Opinion ID: 1905163
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: The Evidence Was Sufficient to Support Epp's Conviction for Possession of a Deadly Weapon by a Felon.

Text: Epp next asserts that there was not sufficient evidence to support his conviction for being a felon in possession of a deadly weapon. He argues that because the jury acquitted him of use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony, the jury obviously found the State failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt he used a deadly weapon in the robbery, and that therefore, there was not sufficient evidence to support the charge that he was a felon in possession of a deadly weapon at the time of the robbery. We conclude that there was evidence that Epp was in possession of a deadly weapon during the robbery and at other times and that therefore, there was sufficient evidence to convict him of being a felon in possession of a deadly weapon. Epp stipulated to the fact that he had a prior felony conviction, and therefore the only question is whether there was sufficient evidence that he was in possession of a deadly weapon. We note that three witnesses to the robbery testified at trial. One witness testified that the robber had a handgun and that it looked like a real gun. The second witness testified that the robber had a gun. However, on cross-examination, she conceded that at the time of the robbery, she didn't think it was real and referred to both her written report to police and an earlier deposition wherein she had said that the gun looked fake. The third witness testified at trial that the robber had a handgun and that she had thought it was real. She denied that she had told a police officer investigating the robbery that she thought it was a toy gun. The police officer testified at trial that both the second and the third witnesses told him that they thought the gun was a toy gun. Epp argues that the jury's verdict of not guilty on the charge of use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony indicates the jury had a reasonable doubt whether he used a real gun to commit the robbery and that such doubt was likely raised by evidence that two of the three witnesses thought the gun was a toy gun. Epp argues that because the jury had a reasonable doubt whether he used a deadly weapon to commit the robbery, there was not sufficient evidence for the jury to find that he was in possession of a deadly weapon at the time of the robbery. The State asserts that Epp's argument focusing on the testimonies of the three witnesses to the robbery ignores other evidence in the case that Epp was in possession of a handgun at other times. The State notes that the information charged that Epp had a firearm in his possession on or about April 24, 2007. The State argues that whether or not there was sufficient evidence that Epp possessed a deadly weapon during the robbery on April 24, 2007, sufficient evidence was presented to the jury that he possessed a handgun on or about that date. In this regard, the State notes the testimony of two witnesses who were not witnesses to the robbery. One of the witnesses testified that he had seen Epp with a handgun on an unspecified date prior to April 30. The other witness testified that she saw Epp with a handgun on an unspecified date prior to May 31. Epp argues in reply that such testimony was too vague regarding the date he was seen with a handgun and therefore could not support a conviction for being in possession of a deadly weapon on April 24. [24,25] A conviction will be affirmed, in the absence of prejudicial error, if the properly admitted evidence, viewed and construed most favorably to the State, is sufficient to support the conviction. State v. Branch, 277 Neb. 738, 764 N.W.2d. 867 (2009). Any conflicts in the evidence or questions concerning the credibility of witnesses are for the finder of fact to resolve. Id. On a claim of insufficiency of the evidence, an appellate court will not set aside a guilty verdict in a criminal case where such verdict is supported by relevant evidence. Only where evidence lacks sufficient probative force as a matter of law may an appellate court set aside a guilty verdict as unsupported by evidence beyond a reasonable doubt. Id. The jury's guilty verdict on the charge of possession of a deadly weapon by a felon in this case was supported by sufficient evidence. The three witnesses to the robbery testified at trial that the robber had a handgun, although one of three conceded at trial that at the time of the robbery, she thought the handgun was not real. Two other witnesses also testified that Epp possessed a handgun, and although neither witness was precise about the date, the jury could properly infer from the dates indicated in the witnesses' testimony that the possession occurred around the date of the robbery on April 24, 2007. Such evidence, when viewed and construed most favorably to the State, supported Epp's conviction for being a felon in possession of a handgun on or about April 24. We recognize that there was evidence indicating that the handgun used by the robber was a toy gun rather than a real gun. To the extent such testimony conflicts with evidence that Epp possessed a handgun during the period alleged, such conflict in the evidence was for the jury to resolve, and it is apparent that with regard to the possession charge, the jury resolved such conflicting evidence in favor of the State. Epp asks us to speculate as to the reason the jury acquitted him of use of a deadly weapon to commit a robbery and how such reasoning would, nevertheless, result in a conviction for possession by a felon. However, we cannot speculate as to the reason for the jury's verdict with respect to the use charge, and such speculation cannot override the fact that there was sufficient evidence from which the jury could have found Epp guilty with respect to the possession charge. We conclude that there was sufficient evidence to support Epp's conviction for possession of a deadly weapon by a felon. We reject Epp's assignment of error.