State of Tennessee v. Glen Chandler

The appellant, Glen Chandler, was convicted in a jury trial of the offenses of attempted first degree murder, attempted second degree murder, attempted voluntary manslaughter, and reckless endangerment. He was sentenced to an effective thirty-eight-years, eleven months and twenty-nine days sentence. In this appeal the appellant maintains the State failed to carry its burden of proof on the question of the appellant's sanity. He also argues that the trial court erred in failing to set aside the guilty verdict of attempted first degree murder because the proof established that the appellant was incapable of premeditation. After a review of the record and the applicable authorities we conclude that the State is not under any burden of proof with respect to the question of sanity in a criminal prosecution. We further find that the appellant has failed to establish that considering the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, no reasonable trier of fact could have failed to find that the appellant’s insanity at the time of the offense was established by clear and convincing evidence. Finally, there is ample proof in the record from which any rational trier of fact could conclude that the appellant premeditated his attempt to kill Detective James Bentley. Thus, the evidence is sufficient to support the verdict of attempted first degree murder.