Lead Opinion
OPINION
¶11 Defendant Edward Allen Buck appeals his conviction for one count of theft, a class A misdemeanor, in violation of Utah Code seetion 76-6-404. See Utah Code Ann. § 76-6-404 (2008); id. § 76-6-412(c). Specifically, Defendant argues that there was insufficient evidence to support his conviction and that the trial court erred in denying his motion to arrest judgment based on allegations of pros-ecutorial misconduct. We affirm.
BACKGROUND
¶ 2 Defendant and Alan Myers met in California. At that time, Defendant and Myers
T3 After several months during which no job opportunities arose for Defendant, Myers suggested that he and Defendant start up a website to sell Defendant's bridles. In furtherance of this enterprise, the two formed a partnership called Supreme Cavalry.
¶ 4 The only alleged asset of the partnership was the computer which Defendant was ultimately convicted of stealing. This was one of the primary areas of factual contention between Myers's and Defendant's recitations of events. Myers claimed that he had built the computer
¶ 5 After several months with no sold, Myers told Defendant to "get a job to help ... support [himJself." Defendant subsequently obtained a job as a live-in caretaker and moved out of Myers's basement. Despite this, the partnership remained in force. Defendant continued to come by Myers's house and work on the computer "about two times a week around 8:00 in the morning until 1:00 in the afternoon, primarily to work on his lawsuit." - The lawsuit in question was an unresolved issue between Defendant and his former partner regarding the bridle. Although the parties disagreed about the business necessity of resolving the lawsuit to the partnership, Defendant was clearly given permission to work on the lawsuit using the computer.
¶ 6 In August 2005, Myers and his family went on a week-long vacation and Myers left Defendant in charge of feeding his pets. When Myers returned home he found the computer missing and, in its place, an explanatory letter from Defendant. The letter expressed Defendant's apparent unhappiness with Myers's commitment to the partnership and purported to dissolve the partnership. In addition, the letter stated that Defendant had taken the computer because "it has only [Defendant's] stuff on it and [he] need[s] it." The letter continued, stating that Defendant "will pay [Myers] for the computer at fair market value when [he] hals] the appropriate funds." The letter was silent as to the amount to be paid for the computer and the time frame for repayment, as well as Defendant's future contact information. The letter did, however, have a Las Vegas, Nevada return address.
¶ 7 Unable to contact Defendant in Las Vegas, Myers drove by the home where Defendant worked as a live-in caretaker and spotted Defendant's car there. Following
¶ 8 Consequently, Defendant was charged with one count of theft, a class A misdemean- or, see Utah Code Ann. § 76-6-404 (2008); id. § 76-6-412(c). At the subsequent jury trial Myers and Defendant each testified as to their recollection of the events from inception of the partnership until its dissolution. Although Defendant was not charged with theft of computer software or a computer operating system, both Defendant and Myers testified regarding their understandings of the operating system and software installed on the computer. On rebuttal after Defendant's closing argument, the prosecutor briefly commented on Myers's testimony related to the software and operating system. Following this, the jury retired to deliberate and ultimately found Defendant guilty as charged.
ISSUES AND STANDARDS OF REVIEWS
¶ 9 Defendant claims that the evidence was insufficient to support his conviction for theft. We will reverse a jury verdict for insufficient evidence only when the evidence, viewed in a light most favorable to the verdict, " 'is sufficiently inconclusive or inherently improbable that reasonable minds must have entertained a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the crime of which he was convicted." State v. Lyman,
¶10 Defendant also argues that the trial court erred by denying his motion to arrest judgment based on allegations of prosecutorial misconduct stemming from comments made by the prosecutor on rebuttal to Defendant's closing argument. We review the denial of such a motion for abuse of discretion. See State v. Wengreen,
ANALYSIS
I. Sufficiency of the Evidence
#11 Defendant challenges the sufficiency of the evidence supporting his conviction for theft, arguing that the evidence was entirely cireumstantial and did not preclude his reasonable alternative hypothesis. Defendant further argues that because the evidence could reasonably support his alternative hypothesis, the State necessarily failed to disprove his affirmative defense that he honestly believed either that he had the right to the computer or that Myers would not have objected to Defendant's taking it if he had been present.
