Court Opinion

ID: 9588728
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 23:37:34.700968+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:01:00.142193
License: Public Domain

Banke, Judge,
dissenting.
Although Tenner’s acceptance of the five rolls of pennies and his attempt to hide Washington and Grant in his motel room might have supported convictions for theft by receiving stolen property (OCGA § 16-8-7 (Code Ann. § 26-1806)) and hindering the apprehension of a criminal (OCGA § 16-10-50 (Code Ann. § 26-2503)), there is no evidence from which it may reasonably be inferred that he directly participated in the planning or execution of the robbery or that he was otherwise concerned in its commission pursuant to OCGA § 16-2-20 (Code Ann. § 26-801). In particular, there is no evidence to support the majority’s speculation that Tenner cased the store and notified Grant and Washington to come to the motel or that he conferred with them in any sort of advisory capacity before the crime was committed. Although it is undisputed that Grant and Washington revealed their plans to Tenner ahead of time, all of the evidence, including the state’s evidence, is to the effect that Tenner tried to dissuade them from going through with it.
“[T]he rule as to the sufficiency of circumstantial evidence to support a conviction is that the evidence [must] exclude every reasonable hypothesis except the guilt of the accused. [Cits.] While *649we recognize that if there is question of the sufficiency of the circumstantial evidence to support guilt, this is a matter best left to a jury [cit.], this rule does not apply where the verdict of guilty is unsupportable as a matter of law. [Cit.]” Patterson v. State, 159 Ga. App. 290, 294 (283 SE2d 294) (1981). I believe the evidence in this case is insufficient to enable a rational trier of fact to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that Tenner was a party to the robbery, and I would consequently reverse his conviction.
I am authorized to state that Judges Carley, Sognier and Pope join in this dissent.