Opinion ID: 945214
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: 13 {40} Defendant contends in a vague and unilluminating argument that there was insufficient evidence to support his convictions for felony murder, shooting at a dwelling, and tampering with evidence. “The test for sufficiency of the evidence is whether substantial evidence of either a direct or circumstantial nature exists to support a verdict of guilty beyond a reasonable doubt with respect to every element essential to a conviction.” State v. Riley, 2010-NMSC-005, ¶ 12, 147 N.M. 557, 226 P.3d 656 (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). The reviewing court “view[s] the evidence in the light most favorable to the guilty verdict, indulging all reasonable inferences and resolving all conflicts in the evidence in favor of the verdict.” State v. Cunningham, 2000-NMSC-009, ¶ 26, 128 N.M. 711, 998 P.2d 176. “The question before us as a reviewing [c]ourt is not whether we would have had a reasonable doubt [about guilt] but whether it would have been impermissibly unreasonable for a jury to have concluded otherwise.” See State v. Rudolfo, 2008-NMSC-036, ¶ 29, 144 N.M. 305, 187 P.3d 170. State v. Guerra, 2012-NMSC-027, ¶ 10, 284 P.3d 1076 (alterations in original). Applying this standard of review, we conclude that there is sufficient evidence to support each verdict beyond a reasonable doubt.
{41} Felony murder consists of committing a crime (in this case, shooting at a dwelling), and during the commission of that crime, killing someone with the intent to kill or with the knowledge that the defendant’s acts created a strong probability of death or great bodily harm. UJI 14-202 NMRA. Shooting at a dwelling (great bodily harm) consists of willfully shooting a firearm at a dwelling with the knowledge that the building was a dwelling and causing death or great bodily harm. UJI 14-341 NMRA. {42} Defendant admitted that he shot toward a house multiple times with two different weapons while a party was in progress, and the jury rejected his self-defense claim. See State v. Cabezuela, 2011-NMSC-041, ¶ 45, 150 N.M. 654, 265 P.3d 705 (stating that the jury is free to reject the defendant’s version of events in the context of a sufficiency of the evidence review). In addition, several witnesses, including Ron Anderson, Katrina Branchal, and Ryan Romero, testified that when Defendant returned to the house where the party was taking place, he opened fire on the house without anyone else firing back at him. It is undisputed that Danica Concha died as a result of a shot fired by Defendant. This evidence supports the felony murder conviction beyond a reasonable doubt.
{43} For Defendant’s conviction under Count 2 of shooting at a dwelling or occupied 14 building, the elements that must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt are willfully shooting a firearm at a dwelling or occupied building, with the knowledge that the building was a dwelling or was occupied. UJI 14-340. Ron Anderson, Katrina Branchal, and Ryan Romero testified that when Defendant returned to the house where the party was taking place, he opened fire on the house without anyone else firing back at him. In addition, Naarah Holgate testified that she was wounded by the gunfire. This testimony, when combined, supports Defendant’s conviction under Count 2 for shooting at a dwelling. We previously discussed the fact that the district court did not specifically instruct the jury that it had to find that Holgate suffered an injury as a result of the shooting. The effect of failing to instruct the jury accordingly is to require that on remand the district court amend the judgment and sentence to conform to the jury verdict. Soliz, 79 N.M. at 267, 442 P.2d at 579.
{44} “Tampering with evidence consists of destroying, changing, hiding, placing or fabricating any physical evidence with intent to prevent the apprehension, prosecution or conviction of any person or to throw suspicion of the commission of a crime upon another.” NMSA 1978, § 30-22-5(A) (1963, as amended through 2003). Defendant testified that immediately after the shooting, he took most of the guns and put them behind his refrigerator. Intent to hide evidence can be inferred based upon a person’s acts. See State v. Rudolfo, 2008-NMSC-036, ¶¶ 30-32, 144 N.M. 305, 187 P.3d 170 (finding evidence sufficient when defendant hid weapons used during the commission of a crime in his car and attempted to flee the jurisdiction). Although perhaps thin, this evidence, when looked at in the light most favorable to the jury verdict, supports the conclusion that tampering with evidence was proven beyond a reasonable doubt.