United States v. Alfred Davis
Opinion
Following a jury trial, defendant Alfred Davis appeals his conviction of being' a felon in possession of a firearm, contending that the conviction was not supported by sufficient evidence. We disagree and affirm the district court’s judgment.
When a defendant challenges his conviction based on insufficient evidence, the question for the court is “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.” Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979).
The trial transcript in this case includes testimony from two police officers who responded to a call regarding a man with a weapon. The officers stated that they observed Davis holding a pistol in his hand and that he dropped the pistol as he ran away. A pistol and a cell phone were recovered from the spot where the officers testified that Davis dropped the gun. One *468 of the officers also testified that Davis admitted possessing the weapon after he was placed in the police car. Davis points out that the officers described the gun they saw him holding as silver, when the gun that was recovered was black. From this fact, he speculates that the gun could have been dropped by another individual who reportedly ran from the scene before Davis did. Nevertheless, if the jury believed the police officers’ testimony, there was sufficient evidence, including a statement by Davis that he possessed the weapon, for the jury to find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Accordingly, we AFFIRM the district court’s judgment.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Alfred DAVIS, Defendant-Appellant
- Status
- Unpublished