Opinion ID: 1060298
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: The defendant first challenges the sufficiency of the evidence to support his convictions. The proper inquiry for an appellate court reviewing a challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence to support a conviction is whether, considering the evidence in a light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. See Tenn. R.App. P. 13(e); Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979); State v. Hall, 8 S.W.3d 593, 599 (Tenn.1999). A guilty verdict by the jury, approved by the trial court, accredits the testimony of the witnesses for the State and resolves all conflicts in favor of the prosecution's theory. State v. Bland, 958 S.W.2d 651, 659 (Tenn.1997). 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. Id. Nor may this Court substitute its inferences drawn from circumstantial evidence for those drawn by the trier of fact. See State v. Carruthers, 35 S.W.3d 516, 557-58 (Tenn.2000). A verdict of guilt removes the presumption of innocence and replaces it with a presumption of guilt, and on appeal the defendant has the burden of illustrating why the evidence is insufficient to support the verdict rendered by the jury. Carruthers, 35 S.W.3d at 557-58; State v. Tuggle, 639 S.W.2d 913, 914 (Tenn.1982). In contrast, the State on appeal is entitled to the strongest legitimate view of the trial evidence and all reasonable and legitimate inferences which may be drawn from the evidence. See Carruthers, 35 S.W.3d at 557-58; Hall, 8 S.W.3d at 599; Bland, 958 S.W.2d at 659. Considering the evidence in this record in accordance with these principles, we have no hesitation in holding that the evidence is sufficient to support the defendant's convictions of rape of a child and statutory rape. The December 9, 1997, opinion of the Court of Criminal Appeals graphically describes the acts of the defendant, and the proof need not be restated in detail herein. Suffice it to say that both victims, ages twelve and fourteen, testified as to the defendant's unlawful sexual penetration. The defendant confessed to the crimes and stated that I had sex with [C.L.] and [L.M.], just like they said. [3] The Court of Criminal Appeals properly applied this Court's decision in State v. Phillips, 924 S.W.2d 662 (Tenn.1996), when evaluating the sufficiency of the proof to support the multiple convictions of rape of a child. The defendant raises other matters which involve the credibility of witnesses. The jury resolved these credibility issues in favor of the prosecution and against the defense. We will not substitute our judgment for that of the jury. The evidence clearly is sufficient to support the convictions. This issue is without merit.