Title: Hazen v. State

State: florida

Issuer: Florida Supreme Court

Document:

700 So. 2d 1207 (1997)
James Wayne HAZEN, Appellant,
v.
STATE of Florida, Appellee.
No. 84645.

Supreme Court of Florida.
September 4, 1997.
Rehearing Denied October 29, 1997.
Lynn A. Williams, Tallahassee, for appellant.
Robert A. Butterworth, Attorney General; Richard B. Martell, Chief, Capital Appeals; and Gypsy Bailey and Carolyn M. Snurkowski, Assistant Attorneys General, Tallahassee, for appellee.
PER CURIAM.
We have on appeal the judgment and sentence of the trial court imposing the death penalty upon James Wayne Hazen. We have jurisdiction. Art. V, § 3(b)(1), Fla. Const. We affirm Hazen's convictions for one count of first-degree felony murder, three counts of armed sexual battery, one count of burglary of a dwelling with an assault and intent to commit theft, and one count of armed robbery. We vacate his sentence of death, however, and remand to the trial judge with directions to impose a life sentence.
The record reflects the following. The victim, Gary McAdams, was killed by a contact gunshot wound to the head in the early morning hours of July 11, 1993. This means that the barrel of the gun was pressed tightly against the skin. Mr. McAdams was probably rendered brain dead immediately.
On the night of his demise, Mr. McAdams and his wife, Cecilia, attended a high school reunion. They returned home after midnight. Once inside the house, they heard a knock at the door. When they opened the door, Curtis Buffkin pointed a gun at them and entered their home. He ordered the couple to get down on the floor and keep their heads down. James Hazen and Johnny Kormondy then entered the house. The blinds were closed and the phone lines disconnected.
At this point, two of the intruders took Mrs. McAdams to her bedroom and forced her to remove her green silk dress. She was then sexually assaulted orally by one of the intruders while she was raped by the second intruder. The two intruders bragged as they sexually assaulted Mrs. McAdams. After the assaults, she was taken back, still naked, to the kitchen. Mr. McAdams was then told to drink a beer that had been slammed down *1208 between him and his wife. He drank some of the beer.
Mrs. McAdams was then taken to the bedroom again. The third intruder told her, "I don't know what the other two did to you, but you're going to like what I'm going to do." He proceeded to rape her. While she was being raped by the third intruder, she heard a gunshot from the kitchen area.[1] She screamed her husband's name and received no response. The third intruder jumped up and threw a towel over Mrs. McAdams' head. A gunshot then went off in the bedroom. She ran out to the kitchen and found blood about her husband's head.
Hazen, Kormondy, and Buffkin were indicted on July 27, 1994. Each was ultimately tried separately. Buffkin accepted a plea bargain by the State. He pled guilty to first-degree murder and received a life sentence in exchange for testifying for the State, as needed, in the other prosecutions. By so pleading, Buffkin avoided the possibility of a death sentence.
Hazen's trial commenced on August 24, 1994, and concluded on August 27, 1994. Buffkin was a primary witness in this trial. Hazen was found guilty of first-degree murder, three counts of sexual battery with the use of a deadly weapon or physical force, burglary of a dwelling with an assault or while armed, and robbery while armed. The jury reconvened on August 29, 1994, and a penalty-phase proceeding was held. The jury recommended that the death sentence be imposed by a margin of seven to five. The trial judge imposed the death sentence on October 7, 1994.
In his sentencing order, the trial judge found three statutory aggravating factors: (1) the defendant had been previously convicted of a felony involving the use or threat of violence to the person; (2) the capital felony was committed while the defendant was engaged, or was an accomplice in the commission of, or an attempt to commit, or flight after committing or attempting to commit a burglary; and (3) the capital felony was committed for pecuniary gain. While considering numerous statutory mitigating circumstances, only one was found to be established. The trial court found that although Hazen was twenty-one years of age at the time of the crime, "he was emotionally dependent, a follower, unable to manage his own financial affairs and generally inept in meaningful decision making." The trial judge found that the statutory mitigating circumstance of age was established and accorded this circumstance moderate weight.
