Opinion ID: 1448513
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Count II malicious destruction of property (felony). [5]

Text: On this count, the district judge instructed the jury to determine whether between April, 1993 and January 20, 1994, Rossana willfully, unlawfully and maliciously damaged Momot's Mercedes 450 SL by spraying corrosives on the car, scratching the paint, and/or puncturing the tires with nails. Momot testified that it cost approximately $1,250.00 to repair the tire damage. We conclude that while the evidence was sufficient to convict Rossana of gross misdemeanor malicious destruction of property, it did not support conviction upon this felony count. [6] Pursuant to NRS 193.155, a felony conviction for a public offense under NRS 206.310 requires damages to property of $5,000.00 or more. We conclude that, while there may have been substantial evidence for a reasonable jury to conclude that Rossana damaged Momot's tires with a nail gun (i.e., the surveillance video), there was not substantial evidence to convict Rossana of damaging the finish of the 450 SL with chemicals or by keying. The State's only evidence was Momot's time line which professed to link events in the Momot-Rossana civil litigation to Rossana's alleged acts of vandalism; in reviewing the record, we conclude that there was insufficient evidence upon which a reasonable trier of fact could have concluded that Rossana vandalized Momot's car in this manner. The 450 SL was vandalized on April 26 and 27, May 24 and 25, June 9, July 20, and December 13 and 22, 1993. But, there were no witnesses presented to place Rossana anywhere in the vicinity of the 450 SL on the dates of the vandalism, and no caustic substances were found at Rossana's residence, pursuant to the execution of the January 21, 1994 search warrant. Therefore, we conclude that a rational trier of fact could not find sufficient evidence to find Rossana guilty of felony malicious destruction of property beyond a reasonable doubt.