Opinion ID: 1724606
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Sufficiency of Evidence to Convict.

Text: Defendant's contention, that there was insufficient credible evidence to establish beyond a reasonable doubt her guilt of the offense charged, is grounded on the basic principle that proof of commission of a crime cannot be grounded on the admissions or confession of the accused alone. The principal evidence adduced of the offense consisted of the afore-stated admissions which defendant made to Officers Randa and Thelen when they questioned her about the fresh needle marks on her forearms. However, these needle marks, together with the laboratory report that traces of opium alkaloid were found on some of the seized paraphernalia, did supply sufficient corroborating evidence to sustain the conviction. As this court observed in Holt v. State: [8] All the elements of the crime do not have to be proved independently of an accused's confession; however, there must be some corroboration of the confession in order to support a conviction. Such corroboration is required in order to produce a confidence in the truth of the confession. The corroboration, however, can be far less than is necessary to establish the crime independently of the confession. If there is corroboration of any significant fact, that is sufficient under the Wisconsin test. We have no hesitancy in holding that there was sufficient credible evidence upon which the trial court could find defendant guilty of the offense charged beyond a reasonable doubt. By the Court. Judgment affirmed.