Opinion ID: 2324091
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: This Court reviews a question regarding the sufficiency of the evidence in a jury trial by asking whether `after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.' Allen v. State, 402 Md. 59, 71, 935 A.2d 421, 428 (2007) (quoting Rivers v. State, 393 Md. 569, 580, 903 A.2d 908, 915 (2006)). We must give deference to all reasonable inferences [that] the fact-finder draws, regardless of whether [the appellate court] would have chosen a different reasonable inference. Bible v. State, 411 Md. 138, 156, 982 A.2d 348, 358 (2009) (quoting State v. Suddith, 379 Md. 425, 430, 842 A.2d 716, 719 (2004)). [I]t is, of course, well settled that an extrajudicial confession of guilt by a person accused of crime, unsupported by other evidence, is not sufficient to warrant a conviction. Woods v. State, 315 Md. 591, 615, 556 A.2d 236, 248 (1989) (quoting Bradbury v. State, 233 Md. 421, 424, 197 A.2d 126 (1964)). Rather, the extrajudicial confession must be supported by evidence, independent of the confession, which relates to and tends to establish the corpus delicti, i.e., the facts that are necessary to show that a crime has been committed. Woods, 315 Md. at 615-16, 556 A.2d at 248 (quoting Bradbury, 233 Md. at 424, 197 A.2d at 126). But it is not necessary that the evidence independent of the confession be full and complete or that it establish the truth of the corpus delicti beyond a reasonable doubt or by a preponderance of proof. Woods, 315 Md. at 616, 556 A.2d at 248 (quoting Cooper v. State, 220 Md. 183, 190, 152 A.2d 120 (1959)). Rather, [t]he supporting evidence . . . `may be small in amount' and is sufficient to establish the corpus delicti `if, when considered in connection with the confession or admission, it satisfies the trier of facts beyond a reasonable doubt that the offense charged was committed and that the accused committed it.' Miller v. State, 380 Md. 1, 46, 843 A.2d 803, 829 (2004) (quoting Bradbury, 233 Md. at 424-25, 197 A.2d at 128; Woods, 315 Md. at 616, 556 A.2d at 248). In a murder case, `the proof of the corpus delicti is sufficient if it establishes the fact that the person for whose death the prosecution was instituted is dead, and that the death occurred under circumstances which indicate that it was caused criminally by someone.' Woods, 315 Md. at 617, 556 A.2d at 249 (citing Jones v. State, 188 Md. 263, 272, 52 A.2d 484 (1947)). Petitioner does not dispute these standards, but argues that [o]ther than Michael West's testimony, there was nothing to establish the Petitioner's participation in the crimes charged. As we held in Ballard, however, the corpus delecti need not connect the defendant to the act. Ballard v. State, 333 Md. 567, 578, 636 A.2d 474 (1994) (explaining that when the charged crime is homicide, the corpus delecti consists of proof that the victim died and that the death was caused by a criminal act, but it need not tend to connect the defendant on trial with that act). Further, in Woods, we found that the defendant's statements confessing to the murder of Michael Boyd were sufficiently corroborated by a medical examiner's testimony that the victim was dead and that the cause of death was gunshot wounds. We explained that: The gunshot wounds were enough to show that the manner of death was homicidethat Boyd's death was not by accident or suicide but was caused criminally by someone. With this corroboration the confession was enough to meet the test for the sufficiency of the evidence to sustain the conviction of murder in the first degree. Woods, 315 Md. at 617, 556 A.2d at 249. In the present case, Dr. Vincenti, an assistant medical examiner, testified that she performed an autopsy on the body of Todd Dargan, that Mr. Dargan was dead, and that the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head. Although this is sufficient corroboration to support Petitioner's conviction for murder, the State, however, provided additional direct corroboration of Mr. West's testimony. Both Officer Keitz and Detective McDermott testified to finding a bullet casing at the scene of the murder and Natalie Hoban, the crime lab technician, testified that it came from a nine-millimeter round. This corroborated Mr. West's testimony that Petitioner and Mr. Johnson told him that Petitioner had given Mr. Johnson a nine to use in the murder. Additionally, Detective Phyall testified about conducting a traffic stop of Petitioner's vehicle, putting Petitioner and Mr. Johnson within 12 blocks of the scene of the murder, within an hour of its occurrence. Detective Phyall also testified that Mr. Johnson was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and that he was shaking uncontrollably. This again corroborated Mr. West's testimony that Mr. Johnson told Mr. West that he was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and that Petitioner said that the police, when conducting the traffic stop, noticed that Mr. Johnson was nervous. This additional corroboration, combined with Mr. West's and Dr. Vincenti's testimony, was sufficient to support all of Petitioner's convictions. THE JUDGMENT OF THE COURT OF SPECIAL APPEALS IS AFFIRMED. PETITIONER TO PAY THE COSTS.