FOX, Justice.
[¶ 1] Kenneth Levengood was convicted of aggravated assault and battery under Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-502(a)(iii) for threatening to use a drawn deadly weapon on his ex-girlfriend. On appeal, Mr. Levengood contends there was insufficient evidence that he threatened to use the weapon. We affirm.
[¶ 2] Was the evidence presented at trial sufficient to prove Mr. Levengood threatened to use the knife he was carrying?
[¶ 3] On the morning of January 9, 2013, as twelve-year-old A.L. got ready for school, her father, Mr. Levengood, opened her bedroom door with an eighteen-inch kitchen knife in his hand and told her to go back to sleep. Realizing he was drunk and "acting strange," A.L. followed her father into the hallway and told him to go to the kitchen and stay there. Mr. Levengood did not respond, but clenched his jaw, and with knife still in hand walked to the kitchen.
[¶ 4] A.L. "had never seen him act like that before," and, scared that he would hurt her, his ex-girlfriend, or himself, she entered the bedroom Mr. Levengood shared with his ex-girlfriend, Aundrea Thompson,
[¶ 5] Unable to reach Mr. Levengood's relatives, Ms. Thompson called 911. A.L. testified that while Ms. Thompson was talking to the 911 dispatcher, "[D]ad came again to the door, and it sounded like he was kind of like knocking, kind of like pounding on it."
[¶ 7] A.L. further testified:
[¶ 8] The police arrived soon after, and as Ms. Thompson and A.L. left the bedroom, A.L. noticed marks on the bedroom door and walls of the hallway outside the bedroom.
[¶ 9] When Officer Sutton went down the hallway leading to the bedroom, he observed fresh slash marks on the hallway walls. Regarding these marks, Officer Sutton testified, "You know, in my training and experience, when you see slash marks like this ... these are typically of a violent situation. It indicates to me that someone's very upset, and has made these marks in anger."
[¶ 10] Mr. Levengood was arrested and charged with one count of aggravated assault and battery for threatening to use a drawn deadly weapon against Ms. Thompson. Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-502(a)(iii) (LexisNexis 2013). Following a bench trial, the district court found Mr. Levengood guilty. He was sentenced to serve four to five years in prison, suspended in favor of three years supervised probation. Mr. Levengood timely filed this appeal.
[¶ 11] Mr. Levengood contends the State presented insufficient evidence to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that he threatened to use a drawn deadly weapon. Our standard for reviewing the sufficiency of evidence is well established.
Brown v. State, 2014 WY 104, ¶ 8, 332 P.3d 1168, 1171-72 (Wyo.2014) (quoting Perritt v. State, 2005 WY 121, ¶ 9, 120 P.3d 181, 186 (Wyo.2005)).
[¶ 12] "[W]e must determine whether a rational trier of fact could find the essential elements of the crime were proven beyond a reasonable doubt." Hart v. State, 2003 WY 12, ¶ 8, 62 P.3d 566, 569 (Wyo.2003) (quoting Williams v. State, 986 P.2d 855, 857 (Wyo.1999)). In other words, we do not consider "whether or not the evidence was sufficient to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, but [instead] whether or not the evidence could reasonably support such a finding by the factfinder." Broom v. State, 695 P.2d 640, 642 (Wyo.1985). We review the
[¶ 13] Mr. Levengood was convicted of aggravated assault and battery under Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-502(a)(iii), which reads,
[¶ 14] Section 6-2-502(a)(iii) is a general rather than a specific intent crime. Cox v. State, 829 P.2d 1183, 1185 (Wyo.1992); Simmons v. State, 674 P.2d 1294, 1297 (Wyo. 1984); Carfield v. State, 649 P.2d 865, 869 (Wyo.1982). In Dean v. State, 668 P.2d 639 (Wyo.1983), we explained the difference.
Id. at 642 (citations, quotation marks, and emphasis omitted).
[¶ 15] As a general intent crime, the language, "[t]hreatens to use," describes what a defendant must do with a drawn deadly weapon to be guilty of aggravated assault under § 6-2-502(a)(iii). Dean, 668 P.2d at 642. We have held that "`threatens to use' requires proof of an actual threat of physical injury during the act of employing a deadly weapon." Johnston v. State, 747 P.2d 1132, 1134 (Wyo.1987) (internal citation omitted). In Johnston, we approved the trial court's definition of "threat:"
Id. at 1135.
[¶ 16] In Johnston, appellant Johnston, observed an altercation between two relatives. Id. at 1133. Johnston retrieved a knife that was dislodged during the altercation and approached one of the two relatives, brandishing the knife in the area of the person's face and neck. Id. The victim testified that Johnston nicked him with the knife. Id. Johnston claimed that the only threat he made towards the victim was possessing the knife while questioning: "You like to play with knives?" Id. He was convicted of aggravated assault under § 6-2-502(a)(iii). Id.
