Opinion ID: 2393727
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: The next issue is whether there was sufficient evidence to support the Appellant's conviction. The Appellant argues that the only evidence the State produced was his statement and that there was no corroborating evidence, forensic or otherwise, which connected the Appellant to the victim or the crime. [11] The Appellee maintains that evidence introduced before the jury was sufficient to warrant the conviction of second degree murder. The standard of review applicable to the Appellant's claim of insufficient evidence is set forth in syllabus one of State v. Guthrie, 194 W.Va. 657, 461 S.E.2d 163 (1995). In Guthrie, the Court held that [t]he function of an appellate court when reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence to support a criminal conviction is to examine the evidence admitted at trial to determine whether such evidence, if believed, is sufficient to convince a reasonable person of the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Thus, the relevant inquiry 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 proved beyond a reasonable doubt. Id. at 663, 461 S.E.2d at 169, Syl. Pt. 1. Additionally, [a] criminal defendant challenging the sufficiency of the evidence to support a conviction takes on a heavy burden. An appellate court must review all the evidence, whether direct or circumstantial, in the light most favorable to the prosecution and must credit all inferences and credibility assessments that the jury might have drawn in favor of the prosecution. The evidence need not be inconsistent with every conclusion save that of guilt so long as the jury can find guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Credibility determinations are for a jury and not an appellate court. Finally, a jury verdict should be set aside only when the record contains no evidence, regardless of how it is weighed, from which the jury could find guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Id. at 663, 461 S.E.2d at 169, Syl. Pt. 3, in part. Applying the foregoing standard of review, the record in this case reveals that the Appellee introduced several statements made by the Appellant regarding the death of Ms. Pelfry. First, when the state police began investigating the crime by canvassing the area closest to the crime scene, Trooper Holbert testified that he approached the Appellant, who happened to live nearest to the crime scene, and asked him if he had seen anything unusual coming up or down the road in the last couple of days. The Appellant responded by saying, Well, you guys are here for the burnt girl. None of the officers had told the Appellant why they were there. Additionally, Trooper Holbert and Deputy Barker noticed two large five or six gallon gas cans sitting in the middle of the driveway. The police officers also saw straw that by their observations was similar to straw found at the crime scene, which had been used to cover up the victim's body. The Appellee also introduced the Appellant's voluntarily confession to Ms. Pelfry's murder. In his confession, the Appellant explained that he picked her up to have sex with her, that he killed her after she had made fun of him as he had undressed in front of her, and that then he burned the victim's body to get rid of the evidence of his crime. Finally, the Appellee offered the testimony of the medical examiner who testified that Ms. Pelfry died from blunt force trauma to her head. Her body was then burned and the only portion of her body which was recognizable were her legs. The Appellant testified that basically everything he told the police was false. The Appellant also offered the testimony of several family members and friends who all testified either that the Appellant had been with them on December 31 and January 1 or that they had seen the Appellant when he found out about the death of his brother and his nephew. This evidence was offered to show alibi even though none of the Appellant's witnesses testified that they had been with the Appellant continuously during the time period when Ms. Pelfry was murdered. The Appellant also offered evidence that another person, Ada Sloane, had told her roommate that she killed Ms. Pelfry. The evidence, however, showed that the police, contrary to the Appellant's assertions, investigated Ms. Sloane and the blood evidence found at Ms. Sloane's apartment. The officer's found that the blood evidence, which consisted of stains on a mattress, pre-dated the murder. Moreover, Ms. Sloane testified that although she said that she killed Ms. Pelfry, she made the statement in anger to her roommate and girlfriend, while she was under the influence of drugs. Ms. Sloane testified that she did not kill Ms. Pelfry. As this Court repeatedly has held, a jury verdict should be set aside only when the record contains no evidence, regardless of how it is weighed, from which the jury could find guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Guthrie, 194 W.Va. at 663, 461 S.E.2d at 169, Syl. Pt. 3, in part. In this case, it is undeniable that the jury was presented with sufficient evidence to support its finding that the Appellant was guilty of second degree murder beyond a reasonable doubt. Id. Therefore, this Court finds no error regarding this issue.