El Pueblo v. Negrón Ramírez

Summary

The court reversed the intermediate appellate court and reinstated the defendant’s convictions, holding that the jury could reasonably find digital vaginal penetration beyond a reasonable doubt from the victim’s testimony, gestures, and demonstrations. The court held that the appellate court abused its discretion by substituting a transcript-based assessment for the jury’s evaluation of live testimony without any recognized exception to appellate deference. It also rejected the claim that reinstatement violated double-jeopardy protections because the State could seek appellate review of the intermediate court’s insufficiency determination.