The judge then considered six nonstatutory mitigating factors. First, he found that Hazen had experienced an unstable childhood. Although established, he gave this factor little weight. Second, he rejected Hazen's proposal that he had not committed prior violent crimes. Instead, the trial judge found that Hazen's own testimony demonstrated his violent propensity. Third, the trial judge gave moderate weight to the fact that Hazen had received his GED, obtained early release, and made efforts to rehabilitate his life during and after his term in an Oklahoma prison. Fourth, the trial judge rejected the suggestion that Buffkin's life sentence should be mitigation in Hazen's case. He wrote:
*1209 Fifth, the trial judge rejected the notion that the failure to eliminate Mrs. McAdams mitigates the murder of Mr. McAdams. Sixth, the trial judge gave little weight to Hazen's acceptable behavior at trial.
After weighing all of the aggravating and mitigating circumstances, the trial judge imposed the sentence of death. This appeal ensues.
Hazen raises one guilt-phase issue in this appeal. He claims that he was denied a fair trial, in contravention of article I, section 16, of the Florida Constitution and Amendments V and XIV of the United States Constitution, when a pretrial "reverse identification" episode involving Mrs. McAdams and Hazen was used to put him at the scene of the crime. The facts underlying this claim are as follows. At a hearing subsequent to the crime but prior to trial, Mrs. McAdams was able to identify Kormondy and Buffkin. She was unable to say, though, that she remembered Hazen from the criminal episode at her home. Instead, she noticed only that Hazen was staring at her throughout the court hearing. Basically, Hazen argues, this was used as a "reverse identification" during his trial. He claims that "while [Mrs.] McAdams could not recognize the third perpetrator, that third perpetrator had to be appellant because of the way he kept looking at her in court." During trial, Hazen's attorney moved in limine to preclude Mrs. McAdams from making any statements as to Hazen's alleged staring during the pre-trial hearing. The following exchange took place at the bench.
After the above exchange, Mrs. McAdams proceeded to testify. When the matter of the pre-trial hearing arose, she testified:
It was then explicitly clarified, on cross-examination, that Mrs. McAdams did not recognize Hazen from the criminal episode at her home. We need not reach the merits of this claim. The issue is procedurally barred for lack of a contemporaneous objection. See Lindsey v. State, 636 So. 2d 1327, 1328 (Fla. 1994); Correll v. State, 523 So. 2d 562, 566 (Fla.1988). In any event, any error would be harmless beyond a reasonable doubt in light of significant testimony from both Buffkin and Valerie Kormondy indicating that Hazen was involved with these criminal episodes.
Further, we have reviewed the record and determined that it sufficiently supports Hazen's convictions in this case. Accordingly, we affirm all of Hazen's convictions.
Hazen next raises four penalty-phase issues. He argues that (1) the trial court erred in its treatment of the mitigation offered in this case; (2) the trial court erred by imposing a disproportional sentence; (3) the trial court erred in advising the jury that all jurors must vote in the penalty-phase proceeding; and (4) the trial court erred in allowing a fundamentally unfair cross-examination of Hazen's mitigation witness. Insofar as we agree that the sentence of death is disproportional in this case, we need not reach the other three issues. We find that Hazen's death sentence is disproportional because he was less culpable than Buffkin and Buffkin received a life sentence in a plea bargain. We have stated: "We pride ourselves in a system of justice that requires equality before the law. Defendants should not be treated differently upon the same or similar facts. When the facts are the same, the law should be the same." Slater v. State, 316 So. 2d 539, 542 (Fla.1975). After reviewing the record, it becomes clear that Buffkin was more culpable than Hazen. The question then arises as to why the State agreed to let Buffkin enter a plea in exchange for a life sentence. The State explained its position, in part, as follows:
In essence, the State made the strategic decision to give Buffkin a life sentence in exchange for testimony putting Hazen at the scene of the crime. In that respect, Buffkin was a crucial witness. With that in mind, we turn to Buffkin's account of the crime.
