Opinion ID: 158602
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Sufficiency of the Evidence to Support Kidnapping Charge

Text: 13 Beers faces a high hurdle in trying to prove that the evidence is insufficient to support his kidnapping conviction. [I]n reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence to support a jury verdict, this court must review the record de novo and ask only whether, taking the evidence -both direct and circumstantial, together with reasonable inferences to be drawn therefrom - in the light most favorable to the government, a reasonable jury could find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. United States v. Voss, 82 F.3d 1521, 1524-25 (10th Cir. 1996) (internal quotation marks and citations omitted); see also United States v. Copus, 110 F.3d 1529, 1534 (10th Cir. 1997). We do not use this evaluation as a chance to second-guess the jury's credibility determinations, nor do we reassess the jury's Conclusions about the weight of the evidence presented. United States v. Yoakum, 116 F.3d 1346, 1349 (10th Cir. 1997) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). 14 Beers argues that the government failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt an essential element of the kidnapping offense -absence of the victim's consent. Consent of the victim to travel in interstate commerce with the defendant is a defense to the federal kidnapping statute. See United States v. Toledo, 985 F.2d 1462, 1467 (10th Cir. 1993). Beers apparently bases his argument on two facts: (1) the government did not call Doe, the eight-year-old victim, to testify as to whether or not he consented to travel with defendant, and (2) the testimony of the other witnesses conflicted as to Doe's consent. We find the first fact irrelevant. As for the testimony, Theresa Elliot testified that she did not consent to defendant taking her child and her child did not want to go with defendant. Twila Lujan stated that she saw Doe crying because he did not want to go with Beers to Phoenix. Further testimony revealed that defendant did not allow Elliot to be alone with Doe while in Illinois. Sheila Smith, another prostitute who had worked for defendant, contradicted Elliott's and Lujan's version of events, contending that Doe actually wanted to leave Salt Lake City with defendant. The prosecution seriously challenged Smith's credibility, however, by introducing impeachment evidence and witness testimony that she had worked for and been romantically involved with Beers and had admitted this to the FBI. She denied these facts at trial. Thus, the question of Doe's consent was essentially one of witness credibility. Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the government, we find that a reasonable jury could have concluded beyond a reasonable doubt that the child, John Doe, did not consent to go with Beers.