Opinion ID: 1890458
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: The Conflicting Verdicts

Text: Appellant argues that since the jury acquitted her of possession of a prohibited dangerous weapon, it is logically impossible that the jury could have found beyond a reasonable doubt that she was guilty of aggravated assault while armed. A person can be found guilty of aggravated assault while armed if she commits a crime of violence while armed with a dangerous or deadly weapon. D.C.Code § 22-4502(a) (2001). The weapon need not be a conventional weapon, but can be any instrument that the defendant uses as a weapon and which can cause serious bodily injury. See Johnson v. United States, 613 A.2d 888, 897 (D.C.1992) (hot clothes iron was a dangerous weapon when used by defendant to coerce and rape victim). Therefore, though the kitchen knife the appellant used is not specifically included in the nonexclusive list of examples given in the statute, the evidence was sufficient to sustain a verdict of aggravated assault while armed where the uncontested evidence shows that the appellant held the twelve-inch knife, used it against the victim, and caused serious bodily injury with it. A person can be found guilty of possession of a prohibited dangerous weapon, on the other hand, if that person possessed a knife with a blade longer than 3 inches, or other dangerous weapon with intent to use [it] unlawfully against another. See D.C.Code § 22-4514(b) (2001). The appellant possessed a kitchen knife with a twelve-inch blade and used it to assault the complainant. Since the same facts were present for the possession of a prohibited dangerous weapon charge as for the aggravated assault while armed charge, the jury's verdict acquitting of the first while convicting of the second appears inconsistent. It is now well-established that inconsistent verdicts by themselves do not mandate reversal. `The most that can be said in such cases is that the verdict shows that either in the acquittal or the conviction the jury did not speak their real conclusions, but that does not show that they were not convinced of the defendant's guilt.' United States v. Dobyns, 679 A.2d 487, 490 (D.C.1996) (quoting Dunn v. United States, 284 U.S. 390, 393, 52 S.Ct. 189, 76 L.Ed. 356 (1932) (quoting Steckler v. United States, 7 F.2d 59, 60 (2d Cir.1925))). As the Supreme Court explained in United States v. Powell, 469 U.S. 57, 67, 105 S.Ct. 471, 83 L.Ed.2d 461 (1984), a court cannot determine which of two inconsistent verdicts is correct simply by referring to the other. Rather, the court's focus is on whether the evidence presented at trial can sustain the jury's verdict of guilt. See id. Since sufficient evidence was presented at trial for a reasonable jury to find the appellant guilty of aggravated assault while armed, the jury's acquittal on the prohibited dangerous weapon charge is not grounds for reversal. [7]