Following a jury trial, Willie James Bell appeals his conviction of aggravated child molestation, challenging the sufficiency of the evidence and arguing that the trial court erred in overruling several evidentiary objections and in denying his motion for mistrial. We hold that the testimony of the victim, of a separate eyewitness, and of a nurse who conducted a medical exam on the victim sustained the conviction justifying the trial court’s denial of Bell’s motion for a directed verdict, and that the court did not abuse its discretion in overruling the evidentiary objections or in denying Bell’s motion for mistrial. Accordingly, we affirm. 1. When reviewing a defendant’s challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence, we view the evidence in the light most favorable to the jury’s verdict, and the defendant no longer enjoys the presumption of innocence. Short v. State .1 We do not weigh the evidence or determine witness credibility, but only determine if the evidence was sufficient for a rational trier of fact to find the defendant guilty of the charged offense beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia .2 This standard applies also to our review of the denial of a motion for directed verdict. Hash v. State .3
So viewed, the evidence shows that in August 2006, a 13-year-old girl was visiting Bell and his girlfriend, who were adults that worked with the young girl’s father. While the girlfriend was at work, the young girl was watching television when Bell came into the room, pushed her down on the couch, removed her pants and underwear, forced her legs open, and had vaginal intercourse with her over her screams of pain. Arriving home unexpectedly from work, the girlfriend walked into the room to see Bell and the girl on the couch, with Bell leaning his body between the girl’s naked thighs. The girlfriend said something and left the room, causing Bell to jump up. Bleeding from the vagina, the young girl returned home and eventually told others, resulting in her being taken to a hospital, where the examining nurse found three tears or transections on the girl’s hymen and vaginal area, evincing penetration.
