State of Iowa v. Diamond S. Wilson, 16-0156

Defendant Diamond S. Wilson was convicted by a jury of intimidation with a dangerous weapon, carrying weapons, and unlawful possession of a firearm under Iowa law.
Incident: after a dispute during a card game at the defendant’s girlfriend’s apartment, Wilson allegedly pulled a handgun, pointed it at the victim, and threatened to kill her; a struggle occurred and a gun discharged.
The victim fled and later testified Wilson called and offered money to persuade her to say he was not the shooter.
Forensic corroboration: bullet hole in the floor where Wilson stood, a bullet jacket, and a fresh dent in the ductwork consistent with the bullet trajectory; the firearm itself was not recovered.
Wilson moved for a new trial arguing the verdict was contrary to the weight of the evidence (victim not credible; no gun recovered); the district court denied the motion and the appeal challenges that denial.

Issue	Plaintiff's Argument	Defendant's Argument	Held
Whether the verdict was contrary to the evidence such that a new trial was required	State argued evidence (victim testimony + forensic corroboration) supported convictions and credibility/recovery issues were for jury	Wilson argued victim lacked credibility and absence of the gun made verdict contrary to weight of evidence	Court affirmed denial of new trial; no abuse of discretion in district court
Whether absence of recovered firearm requires acquittal or new trial	State: recovery not necessary to prove elements when other evidence suffices	Wilson: no recovered gun undermines prosecution’s case	Court: lack of gun did not mandate new trial given corroborating evidence
Whether appellate court may reweigh evidence/credibility	State: credibility and weight are jury/district court functions; appellate review limited	Wilson: urged reweighing to find verdict against weight of evidence	Court: reiterated appellate courts do not reassess credibility or reweigh; review limited to abuse-of-discretion standard
Standard for granting new trial on weight grounds	State: district court properly applied standard and exercised discretion sparingly	Wilson: district court should have found weight countered verdict	Court: applied precedent requiring clear, manifest abuse to overturn denial and found none

State v. Nitcher, 720 N.W.2d 547 (Iowa 2006) (new-trial standard when verdict contrary to law or evidence)
State v. Reeves, 670 N.W.2d 199 (Iowa 2003) (contrary to the evidence means contrary to the weight of the evidence)
State v. Ellis, 578 N.W.2d 655 (Iowa 1998) (trial courts should grant new trials carefully and sparingly)
United States v. Ashworth, 836 F.2d 260 (6th Cir. 1988) (appellate courts should not reassess witness credibility or reweigh evidence)