Opinion ID: 1219372
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: Next, in assessing the sufficiency of a jury's conclusions regarding issues of fact in a criminal action, this court is constrained to view the facts in a manner most favorable to the State; thus, this court asks whether any rational trier of fact could have found the elements of the crime involved beyond a reasonable doubt. Koza v. State, 100 Nev. 245, 250, 681 P.2d 44, 47 (1984). Riley argues there was insufficient evidence produced at trial to support his guilty convictions. We disagree. First, it is uncontradicted that the murder weapon belonged to Riley and that Riley brought the weapon to Leotis Gordon's home on the day in question. Darrell Lee Jackson testified at trial that he witnessed Riley kill Ramrod Bollin with the sawed-off shotgun. [5] Kim Johnson testified that after the shooting, she saw Riley cradling his gun while Ramrod Bollin was sitting on the dresser with the gunshot wound in his chest. [6] Riley seemed to have a motive: he was angry at drug dealers, and evinced an inclination to rob them because they were not treating him fairly. The evidence further indicates that Riley's acts were premeditated: Riley discussed what he was going to do to the victim before killing him, and allowed Ramrod Bollin to take one last hit of cocaine before he was shot. Finally, Riley generally maintained control of the murder weapon and hid it in the desert after it was used to kill Ramrod Bollin. We conclude there was ample evidence produced at the trial to support Riley's convictions. [7]