Andrews v. State
Andrews v. State
Opinion
The defendant was indicted and convicted for burglary in the first degree. Sentence was fifteen years' imprisonment.
The indictment charged that the defendant unlawfully entered or remained unlawfully in the victim's dwelling with the intent to commit the crime of rape. On appeal, the defendant argues that the State's evidence was insufficient to show that he had this specific intent.
Although no one single fact is determinative of this issue, the conjunction of each fact and all the circumstances renders the issue of the defendant's intent one for the jury. Those facts are that the defendant entered the elderly victim's house wearing only his undershorts; that the victim, when examined at the hospital shortly after the crime, had sustained very recent injuries to her vagina; and that the victim told the examining physician that her injuries were caused by an assault.
The question of intent "is a jury question to be decided from all the surrounding circumstances and evidence presented."Hamilton v. State,
"Intent, `being a state or condition of the mind, is rarely, if ever, susceptible of direct or positive proof, and must usually be inferred from the facts testified to by witnesses and the circumstances as developed by the evidence.'" Cook v.State,
It is a fundamental principle that circumstantial evidence is entitled to the same weight as direct evidence. Davis v. *Page 662 State,
The trial judge properly submitted the case to the jury and the jury's verdict of guilty is supported by the evidence. Under the principles of Cumbo v. State,
The judgment of the circuit court is affirmed.
AFFIRMED.
All the Judges concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Kenneth Andrews v. State.
- Cited By
- 6 cases
- Status
- Published