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State of Mississippi v. Lyncoya Sharrod Ratcliff
Date: 11-14-2024
Case Number: 2022-CT-690
Judge: Robert B. Helfrich
Court: Circuit Court, Forrest County, Mississippi
Plaintiff's Attorney: Forrest County, Mississippi District Attorney's Office
Defendant's Attorney:
Click Here For The Best Harriesburg Criminal Defense Lawyer Directory
Description:
Hattiesburg, Mississippi criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with felony possession of a firearm.
Ratcliff was charged with and convicted of possessing a stolen firearm under Mississippi Code Section 97-37-35(1) (Rev. 2014). Section 97-37-35(1) states that "[i]t is unlawful for any person knowingly or intentionally to possess, receive, retain, acquire or obtain possession or dispose of a stolen firearm or attempt to possess, receive, retain, acquire or obtain possession or dispose of a stolen firearm." "Guilty knowledge is the gist of the offense of receiving stolen property." Barton, 303 So.3d at 701 (citing Tubwell v. State, 580 So.2d 1264, 1266 (Miss. 1991)). "For the State to prove guilty knowledge, it must prove that [the defendant] received the property under circumstances that would lead a reasonable person to believe it was stolen." Id. (alteration in original) (internal quotation marks omitted) (quoting Mayers v. State, 42 So.3d 33, 37 (Miss. Ct. App. 2010), overruled on other grounds by Sallie v. State, 155 So.3d 760 (Miss. 2015)). "The proof can be circumstantial." Id. (citing McClain v. State, 625 So.2d 774, 779 (Miss. 1993)). Crucially, however, "[o]ur courts have long held that for circumstantial evidence to be sufficient evidence, such evidence must exclude every reasonable hypothesis consistent with the defendant's innocence." Id. at 703 (citing Johnson v. State, 224 So.3d 66, 68 (Miss. 2016); Goff v. State, 14 So.3d 625, 647 (Miss. 2009); Pryor v. State, 239 So.2d 911, 913 (Miss. 1970); James v. State, 45 Miss. 572, 575 (1871)).
Ratcliff v. State, 2022-CT-00690-SCT (Miss. Nov 14, 2024)
Ratcliff was charged with and convicted of possessing a stolen firearm under Mississippi Code Section 97-37-35(1) (Rev. 2014). Section 97-37-35(1) states that "[i]t is unlawful for any person knowingly or intentionally to possess, receive, retain, acquire or obtain possession or dispose of a stolen firearm or attempt to possess, receive, retain, acquire or obtain possession or dispose of a stolen firearm." "Guilty knowledge is the gist of the offense of receiving stolen property." Barton, 303 So.3d at 701 (citing Tubwell v. State, 580 So.2d 1264, 1266 (Miss. 1991)). "For the State to prove guilty knowledge, it must prove that [the defendant] received the property under circumstances that would lead a reasonable person to believe it was stolen." Id. (alteration in original) (internal quotation marks omitted) (quoting Mayers v. State, 42 So.3d 33, 37 (Miss. Ct. App. 2010), overruled on other grounds by Sallie v. State, 155 So.3d 760 (Miss. 2015)). "The proof can be circumstantial." Id. (citing McClain v. State, 625 So.2d 774, 779 (Miss. 1993)). Crucially, however, "[o]ur courts have long held that for circumstantial evidence to be sufficient evidence, such evidence must exclude every reasonable hypothesis consistent with the defendant's innocence." Id. at 703 (citing Johnson v. State, 224 So.3d 66, 68 (Miss. 2016); Goff v. State, 14 So.3d 625, 647 (Miss. 2009); Pryor v. State, 239 So.2d 911, 913 (Miss. 1970); James v. State, 45 Miss. 572, 575 (1871)).
Ratcliff v. State, 2022-CT-00690-SCT (Miss. Nov 14, 2024)
Outcome:
Reversed and remanded.
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments:
About This Case
What was the outcome of State of Mississippi v. Lyncoya Sharrod Ratcliff?
The outcome was: Reversed and remanded.
Which court heard State of Mississippi v. Lyncoya Sharrod Ratcliff?
This case was heard in Circuit Court, Forrest County, Mississippi, MS. The presiding judge was Robert B. Helfrich.
Who were the attorneys in State of Mississippi v. Lyncoya Sharrod Ratcliff?
Plaintiff's attorney: Forrest County, Mississippi District Attorney's Office. Defendant's attorney: Click Here For The Best Harriesburg Criminal Defense Lawyer Directory.
When was State of Mississippi v. Lyncoya Sharrod Ratcliff decided?
This case was decided on November 14, 2024.