Opinion ID: 1058212
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: The defendant challenges the sufficiency of the convicting evidence. Our standard of review is whether, after reviewing 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, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979); State v. Goodwin, 143 S.W.3d 771, 775 (Tenn.2004). When reviewing the evidence, the State is entitled to the strongest legitimate view of the evidence and to all reasonable and legitimate inferences that may be drawn therefrom. State v. Smith, 24 S.W.3d 274, 279 (Tenn.2000). Questions about the credibility of witnesses, the weight and value of the evidence, as well as all factual issues raised by the evidence are resolved by the trier of fact, and this Court does not re-weigh or re-evaluate the evidence. State v. Evans, 108 S.W.3d 231, 236 (Tenn.2003).
The State contends that there is abundant evidence of premeditation. The defendant, on the other hand, insists that the evidence of premeditation is insufficient for conviction of first degree murder (premeditated). First degree premeditated murder is statutorily defined as a premeditated and intentional killing of another. Tenn.Code Ann. § 39-13-202(a)(1) (2001). An act is premeditated if the act is done after the exercise of reflection and judgment. Id. at (d). Premeditation means that the intent to kill must have been formed prior to the act itself. It is not necessary that the purpose to kill pre-exist in the mind of the accused for any definite period of time. The mental state of the accused at the time the accused allegedly decided to kill must be carefully considered in order to determine whether the accused was sufficiently free from excitement and passion as to be capable of premeditation. Id. The element of premeditation is a factual question to be decided by a jury from all the circumstances surrounding the killing. State v. Davidson, 121 S.W.3d 600, 614 (Tenn.2003). Although a jury may not engage in speculation, it may infer premeditation from the manner and circumstances of the killing. State v. Bland, 958 S.W.2d 651, 660 (Tenn.1997). This Court has identified several circumstances that may support a finding of premeditation. Those circumstances include: [D]eclarations by the defendant of an intent to kill, evidence of procurement of a weapon, the use of a deadly weapon upon an unarmed victim, the particular cruelty of the killing, infliction of multiple wounds, preparation before the killing for concealment of the crime, destruction or secretion of evidence of the murder, and calmness immediately after the killing. State v. Nichols, 24 S.W.3d 297, 302 (Tenn. 2000). Additionally, [e]stablishment of a motive for the killing is a factor from which the jury may infer premeditation. State v. Leach, 148 S.W.3d 42, 54 (Tenn. 2004). A verdict of guilt removes the presumption of innocence and replaces it with a presumption of guilt. State v. Holton, 126 S.W.3d 845, 858 (Tenn.2004). [O]n appeal, the defendant has the burden of illustrating why the evidence is not sufficient to support the jury's verdict. Id. Viewing the evidence in a light most favorable to the State, the intermediate court stated: Although, there was no showing that the victim was armed, no evidence was presented at trial indicating that the defendant made any declarations of intent to kill the victim, made any preparations to conceal the offense prior to shooting the victim, or had a previously formed design or intent to kill the victim. There was no showing of hostility between them. Furthermore, while the defendant possessed a gun, the evidence does not indicate that the defendant procured the gun for the purpose of killing the victim. See [ State v. West, 844 S.W.2d 144, 147 (Tenn.1992)] (noting that in failing to establish premeditation, the state failed to present proof of its theory that the defendant returned to his residence and retrieved a gun for the specific purpose of killing the victim when the defendant testified he carried his gun with him all morning prior to the shooting). The record reflects the defendant shot an unarmed victim twice in the back of his head. The pathologist was unable to ascertain the locations of the parties at the time of the shooting but opined the muzzle was more than three feet away from the victim's [head]. Based upon the evidence, we are unable to conclude that the defendant killed the victim execution-style while the victim was kneeling, although it may have been a possibility. We are persuaded that the conclusion reached by the intermediate court is the correct one without application of the presumption. Of the factors that this Court has acknowledged as tending to prove premeditation, only one  use of a deadly weapon on an unarmed victim  is present here. See Bland, 958 S.W.2d at 660. Even so, the defendant claimed that he believed that the victim was armed and prepared to shoot. Additionally, although the evidence establishes that the defendant shot the victim in the back of the head at a downward angle, no evidence in the record supports the conclusion that the victim was kneeling on the floor when the shots were fired. Furthermore, we also note, as did the Court of Criminal Appeals, that the jury acquitted the defendant of murder committed in the perpetration of robbery. Thus, we are unable to conclude that the defendant's motive for killing the victim was robbery. Finally, we note that concealment of evidence of a crime, standing alone, is insufficient to prove premeditation. See State v. West, 844 S.W.2d 144, 148 (Tenn. 1992) (The concealment of evidence ... may be associated with the commission of any crime and the accompanying fear of punishment. One who kills another in a passionate rage may dispose of the weapon when reason returns just as readily as the cool, dispassionate killer.). This Court and the Court of Criminal Appeals have rejected finding such premeditation based solely upon a defendant concealing evidence after the crime. See West, 844 S.W.2d at 147 (defendant waiting an hour and a half before calling the police, during which time he hid the weapon and went about his business, was insufficient evidence of premeditation); State v. Long, 45 S.W.3d 611, 621 (Tenn.Crim.App.2000) (defendant's actions hiding the victim's body, lying to the victim's mother, sister, and the sheriff about her whereabouts; and shooting pool with friends after the murder did not establish premeditation). In this case, the defendant attempted to conceal commission of the crime, but his sloppy incomplete efforts actually appear to undercut rather than support premeditation. Nothing in the record indicates that the defendant gave any forethought to concealing the crime. [5] Based on the foregoing, we conclude that the evidence was insufficient for a rational trier-of-fact to find the defendant guilty of first degree premeditated murder beyond a reasonable doubt. See Jackson, 443 U.S. at 319, 99 S.Ct. 2781.