Opinion ID: 1157261
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: The Sufficiency of Evidence

Text: Contrary to the defendant's contention, we find the evidence sufficient to sustain his conviction. To withstand a motion for a judgment of acquittal the prosecution has the burden of presenting evidence which, when viewed as a whole and in a light most favorable to the prosecution, is substantial and sufficient to support a conclusion by a reasonable person that the defendant is guilty of a crime beyond a reasonable doubt. E. g., People v. Bennett, 183 Colo. 125, 515 P.2d 466 (1973). The substantial evidence test affords the same status to circumstantial evidence as to direct evidence, and an exclusively circumstantial case need not exclude every reasonable hypothesis other than guilt to withstand a motion for a judgment of acquittal. People v. Elkhatib, Colo., 632 P.2d 275, 279 (1981). This is not a case where the prosecution's evidence consists only of the discovery of a few particles of heroin, sprinkled on a carpet and a toilet rim in the defendant's motel unit, with no additional evidence establishing his knowledge of its location and its character as a narcotic. See, e. g., People v. Theel, 180 Colo. 348, 505 P.2d 964 (1973); People v. Larsen, 180 Colo. 140, 503 P.2d 343 (1972); Ramsey v. People, 179 Colo. 172, 498 P.2d 1148 (1972). Although the amount of heroin admitted at trial was miniscule, there was ample testimonial and real evidence indicating that the defendant knowingly possessed a large amount of heroin but succeeded in preventing its seizure by flushing it away. The jury was not required to confine itself solely to the residue but rather could consider all the evidence, including the testimony depicting the defendant's cutting a far greater quantity of heroin, his use of paraphernalia for this purpose, his destruction of most of the heroin moments before his arrest, and his possession of $275 in currency at the time of his arrest. When the evidence is appropriately viewed, it is sufficient to permit a reasonable person to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that the substance in the defendant's possession was heroin, that the defendant knew the heroin was in his possession, and that he possessed the heroin for the purpose of sale with the intent to induce or aid another to unlawfully use or possess the heroin. The trial court did not err in denying the defendant's motion for a judgment of acquittal.