Opinion ID: 2381703
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Inferences from the Evidence in This Case

Text: The State's circumstantial case against Williams was comprised of a series of facts and the inferences which flowed from those facts. The State first proved that whoever was burglarizing the Vandergrift home was surprised to learn that it was occupied when Vandergrift called downstairs. The inference that the State would draw from this fact is that the burglar would be startled and would quickly flee the residence and the area. The State next proved that Williams was seen running from the general direction of the Vandergrift home by Thornton, a park worker, at about the same time that the burglary was reported. The testimony also showed that Williams was the only person in the area, and Williams was characterized as acting in a suspicious manner because he ran between several houses, jumped over a fence, and thereafter crossed Stapler Park at a brisk pace, looking back repeatedly. The inference that the State argued follows from this evidence is that Williams was fleeing from something, e.g., the Vandergrift home. Williams was stopped by the police within minutes of the burglary only a few blocks from Vandergrift's home. Williams was stopped because he was the only person in the area and because he matched the description of the person who was described as jumping the fence and acting suspiciously. Williams was subsequently identified by the park worker as the same person that he had seen jumping the fence. When the police searched Williams, he had on his person nine one dollar bills and three dollars and ninety-three cents in change. Vandergrift reported that the items stolen from his home included seven or eight one dollar bills and approximately three dollars in change. The State argues that it is logical to infer that this money was taken from the Vandergrift home. The State argues that the logical extension of the inferences created by all of its evidence is that Williams burglarized the Vandergrift home. Williams testified in his own defense. He argued that all of his conduct was consistent with the innocent explanations he presented. Williams' explanations and credibility were properly submitted to and evaluated by the jury. Unfortunately for Williams, they were resolved in the State's favor. It has long been our law that the jury is the sole judge of the credibility of the witnesses and responsible for resolving conflicts in the testimony. Tyre v. State, Del.Supr., 412 A.2d 326, 330 (1980). See also Sheeran v. State, Del.Supr., 526 A.2d 886, 892 (1987). Naturally, Williams disagrees with the jury's resolution of the conflict between his testimony and the inferences to be drawn from the testimony of the State's witnesses. However, we find the evidence sufficient to support a verdict of guilty. [T]he evidence, viewed in its entirety and including all reasonable inferences, is sufficient to enable a jury to find that the State's charge[s] [have] been established beyond a reasonable doubt. Holden v. State, Del.Supr., 305 A.2d 320, 322 (1973), quoted in Potts v. State, Del.Supr., 458 A.2d 1165, 1167 (1983). See also Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. at 319, 99 S.Ct. at 2789; Holland v. United States, 348 U.S. at 139-40, 75 S.Ct. at 137-38; Davis v. State, 453 A.2d at 803; Henry v. State, 298 A.2d at 330.