Title: Ex Parte Rieber

State: alabama

Issuer: Alabama Supreme Court

Document:

663 So. 2d 999 (1995)
Ex parte Jeffery Day RIEBER.
(In re Jeffery Day Rieber v. State of Alabama).
No. 1940271.

Supreme Court of Alabama.
May 19, 1995.
Rehearing Denied June 23, 1995.
*1001 Ellen L. Wiesner, Montgomery, and Richard A. Kempaner, Huntsville, for petitioner.
Jeff Sessions, Atty. Gen., and Beth Slate Poe, Asst. Atty. Gen., for respondent.
HOUSTON, Justice.
Jeffery Day Rieber was indicted and convicted in Madison County for the capital offense stated in Ala.Code 1975, § 13A-5-40(a)(2), *1002 involving the robbery and murder of Glenda Craig. The Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed Rieber's conviction and death sentence, and it later overruled his application for rehearing. See Rieber v. State, 663 So. 2d 985 (Ala.Crim.App.1994), for a detailed statement of the facts. We granted certiorari review pursuant to Rule 39(c), Ala. R.App.P.
The Court of Criminal Appeals correctly resolved the issues discussed in its opinion. We find it necessary to comment on only three of those issueswhether Rieber's statement to the police and the evidence that was seized from his automobile and residence should have been excluded as the fruits of an illegal arrest and search; whether the jury override provision, § 13A-5-47, is unconstitutional; and whether there is sufficient evidence to support the trial court's finding of the aggravating circumstance set out in § 13A-5-49(8) (that the offense was especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel).
Rieber contends that his statement to the police, as well as the evidence seized from his automobile and his residence, should have been excluded because the police took him into custody and searched his residence without first obtaining arrest and search warrants. In Payton v. New York, 445 U.S. 573, 100 S. Ct. 1371, 63 L. Ed. 2d 639 (1980), the United States Supreme Court held that the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the police from entering an individual's residence without his consent to make a routine warrantless felony arrest. As the Court of Criminal Appeals noted, however, such an entry may be proper where probable cause to arrest the suspect exists and exigent circumstances make it imprudent for the police to wait for a warrant to be obtained. After carefully reviewing the record, we agree with the majority of the Court of Criminal Appeals that both probable cause to arrest and exigent circumstances existed in the present case.
In United States v. Standridge, 810 F.2d 1034, 1037 (11th Cir.1987), cert. denied, 481 U.S. 1072, 107 S. Ct. 2468, 95 L. Ed. 2d 877 (1987), the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals noted:
See, also, United States v. Kimmons, 965 F.2d 1001 (11th Cir.1992), cert. denied, 506 U.S. 1086, 113 S. Ct. 1065, 122 L. Ed. 2d 370 (1993); and Bush v. State, 523 So. 2d 538 (Ala.Crim.App.1988), and the authorities cited therein. The record indicates that the decision to arrest Rieber at his residence without a warrant was made by the police during an unfolding investigation that began shortly after 8:00 p.m. on October 9, 1990, and extended through the early morning hours of the next day. Rieber was arrested between 3:00 and 3:30 a.m. The police had probable cause to believe that Rieber had robbed and brutally murdered Ms. Craig; that he was residing in his mother's mobile home; that he was armed and extremely dangerous; and, given the gravity of the offense, that his probable state of mind made it likely that any significant delay could allow Rieber to flee the area or otherwise jeopardize the safety of the general public or that of the other occupants of the mobile home in which Rieber was residing. These circumstances were sufficiently exigent to justify a warrantless arrest.
However, we note, as Judges Bowen and Taylor pointed out in their opinion concurring in the judgment, that even if there had *1003 been no exigent circumstances surrounding Rieber's arrest, his statement, as well as the evidence discovered as a result of his statement (the gun, ammunition, and money), would have been admissible under the rule stated in New York v. Harris, 495 U.S. 14, 21, 110 S. Ct. 1640, 1644-45, 109 L. Ed. 2d 13 (1990) ("where the police have probable cause to arrest a suspect, the exclusionary rule does not bar the State's use of a statement made by the defendant outside of his home, even though the statement is taken after an arrest made in the home in violation of Payton"). The record indicates that the money and Rieber's clothes were seized pursuant to a consensual search of Rieber's residence (both Rieber's mother, who owned the mobile home, and his sister, who also resided there, consented to the search) and that the gun and ammunition were seized from his automobile pursuant to a valid search warrant.
As to the constitutionality of § 13A-5-47, which makes the jury's sentencing recommendation nonbinding on the trial court, see, in addition to those authorities cited by the Court of Criminal Appeals, Harris v. Alabama, ___ U.S. ___, 115 S. Ct. 1031, 130 L. Ed. 2d 1004 (1995) (decided after the Court of Criminal Appeals had issued its opinion in the present case).
Rieber further contends that Ms. Craig's murder was not especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel, an aggravating circumstance on which the jury was instructed and which the trial court found to exist. See § 13A-5-49(8). Rieber argues that the evidence did not support the trial court's finding that the killing was conscienceless or pitiless and unnecessarily torturous to Ms. Craig, within the meaning of Ex parte Kyzer, 399 So. 2d 330 (Ala.1981).
