Opinion ID: 3062180
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: Defendant claims that the evidence against him was insufficient to sustain his convictions. Evidence is sufficient to support a criminal conviction if, “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). On direct appeal the OCCA rejected Defendant’s claim on the merits. See Dodd, 100 P.3d at 1041–43. It concluded: “Reviewing the evidence as a whole, including the evidence presented by the defense, we believe a rational juror could have determined that [Defendant’s] guilt was the only reasonable hypothesis presented, and further, that the hypothesis was proven beyond a reasonable doubt.” Id. at 1042–43. Given the OCCA’s merits adjudication of this claim, “our task is limited by AEDPA to inquiring whether the OCCA’s application of Jackson was unreasonable.” Matthews v. Workman, 577 F.3d 1175, 1183 (10th Cir. 2009). It was not. The OCCA reasonably held that the evidence could have permitted a rational trier of fact to find Defendant guilty on both counts of first-degree murder beyond a reasonable doubt. We deny relief on this claim.