. While the 

Defendant had the gun placed to the victim‟s head, the Defendant took a pack of 

cigarettes and the victim‟s wallet from the victim‟s pocket. The Defendant took $100 

from the victim‟s wallet. Witness testimony reflects that the Defendant knew the victim 

had $100 just before the incident occurred, and the Defendant‟s fingerprint was found

on the power cord for one of the stolen laptop computers. The Defendant drove the van 
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with Ms. Bukowski and the computers to another apartment complex and took the 

computers out of the van. 

Although the testimony of Ms. Syres, Ms. Bukowski, and the victim varied on

some details, the jury by its verdict resolved any conflicts in favor of the State, and we 

may not revisit matters of witness credibility. The evidence was sufficient to support 

the Defendant‟s conviction, and he is not entitled to relief on this basis.

In consideration of the foregoing and the record as a whole, we affirm the 

judgment of the trial court.

____________________________________

ROBERT H. MONTGOMERY, JR., JUDGE