¶ 12 "'It is fundamental that the State carries the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt each element of an offense, including the absence of an affirmative defense onee the defense is put into issue." State v. Low,
"(1) whether there is any evidence that supports each and every element of the crime charged, and (2) whether the inferences that can be drawn from that evi-denee have a basis in logic and reasonable human experience sufficient to prove each legal element of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. A guilty verdict is not legally valid if it is based solely on inferences that give rise to only remote or speculative possibilities of guilt."
Id. (quoting State v. Brown,
¶ 13 Under the Utah Code, "[a] person commits theft if he obtains or exercises unauthorized control over the property of another with a purpose to deprive him thereof." Utah Code Ann. § 76-6-404 (2008). In this case, it is uncontested that Defendant had "obtain[ed] or exercise[d] unauthorized control over the [computer]." The sole contested issue at trial therefore was whether Defendant had the necessary intent to be convicted of the crime charged. Defendant argued that he could not have had the requisite intent because he did not intend to deprive Defendant of the computer, but rather, he "took [it] with an honest belief that he had an ownership interest in it or that Myers, if present, would not have objected to his taking it." In support, Defendant testified that he believed the computer was built especially for him to work on his lawsuit, that resolution of the lawsuit was necessary to the success of the partnership, and that he had never seen anyone else use the computer.
¶ 14 Undoubtedly, Defendant's counsel presented the jury with a plausible defense theory. While it is, in many instances, defense counsel's job to craft a reasonable alternative hypothesis supportive of the defendant's innocence, presentation of such a hypothesis alone is not enough. See State v. Lyman,
II. Denial of Defendant's Motion to Arrest Judgment
115 Defendant argues that the trial court abused its discretion by denying his motion to arrest judgment, which motion was based on allegations of prosecutorial misconduct arising from the prosecutor's comments made during rebuttal to Defendant's closing argument. "[PJrosecutorial _ misconduct claims trigger 'a two-step test that must be applied under the cireumstances of the particular case'" State v. Todd,
¶16 During rebuttal of Defendant's closing argument, the prosecutor stated the following: .
_ Who did the operating system [on the computer] belong to? Who owned the licenses of those items[?] [Defendant] can't own the licenses for those items. Those were owned by Mr. Myers. Mr. Myers didn't have the ability to give them up even if (inaudible). They were operating systems on there, Windows Microsoft Word, Aero-bat Adobe, again these are things you can't just give away. All the components were (inaudible). So, just 'cause you used [the computer] and needed it, that's not sufficient basis to have an honest belief.
Defendant points out that "(hle was not charged with theft of software or software licenses" and argues that the prosecutor's comments were inappropriate because they led the jury to believe "that [Defendant] had taken the software and the software licenses for the computer's operating system." Defendant further argues that the prosecutor's comments impermissibly asked the jurors to conclude that "Myers could not give the computer to [Defendant] because he could not 'give away' the software installed on the computer." Moreover, Defendant contends that in making these comments the prosecutor improperly "referencled] matters not in evidence and encouragled] the jury to reject [Defendant's] affirmative defense and convict based on these matters."
¶ 17 In denying Defendant's motion to arrest judgment, the trial court noted that it had "listened to the evidence in the case .... [and] to closing arguments." The trial court then stated that it "d[id] not find that there was any error made" and that if there was any error, it was harmless. Accordingly, the trial court denied Defendant's motion to arrest judgment and sentenced Defendant according to the jury's verdict.
118 "Utah law affords trial attorneys considerable latitude in closing arguments. Counsel for both sides have a right to discuss fully from their, standpoints the
¶ 19. Admittedly, the comments complained of.on appeal include references to computer software and operating systems as well as the licenses for each, and there is no record evidence related to the licenses for these items. However, the prosecutor's references to the computer software and operating systems that were likely installed on the computer are consistent with testimony elicited at trial.
