United States of America, Ex Rel., Richard J. Newell v. Larry Mizell

SPRECHER, Circuit Judge.

We reverse the granting of a writ of habeas corpus because, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, we cannot conclude that any rational trier of fact could not have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.

I

The petitioner, Richard J. Newell, was found guilty of possession of more than 500 grams of a substance containing cannabis in violation of Ill.Rev.Stat., ch. 56V2, § 704(e), and was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment by a state court in Adams County, Illinois. The conviction was affirmed by the…