[¶ 17] In Johnston's appeal, we looked to the circumstances of the altercation in order to determine whether the jury could properly infer a threatening employment of the knife as an expression of intention to inflict pain or injury. Id. at 1135. Giving every favorable inference to the State's evidence, we concluded:
Id. at 1137.
[¶ 18] In Cox v. State, 829 P.2d 1183, 1186 (Wyo.1992), the highly-intoxicated defendant approached a police officer while slashing back and forth with a hunting knife. We explained that "actual threat," requires that the alleged threat be measured by the "defendant's conduct and not by the victim's reaction." We also stated that "[a]s a general intent crime, aggravated assault requires only that intent which may be inferred from doing the act which constitutes the offense charged; i.e., slashing back and forth with the hunting knife." Id. (citing Carfield, 649 P.2d at 869; Sanchez v. State, 567 P.2d 270, 279 (Wyo.1977)).
[¶ 19] We are not concerned with the subjective reaction of the victim. Instead, we must objectively consider the actions of the defendant, and decide whether a rational trier of fact could infer from Mr. Levengood's words and acts an intention to use a drawn deadly weapon to inflict pain, injury, or punishment. Here, there is undisputed evidence from Mr. Levengood's daughter that he was drunk and "acting strange." She also reported that a 240-pound Mr. Levengood twice violently forced his way through a locked door with a knife. The evidence includes a number of photographic exhibits detailing the significant damage Mr. Levengood inflicted upon the hallway and bedroom door while trying to gain entry to the bedroom. Finally, we have the testimony of Officer Sutton who concluded, "every time I've seen marks like this it was a very violent situation." Construing this undisputed evidence and the reasonable inferences drawn therefrom in the light most favorable to the State, we conclude that a rational trier of fact could find that, under the circumstances, Mr. Levengood's conduct constituted a threat to Ms. Thompson under § 6-2-502(a)(iii).
[¶ 20] Mr. Levengood argues that "it was not illegal for the Appellant to remain in his home, enter the bedroom or to have a knife in his possession." We agree that the mere possession of a deadly weapon does not constitute a threat under § 6-2-502(a)(iii). See Hart, 2003 WY 12, ¶ 8, 62 P.3d at 569; Johnston, 747 P.2d at 1134. However, this harmless picture ignores the totality of the circumstances, which included a highly-intoxicated 240-pound ex-boyfriend; in possession of an 18-inch knife; violently seeking entry to a locked bedroom where A.L. and Ms. Thompson sought refuge; and slashing, puncturing, and prying with the knife to gain entry.
[¶ 21] Mr. Levengood insists that because he never used the knife directly on Ms. Thompson, instead attacking the door, he never "threatened to use" the knife. He argues "[t]here is no evidence that the Appellant ever raised the knife in a threatening manner. There are no motions involving slashing, waving, pointing, stabbing, jabbing or throwing." In fact, the evidence shows that Mr. Levengood did use the knife in a threatening manner; the only question is whether he can be insulated by the presence of a locked door between him and his victim, a door which he twice broke open.
[¶ 22] In Hart v. State, 62 P.3d 566 (Wyo. 2003), Hart attempted to gain entry to his ex-wife's parent's residence. As Hart walked toward the home, Ms. Moline's father went to the front door to lock and secure it. Id. at 569. Hart opened the outer screen door and demanded, "you better let me in." Id. Mr. Moline responded by telling Hart to go home and cool off or settle down. Id. Hart then pulled the gun out of his back waistband, and showed it to Mr. Moline by holding it straight up in the air, pointed towards the sky. Id. Hart then started to beat on the door. Id. When it was apparent that he would not gain entry, Hart left, pausing in front of Ms. Moline's car and discharging four rounds into her vehicle. Id. Hart was charged and convicted under § 6-2-502(a)(iii).
[¶ 23] On Hart's appeal for sufficiency of the evidence we affirmed, stating:
Id. at 569-570.
[¶ 24] As in Hart, even though Mr. Levengood did not point the knife directly at Ms. Thompson, the evidence is sufficient for a factfinder to rationally conclude that Mr. Levengood made an actual threat to use the knife on Ms. Thompson. There is ample evidence in the record that Mr. Levengood did indeed raise the knife to slash, puncture, and pry at the locked bedroom door, behind which A.L. and Ms. Thompson sought refuge. In spite of being twice refused entry, Mr. Levengood used the knife to attack the door and gain entry to the bedroom. These circumstances justify a factfinder's rejection of Mr. Levengood's contention that his violent actions should be narrowly construed as an act of violence only to the bedroom door. Instead, considering the undisputed facts presented at trial, a rational trier of fact could construe Mr. Levengood's slashing, puncturing, and prying at the bedroom door while demanding to be let in, as an actual threat — an expression of an intention to inflict pain, injury, or punishment towards Ms. Thompson.
[¶ 25] Affording every favorable inference to the evidence presented by the State at trial, we conclude that a rational trier of fact could find that, under the circumstances, Mr. Levengood's actions were an actual threat towards Ms. Thompson. There is sufficient evidence to sustain the conviction and therefore we affirm.