Opinion ID: 2027636
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: issues

Text: Defendant's argument that the evidence is insufficient to sustain the conviction for burglary is based upon his claim that the testimony of Goodman and Williams is incredible. He argues that their history of crime and drug abuse and their totally amoral characters, as well as their statements that their testimony was given in exchange for a guarantee from the prosecution that they would not be charged as habitual offenders, render their testimony incredible. Defendant is asking us to rejudge the credibility of the accomplices' testimony. That we will not do unless the testimony is inherently incredible. Forrester v. State, (1982) Ind., 440 N.E.2d 475, 485; Wallace v. State, (1981) Ind., 426 N.E.2d 34, 42; Bentley v. State, (1981) Ind., 414 N.E.2d 573, 574. We do not agree with the Defendant that the only incriminating evidence is inherently unbelievable. While it is true that both accomplices had had inferior educations and many prior confrontations with the law and that Williams admitted that his memory had been affected by years of sniffing glue, the jury was apprised of each accomplice's personal history and prior criminal record. The jury was also informed of the benefit each man received in exchange for his testimony. See Webb v. State, (1980) Ind. App., 403 N.E.2d 359, 360. It was then up to the jury as the trier of the facts to believe whomever it chose. Taylor v. State, (1981) Ind., 425 N.E.2d 141, 143. Unquestionably, those elements rendered the veracity of the accomplices suspect, but the jury is in a better position to make the credibility determination than a court of appeals. We cannot say that a reasonable man could not believe the witnesses' testimony to be true. Further, in addition to the testimony of Goodman and Williams, there was circumstantial evidence implicating Defendant. His shoes matched those that left prints found at the scene of the crime, and a garbage can, positively identified by Carda as the one missing from his store, was found at his residence. The evidence is sufficient to sustain the conviction.