State v. Smith

891 S.W.2d 922, 1994 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 455
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedJuly 21, 1994
StatusPublished
Cited by373 cases

This text of 891 S.W.2d 922 (State v. Smith) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Smith, 891 S.W.2d 922, 1994 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 455 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinion

OPINION

JONES, Judge.

The appellant, Marise E. Smith, was convicted of aggravated burglary, a Class C felony, two counts of attempt to commit rape, *925 a Class C felony, aggravated rape, a Class A felony, and one count of harassment, a Class A misdemeanor, by a jury of his peers. The trial court imposed the following sentences:

(a) Count 1, which charged the offense of aggravated burglary, confinement for three (3) years in the Department of Correction as a Range I standard offender;

(b) Counts 2 and 3, which charged the offense of attempt to commit rape, eight (8) years in the Department of Correction as to each count as a Range II multiple offender;

(c) Count 4, which charges the offense of aggravated rape, twenty (20) years, as a Range I standard offender; and,

(d) Count 6, which charged the offense of harassment, eleven months and twenty-nine days.

The sentences are to be served consecutively. The effective sentence imposed by the trial court was thirty-nine years, eleven months, and twenty-nine days.

Two issues are presented for review. The appellant contends that the evidence contained in the record is insufficient, as a matter of law, to support a finding by a rational trier of fact of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt as to all of the offenses. He also contends that the sentences imposed by the trial court are excessive; and the trial court abused its discretion by requiring the sentences to be served consecutively.

The judgment of the trial court is affirmed as modified.

During the early morning hours of April 9, 1992, the appellant entered the residence of the victim through a dining room window. He removed his pants in the hallway and entered the victim’s bedroom. The victim was awakened when she heard the bedroom floor “creak.” As she turned to look, she saw the figure of a person crouching next to her bed. The appellant immediately pinned the victim to the bed. He had a cord in his hand. The victim could not determine if the cord was made of rope or leather. The appellant attempted to penetrate the victim’s vagina, but his reproductive organ was not sufficiently erect. After masturbating and obtaining an erection, he began to penetrate the victim’s anus. The victim asked the appellant not to penetrate her anus. When she realized that she could not resist the appellant, and the appellant may kill her if she did not submit, the victim asked the appellant to penetrate her vagina. The appellant obliged the appellant and engaged in vaginal intercourse with the victim.

The victim subsequently engaged the appellant in conversation. The appellant told the victim that he had a hard time finding girlfriends. He also told her that he had taken a course in love psychology. Later, the appellant exited the residence through the open dining room window.

A nurse practitioner examined the victim on the date in question. The findings of the nurse practitioner were consistent with vaginal penetration. A forensic analysis of the vaginal swabs prepared by the nurse practitioner and the victim’s panties revealed the presence of sperm. In addition, the police found that the fingerprints lifted from the dining room window matched the appellant’s fingerprints.

The appellant made several telephone calls to the victim’s residence. The numbers were recorded on a caller identification device that the victim had installed. The appellant’s voice was recorded on a tape contained in the victim’s answering machine. The victim identified the voice as the person who had raped her. She stated the appellant had a Florida accent.

The telephone numbers recorded on the victim’s caller identification device were listed to an automobile dealership in Franklin, Tennessee. The investigating officers took the answering machine tape to the automobile dealership where the general manager listened to the tape. The general manager identified the voice as that of the appellant, an employee of the dealership. The officers obtained a copy of the appellant’s employment records. The records revealed that the appellant had resided in Florida and had taken courses in psychology.

*926 The appellant testified that he had consensual vaginal intercourse with the victim after meeting her in a local bar. After leaving the victim’s residence on the morning in question, he discovered that he had left his keys inside the appellant’s residence. When the victim did not answer the door, he went to the dining room window, stood on a gas meter, and tapped on the window. According’to the appellant, the victim responded, opened the front door, and he obtained his keys. He could not explain why the victim claimed that she was raped. The appellant opined that the victim was angry because he would not spend the remainder of the night with her. He explained the telephone calls as an attempt to fulfill a promise to call the victim. When the victim did not answer the telephone, he continued to call in an effort to contact her.

I.

The appellant contends that the evidence, when taken in the light most favorable to the state, supports his theory of a consensual sexual relationship. He argues that the conduct of the victim following the events in question was inconsistent with that of a rape victim. He also argues that the state failed to prove (a) “bodily injury”, an element of aggravated rape, and (b) the offense of harassment, as alleged in count six of the indictment, because (1) the victim “received” only one telephone call and (2) the calls made to the victim’s home were neither annoying nor alarming.

A.

When an accused challenges the sufficiency of the convicting evidence, this Court must review the record to determine if the evidence adduced at trial is sufficient “to support the finding by the trier of fact of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.” 1 This rule is applicable to findings of guilt based upon direct evidence, circumstantial evidence, or a combination of direct and circumstantial evidence. 2

In determining the sufficiency of the convicting evidence, this Court does not reweigh or reevaluate the evidence. 3 Nor may this Court substitute its inferences for those drawn by the trier of fact from circumstantial evidence. 4 To the contrary, this Court is required to afford the State of Tennessee the strongest legitimate view of the evidence contained in the record as well as all reasonable and legitimate inferences which may be drawn from the evidence. 5

Questions concerning the credibility of the witnesses, the weight and value to be given the evidence, as well as all factual issues raised by the evidence are resolved by the trier of fact, not this Court. 6 In State v. Grace 7

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Bluebook (online)
891 S.W.2d 922, 1994 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 455, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-smith-tenncrimapp-1994.