It is clear from Buffkin's own testimony that he and Kormondy were the instigators of this criminal episode. Further, the trial judge expressly found that Hazen was a "follower." Under these facts, Buffkin was assuredly more culpable than Hazen. Indeed, Buffkin was not sure "if [Hazen] even knew what was going on." At the McAdams' home, Buffkin carried the gun, tapped on the door, and was the first to enter the home. Hazen, on the other hand, was the last to enter the home.
Once inside the home, the events proceeded as "[Buffkin] and Kormondy had talked about it." Specifically, "[Buffkin] just basically told [Kormondy] when we enter the house just pull the phone cords and shut the curtains and stuff like that and so that's basically what happened." Finally, Buffkin admits that he was near Kormondy when the fatal shot was fired. Therefore, he was in a far better position than was Hazen to prevent the shooting. In sum, it is simply impossible to say that Hazen was as culpable as Buffkin.
In Witt v. State, 342 So. 2d 497, 500 (Fla. 1977), we made clear that a codefendant's life sentence was a factor that had to be considered when sentencing Witt. There, though, we proceeded to allow disparate sentences for appellant Witt and codefendant Tillman. We explained that "five psychiatrists who examined Tillman indicated Tillman had a severe mental or emotional disturbance and was subject to domination by Witt. Witt's dominance was enhanced by his age of thirty years, compared to Tillman's age of eighteen." Id. at 501. Tillman was the follower and Witt was the leader. We found no obstacle to Witt receiving the death penalty and Tillman receiving a life sentence because Witt clearly dominated the criminal episode. Hazen, though, did not play a dominant role in this case. In fact, the evidence clearly establishes that Buffkin was a prime instigator and was more culpable than Hazen. In Slater, we held that the less culpable, non-triggerman defendant cannot receive a death sentence when the more culpable, triggerman defendant receives a life sentence. Slater, 316 So. 2d  at 542. We find that this reasoning holds true even when two non-triggermen are involved if one of the defendants is a prime instigator and the other is not. Therefore, Buffkin's life sentence precludes a death sentence for Hazen.
*1215 Accordingly, for the reasons explained, we affirm Hazen's convictions for first-degree felony murder, three counts of armed sexual battery, one count of burglary of a dwelling with an assault and intent to commit theft, and one count of armed robbery. We note that Hazen was sentenced to a life sentence for each of the five non-murder convictions. Each of the five sentences is to run consecutively. Also, each life sentence carries a three-year minimum mandatory imprisonment that will "run concurrently with each count." We must vacate, however, Hazen's sentence of death and remand with instructions that the trial court enter a life sentence for Hazen's conviction of first-degree felony murder without possibility of parole for twenty-five years. Each of Hazen's other five consecutive life sentences will run consecutive to this sentence.
It is so ordered.
OVERTON, SHAW, GRIMES, HARDING and ANSTEAD, JJ., concur.
WELLS, J., concurs in part and dissents in part with an opinion.
WELLS, Justice, concurring in part and dissenting in part.
I concur in the decision affirming the guilt convictions. I dissent as to the setting aside of the sentence of death. I would affirm the death sentence for Hazen, whom the record clearly shows was a major participant in this horrid criminal episode and who by his conduct demonstrated the reckless indifference to human life which makes the imposition of the death penalty appropriate.
As to Hazen's major participation, I believe Ms. McAdams' testimony clearly establishes that all three men joined with equal fervor in the inhumane abuse of her and her murdered husband in their home. The facts do not support the majority's minimizing of any of their roles. The home invasion, armed robbery, and murder of Mr. McAdams were an obvious joint venture. While I agree that the episode may have begun through the collaboration of Buffkin and Kormondy, Hazen, upon becoming aware of what the others were doing, became a full joint-venturer. Importantly, the record establishes that it was Hazen who engaged in the torturous rape of Ms. McAdams after locating the murder weapon while ransacking the home.
