State v. Douglas J. Huntley

Citations

• 171 A.3d 1003

Syllabus

The defendant, Douglas J. Huntley (defendant), appeals from judgments of conviction entered by the Superior Court following a jury trial. The defendant was convicted of possession of a controlled substance possession of a firearm after having been convicted of a crime of violence carrying a firearm without a license breaking and entering a dwelling without consent and conspiracy to commit the crime of Breaking and Entering. He was sentenced to a total of twenty years with twelve years to serve and eight years suspended with probation. Before the Supreme Court, the defendant assigns error to the decision of the trial justice denying the defendant's motion for judgment of acquittal on the conspiracy count and his refusal to grant a new trial on the breaking-and-entering offense. The defendant contended that there was insufficient evidence for a jury to find beyond a reasonable doubt that he conspired to commit the act of breaking and entering. The defendant further argues that the evidence to support a conspiracy charge was nothing more than a pyramiding of inferences that was based on speculation and conjecture. The Supreme Court rejected the defendant's argument and held that there was direct evidence, not ambiguous inferences, presented to the jury to support a conviction of conspiracy of breaking-and-entering. Additionally, the Supreme Court held that there was a waiver of defendant's arguments as to the breaking and entering conviction due to the defendant's failure to properly raise his arguments before the trial justice. Accordingly, the Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of conviction.