United States v. Biggs ( 2002 )

F I L E D
United States Court of Appeals
Tenth Circuit
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
DEC 17 2002
TENTH CIRCUIT
PATRICK FISHER
Clerk
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff - Appellee,
vs. No. 02-2076
(D.C. No. CR-00-1469 LH)
DOMINIC HARRIS BIGGS, (D.N.M.)
Defendant - Appellant.
ORDER AND JUDGMENT *
Before EBEL, BALDOCK, and KELLY, Circuit Judges. **
Defendant-Appellant Dominic Harris Biggs appeals his convictions for
assault with a dangerous weapon (Count I) and assault resulting in serious bodily
injury (Count II) on an Indian reservation in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§113(a)(3)
and (a)(6). He was sentenced to 108 months imprisonment on each count to be
served concurrently and three years supervised release on each count to be served
*
This order and judgment is not binding precedent, except under the
doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. This court
generally disfavors the citation of orders and judgments; nevertheless, an order
and judgment may be cited under the terms and conditions of 10th Cir. R. 36.3.
**
After examining the briefs and the appellate record, this three-judge
panel has determined unanimously that oral argument would not be of material
assistance in the determination of this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a); 10th
Cir. R. 34.1 (G). The case is therefore ordered submitted without oral argument.
concurrently. We exercise jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291, and we
affirm.
Mr. Biggs contends that the evidence produced at trial is insufficient to
support his convictions. We review his sufficiency claim de novo. United States
v. Ivy, 83 F.3d 1266, 1284 (10th Cir. 1996). In doing so, we examine the
evidence in a light most favorable to the government to determine whether a
reasonable jury could find the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable
doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319 (1978). Thus, “[i]n order to
conclude the evidence was insufficient, as a matter of law, to support a
conviction, we must find that no reasonable juror could have reached the disputed
verdict.” United States v. Owens, 70 F.3d 1118, 1126 (10th Cir. 1995). We will
not hold that testimony is, as a matter of law, incredible unless it is “unbelievable
on its face, i.e., testimony as to facts that [the witness] physically could not have
possibly observed or events that could not have occurred under the laws of
nature.” Tapia v. Tansy, 926 F.2d 1554, 1562 (10th Cir. 1991) (citation omitted).
Otherwise, “our function as a court of review prevents us from re-weighing the
testimony and coming to a conclusion at odds with the one reached by the [trier of
fact].” United States v. Higgins, 282 F.3d 1261, 1275 (10th Cir. 2002).
Applying this standard, we conclude the evidence is sufficient to support
the jury’s verdict. Mr. Biggs claims that he acted in self-defense and that,
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because two of the witnesses (the victim and the victim’s wife) were admittedly
intoxicated, Aplt. Br. at 5-8, and a third witness (the victim’s wife’s son) was a
“scared” 13 year-old who was not wearing his glasses at the time of the incident,
Aplt. Br. at 9-10, the testimony of these witnesses is insufficient to support his
conviction. We reject this argument for two reasons. First, to the extent Mr.
Biggs’ challenge depends upon the witnesses’ lack of credibility (due to
intoxication, minority, or nearsightedness), his argument fails, for this court will
not evaluate witness credibility when considering a sufficiency of the evidence
appeal. United States v. McKissick, 204 F.3d 1282, 1289 (10th Cir. 2000). Mr.
Biggs had the opportunity to cross-examine these witnesses and bring their
purported lack of credibility before the jury; “we may neither weigh conflicting
evidence nor consider the credibility of witnesses.” United States v. Pappert, 112
F.3d 1073, 1077 (10th Cir. 1997) (citation omitted).
Second, a review of the record in the light most favorable to the verdict
leads us to believe that the government presented sufficient evidence to sustain
Mr. Biggs’ convictions and to rebut his assertion of self-defense. The three
primary witnesses–including the victim himself–offered testimony that Mr. Biggs
stabbed the victim during a fight. Trial Tr. at 219-21, 299-301, 351-52, 375.
Testifying in his own behalf, Mr. Biggs admitted that he (allegedly inadvertently)
stabbed the victim, Trial Tr. at 510, but claims he was defending himself, id. at
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528-29. The jury, however, rejected Mr. Biggs’ assertion of self-defense, and
was free to consider, inter alia, Mr. Biggs’ own admission that he cannot explain
the wound on the back of the victim’s shoulder and his improbable account of the
fight generally. Trial Tr. at 523-24, 528-29. The jury’s verdict, then, is
supported by sufficient evidence.
Accordingly, we AFFIRM Mr. Biggs’ convictions.
Entered for the Court
Paul J. Kelly, Jr.
Circuit Judge
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