¶ 20 Also, even assuming that the comments improperly directed the jurors' attention to matters outside the evidence, we conclude that Defendant has not shown that he was prejudiced thereby. Defendant bases his prejudice argument almost exclusively on the jury's somewhat lengthy deliberation, essentially asking us to presume prejudice where the jury does not quickly return a verdict of guilt. However, we decline to do so. Cf. State v. King,
CONCLUSION
¶ 21 In conclusion, the evidence, although cireumstantial and subject to more than one reasonable interpretation, was sufficient to support the jury's verdict of guilt. We further conclude that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying Defendant's motion to arrest judgment because the prosecutor's comments, about which Defendant complained, were not improper and Defendant was not prejudiced thereby. As a result, we affirm Defendant's conviction.
Notes
. When reviewing a challenge to a jury convic- « tion we "recite the evidence and all reasonable
. The parties disagree whether the partnership was created in writing or orally.
. While not clear from the record, it appears Myers was sufficiently familiar with computer technology to enable him to assemble separate computer components into a functioning computer.
. - After three hours of deliberation, the trial court gave the jury "one additional instruction," urging the jury "to decide this case if [they] can without yielding [their] conscience convictions." After another forty minutes of deliberation, the jury was called back into the courtroom to see if they thought it was possible to come to a decision. The jury stated that they thought they could make a decision within another half hour. Forty minutes later they reached a decision.
. Defendant's appellate brief argued these issues in reverse order.
. In addition, the parties stipulated to the fact that the computer "was examined by a governmental agency which specializes in the forensic examination of computers .... [and that tlhe forensic examination of the data on the hard drive did not reveal any data or files that appeared to belong to anyone other than ... [Dle-fendant."
. Defendant similarly argues that the evidence must have been insufficient because the jury deliberated for five hours, indicating "the great difficulty the jury had reaching a verdict." Defendant then reargues the evidence supporting his theory of the case and asks us to conclude that the evidence was insufficient simply because his position is still arguable. However, we decline to do so because it is the job of the jury, not this court, to examine the competing theories presented at trial, weigh the evidence supporting those theories, determine the credibility of the witnesses, and choose which theory to believe. See State v. Lyman,
. Moreover, "where the trial court has considered a defendant's insufficient evidence claim, as is the case here, such action 'lends further weight to the jury's verdict.' "' Id. at 281 (quoting State v. Brown,
. The computer software and operating systems referenced by the prosecutor include "Windows Microsoft Word [and] Acrobat Adobe." Operable computers necessarily have at least some operating system and general computer software installed on them, without which they would not properly function. 'Microsoft Word and Acrobat Adobe are two examples of general operating software. The computer at issue in this case was operable and therefore the prosecutor's reference to the software in question did not elevate Defendant's culpability.
Dissenting Opinion
(dissenting in part):
¶ 23 While I concur in Part I of the majority's opinion regarding the sufficiency of the evidence, I respectfully dissent from Part I1, which addresses prosecutorial misconduct.
¶ 24 As the majority correctly notes, Utah courts have established a two-part test to determine whether prosecutorial misconduct has occurred. " 'Prosecutorial misconduct occurs when the prosecutor's comments call the jurors' attention to matters not proper for their consideration and when the comments have a reasonable likelihood of prejudicing the jury by significantly influencing its verdict.'" State v. Wengreen,
¶ 25 First, the prosecutor called the jurors' attention to matters not proper for their consideration. - During closing arguments, the prosecutor relied on information not admitted into evidence and implied both that Defendant had stolen software licenses and that Myers could not have legally consented to Defendant taking the computer because of that software. See generally State v. Kohl,
¶1 26 Second, I would hold that the prosecutor's comments had a reasonable likelihood of prejudicing the jury and significantly in-' fluencing the verdict. "'[Ilf proof of [the] defendant's guilt is strong, the challenged conduct or remark will not be presumed prejudicial. " State v. Ross,
¶27 In sum, I agree that the evidence was sufficient to support the jury's verdict, but I respectfully dissent on both the existence of prosecutorial misconduct and its prejudicial effect.