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Knight v. State

The evidence supported the defendant's conviction for child molestation.

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A Tattnall County jury found William Knight guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of child molestation, OCGA § 16-6-4 a. He appeals from the denial of his motion for new trial, contending that the evidence was insufficient to support his conviction, that the prosecutor’s argument to the jury was improper, and that the prosecutor “tainted” the court’s sentence by attempting to introduce evidence of his prior convictions. For the following reasons, we affirm. 1. Knight argues that the evidence presented was insufficient to support his conviction because, according to him, the testimony of the 13-year-old victim was incredible and “not worthy of belief.”

When a criminal defendant challenges the sufficiency of the evidence supporting his or her conviction, “the relevant question is whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.” Citation omitted; emphasis in original. Jackson v. Virginia , 443 U. S. 307, 319 III B 99 SC 2781, 61 LE2d 560 1979. Viewed in this light, the trial transcript shows that, in January 2007, the victim went to her grandfather’s house after school with her cousin. As she went upstairs, she saw her aunt’s boyfriend, Knight, as he was walking out of the bathroom. Knight had a towel partially wrapped around him, and he followed the victim into the living room. Knight put his leg on a chair and started grabbing the victim’s buttocks. The victim repeatedly told him to stop, but he did not. Knight then told the victim to go into the bathroom with him and, when she refused, he pulled her inside, closed the door, and kissed her on the lips and her neck. The victim pushed Knight away and got out of the bathroom. Knight told her to come back and then removed his towel, showing her his “private part.”

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