Opinion ID: 891710
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Defendant's overt acts to conceal evidence constitute sufficient evidence to support the tampering with evidence conviction.

Text: {12} Defendant also argues that there was insufficient evidence adduced at trial to support his tampering with evidence conviction. The tampering with evidence charge arose from Defendant's efforts to conceal the weapon used in the Armstrong homicide. Defendant contends that because his multiple efforts to conceal the weapon failed and the weapon was never recovered, the State cannot meet its burden of proof. However, we construe Defendant's extensive efforts to rid himself of the murder weapon as sufficient evidence to support the jury's findings. {13} Under New Mexico law, the elements of tampering with evidence are (1) destroying, changing, hiding, placing or fabricating any physical evidence, and (2) with intent to prevent the apprehension, prosecution or conviction of any person or to throw suspicion of the commission of a crime upon another. Section 30-22-5(A). When there is no other evidence of the specific intent . . . to disrupt the police investigation, intent is often inferred from an overt act of the defendant. Duran, 2006-NMSC-035, ¶ 14, 140 N.M. 94, 140 P.3d 515. Where there is no direct evidence of an intent to undermine law enforcement activities, and no overt act permitting an inference of such intent, the evidence cannot support a tampering conviction. Compare State v. Silva, 2008-NMSC-051, ¶¶ 18-19, 144 N.M. 815, 192 P.3d 1192 (holding that the State failed to meet its burden where it effectively asked the jury to speculate that an overt act of . . . hiding [the murder weapon] had taken place, based solely on the fact that such evidence was never found (alteration in original) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted)), with State v. Arellano, 91 N.M. 195, 197, 572 P.2d 223, 225 (Ct.App.1977) (affirming tampering conviction where the defendant committed the overt act of giving his brother a loaded gun used in a homicide and instructed brother to `hold it for him'). Importantly, when a tampering conviction is based on concealing evidence, conviction is not predicated on actual recovery of the evidence. See State v. Johnson, 2004-NMSC-029, ¶¶ 3, 54, 136 N.M. 348, 98 P.3d 998. {14} In this case, Defendant perpetrated a sequence of overt acts in an effort to both rid himself of the firearm and conceal it from the police, permitting a rational jury to find both elements of Section 30-22-5(A) beyond a reasonable doubt. The trial transcript is littered with evidence of multiple acts committed by Defendant in an effort to thwart law enforcement efforts by concealing or transferring possession of the gun. As we have already discussed, these acts included two attempts to sell the gun to acquaintances and two attempts to give the gun to another acquaintance, urging that it be hidden. Ultimately, law enforcement was unable to recover the gun. The jury could reasonably infer from these facts that Defendant ultimately achieved his objective of disposing of the gun. His multiple overt acts made clear his intent to thwart law enforcement by jettisoning key evidence. Defendant's conviction for tampering with evidence is affirmed.