Wright v. State

A Floyd County jury found Japhus Wright guilty of possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute, OCGA § 16-13-30 b, and possession of marijuana, OCGA § 16-13-2 b. Wright appeals from the denial of his motion for new trial, contending that the evidence adduced was insufficient to prove his convictions beyond a reasonable doubt. Finding no error, we affirm. When a criminal defendant challenges the sufficiency of the evidence supporting his or her conviction, “the relevant question 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.” Citation omitted; emphasis in original. Jackson v. Virginia , 443 U. S. 307, 318-319 III B 99 SC 2781, 61 LE2d 560 1979. The jury, not this Court, resolves conflicts in the testimony, weighs the evidence, and draws reasonable inferences from basic facts to ultimate facts. Id. “As long as there is some competent evidence, even though contradicted, to support each fact necessary to make out the State’s case, the jury’s verdict will be upheld.” Citation and punctuation omitted. Miller v. State , 273 Ga. 831, 832 546 SE2d 524 2001. Viewed in this light, the record reveals the following facts.

Around 9:00 p.m. on November 26, 2007, Floyd County sheriff’s deputies driving near Berry College in Rome, Georgia, heard the sounds of gunshots, radioed other officers of that fact, and went to investigate. Bystanders pointed out two suspects who were fleeing from the scene of the shooting on foot. The deputies caught the first suspect and, while they were detaining him, told the responding City of Rome police officers where the other suspect had last been seen. A certified K-9 handler with the Rome police department immediately began tracking the second suspect. He tracked the suspect from the place he had last been seen through several yards and located him hiding under a car. The suspect’s upper torso was beneath the front driver’s side of the car. The police arrested the second suspect, Japhus Wright, and searched him. They found $158 in his pocket.