Summary
The North Dakota Supreme Court affirmed Michael James Landen’s criminal judgment after a jury found him guilty of terrorizing. The court held that sufficient evidence supported the conviction and summarily affirmed under North Dakota Rule of Appellate Procedure 35.1(a)(3).
Topics
Practice areas
Questions Presented
- Whether the evidence presented at trial was sufficient to sustain Landen’s terrorizing conviction.
Holdings
- The evidence was sufficient to support the guilty verdict because Landen did not establish that the evidence permitted no reasonable inference of guilt.
Key quotations
“stating the defendant must show the evidence permits no reasonable inference of guilt and we do not reweigh conflicting evidence or judge witness credibility” (¶ 2)
Factual background
The trial evidence included a recording of the 911 call and body-camera footage of the incident underlying the terrorizing charge. The responding officer, the victim, and the victim’s brother testified about Landen’s conduct. The victim testified that Landen’s conduct caused the victim to be fearful.
Procedural history
A jury found Landen guilty of terrorizing. The district court denied his motion for judgment of acquittal under Rule 29, N.D.R.Crim.P. Landen appealed, and the North Dakota Supreme Court summarily affirmed.