Hazen was not some kind of intimidated, following stooge. Hazen on his own initiative put the shirt over his own head. Hazen put the socks over his own hands. Hazen ripped telephone cords from the wall. Hazen ransacked the house. Hazen took a gun in his own hands. Hazen used his own penis in assaulting Ms. McAdams. Hazen used his own eyes to witness the other participants' battering of Ms. McAdams. Hazen used his own silence and neither dissuaded nor disavowed the other joint venturers from the rapes, the robberies, or the murder; neither did he attempt in any way to do so. If a nontrigger person is eligible for the death penalty under our law, there should be no question as to Hazen's eligibility for that penalty, for clearly what he joint-ventured was a death qualifying and death deserving crime.
This Court's cases have clearly held that a nontrigger person who is a major participant in a felony murder and whose conduct demonstrates the kind of reckless indifference to human life demonstrated by Hazen is death qualified. I find what the Court stated in DuBoise v. State, 520 So. 2d 260, 265-66 (Fla. 1988), to be directly on point:
In Tison the Court stated that Enmund covered two types of cases that occur at opposite ends of the felony-murder spectrum, i.e., "the minor actor in an armed robbery, not on the scene, who neither intended to kill nor was found to have any culpable mental state" and "the felony murderer who actually killed, attempted to kill, or intended to kill." 481 U.S.  at 150, 107 S. Ct.  at 1684. The Tison brothers, however, presented "the intermediate case of the defendant whose participation is major and whose mental state is one of reckless indifference to the value of human life." Id. at 152, 107 S. Ct.  at 1685. The Court recognized that the majority of American jurisdictions which provide for capital punishment "specifically authorize the death penalty in a felony-murder case where, though the defendant's mental state fell short of intent to kill, the defendant was a major actor in a felony in which he knew death was highly likely to occur," id. at 154, 107 S. Ct.  at 1686, and that "substantial participation in a violent felony under circumstances likely to result in the loss of innocent human life may justify the death penalty even absent an `intent to kill.'" Id. Commenting that focusing narrowly on the question of intent to kill is an unsatisfactory method of determining culpability, the Court held "that major participation in the felony committed, combined with reckless indifference to human life, is sufficient to satisfy the Enmund culpability requirement." Id. at 158, 107 S. Ct.  at 1688 (footnote omitted).
I find absolutely no reason not to apply this analysis to Hazen. In sum, the facts do not support that Hazen was less a participant in the actual crimes than Buffkin.
Moreover, I do not understand the logic of the majority's holding that because the state attorney found it necessary to make a plea deal with Buffkin, that should advantage Hazen. The majority's decision puts the State in the untenable Catch-22 of either not obtaining a conviction or of doing what is determined by the state attorney to be necessary to obtain the conviction of the defendant but thereby insulating the defendant from the death penalty. In essence, defendant's legal dodge of hiding his identity is a success because this Court puts the state attorney in that dilemma. This is plainly and categorically wrong. This Court recognized this in Witt v. State, 342 So. 2d 497 (Fla.1977), in which the Court approved the death sentence even though a codefendant had been allowed to plead and received a life sentence. The majority's attempt to distinguish Witt does not withstand the test of the record here.
I believe this Court should recognize the obvious difference between proportionality review when there is a jury's determination that one of the participants in a criminal episode should be sentenced to life and when the State accepts a plea from one of the defendants in exchange for trial testimony adverse to the other defendant. Proportionality should be judged on the basis of the facts of the criminal episode, not on the basis of how bringing the participants to justice must be practically accomplished.
[1]  Hazen, in this case, and Kormondy, in case No. 84,709, present different factual scenarios. Neither record is entirely clear as to the relative locations of Hazen and Buffkin at the time of the fatal shot. The recitation of facts in Kormondy's brief indicates that Buffkin was in the back room when the fatal shot was fired. Kormondy himself, however, claims that Buffkin fired the fatal shot. Such a claim puts Hazen in the back room. In Kormondy's trial, Mrs. McAdams identified Buffkin as the rapist in the back room when the fatal shot was fired. In Hazen's trial, she was not so specific. Hazen argues that he was in the back room when the fatal shot was fired.