The Court of Criminal Appeals set out in its opinion the trial court's findings with respect to this issue. Suffice it to say that the evidence supports those findings. The evidence indicates that Rieber had "cased" the store and had stalked Ms. Craig for several days before the murder. Testimony and the videotape from the surveillance camera at the store clearly indicate that Ms. Craig was aware of Rieber's presence and was apprehensive and afraid of him.[1] As the Court of Criminal Appeals pointed out, evidence as to the fear experienced by the victim before death is a significant factor in determining the existence of the aggravating circumstance that the murder was especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel. Ex parte Whisenhant, 555 So. 2d 235, 243-44 (Ala.1989), cert. denied, 496 U.S. 943, 110 S. Ct. 3230, 110 L. Ed. 2d 676 (1990); White v. State, 587 So. 2d 1218, 1234 (Ala.Crim.App.1990), aff'd, 587 So. 2d 1236 (Ala.1991), cert. denied, 502 U.S. 1076, 112 S. Ct. 979, 117 L. Ed. 2d 142 (1992); Lawhorn v. State, 581 So. 2d 1159, 1175, n. 7 (Ala.Crim.App.1990), aff'd, 581 So. 2d 1179 (Ala.1991), cert. denied, 502 U.S. 970, 112 S. Ct. 445, 116 L. Ed. 2d 463 (1991). Furthermore, the evidence clearly shows that Ms. Craig was the victim of a brutal execution-style murder. In this regard, this case is materially indistinguishable from Bush v. State, 431 So. 2d 555, 560-61 (Ala.Crim.App. 1982), aff'd, 431 So. 2d 563 (Ala.1983), cert. denied, 464 U.S. 865, 104 S. Ct. 200, 78 L. Ed. 2d 175 (1983), wherein the Court of Criminal Appeals aptly noted:
See, also, Morrison v. State, 500 So. 2d 36 (Ala.Crim.App.1985), aff'd, 500 So. 2d 57 (Ala. 1986), cert. denied, 481 U.S. 1007, 107 S. Ct. 1634, 95 L. Ed. 2d 207 (1987).
We further note that Ms. Craig was alive when she was found by a customer, Connie Balch. Ms. Balch testified as follows:
Ms. Craig, according to Ronnie Ashby, also had foam oozing from her nose. It was reasonably inferable from the evidence that Ms. Craig suffered greatly from the gunshots to her arm and head. In this respect, this case is materially indistinguishable from Ex parte McNair, 653 So. 2d 353 (Ala.1994), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 115 S. Ct. 1121, 130 L. Ed. 2d 1084 (1995); Ex parte Bui, 551 So. 2d 1125 (Ala.1989); and Ex parte Jefferson, 473 So. 2d 1110 (Ala.1985), cert. denied, 479 U.S. 922, 107 S. Ct. 328, 93 L. Ed. 2d 300 (1986), wherein this aggravating circumstance (that the killing was especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel) was found to exist. Although the victims in those cases were viciously cut with knives on and around their throats, they remained alive during, and for a short time after, the attacks.
*1005 Rieber has also raised a number of additional issues that were not presented to the Court of Criminal Appeals. After studying those issues, reviewing Rieber's briefs, and examining the record for error, we can find no basis for reversing the judgment. We do feel, however, that the following issues, which were among the additional issues raised by Rieber in this Court, warrant further discussion: whether reversible error occurred in the guilt phase of the trial as the result of the admission of certain "victim impact" testimony; whether reversible error occurred in the sentencing phase of the trial as the result of the trial court's considering a presentence investigation report that was prepared by the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles and which contained a victim impact statement by Ms. Craig's husband; whether reversible error occurred as the result of admitting the surveillance videotape and the testimony of Wayne Gentle, a former high school classmate of Rieber's who identified Rieber as the gunman shown on the videotape; whether reversible error occurred as the result of certain comments made by the prosecutor during the guilt phase of the trial; and whether reversible error occurred in regard to Rieber's claim that he was denied access to possibly exculpatory evidence.
Rieber contends that the admission of victim impact testimony by Ms. Craig's husband during the guilt phase of the trial constituted reversible error. That testimony was as follows:
Rieber argues that Mr. Craig's testimony "shifted the focus toward the victim's tragedy and away from the issue of proof beyond a reasonable doubt."
We agree with Rieber that Mr. Craig's testimony concerning Ms. Craig's children, their ages, and the status of their custody after the murder was not relevant with respect to the question of his guilt or innocence and, therefore, that it was inadmissible in the guilt phase of the trial. The only issue before the jury during the guilt phase of the trial was whether Rieber had robbed and killed Ms. Craig. However, in Ex parte Crymes, 630 So. 2d 125 (Ala.1993), a plurality of this Court held in a capital murder case in which the defendant was sentenced to life-imprisonment without parole that a judgment of conviction can be upheld if the record conclusively shows that the admission of the victim impact evidence during the guilt phase of the trial did not affect the outcome of the trial or otherwise prejudice a substantial right of the defendant. See, also, Giles v. State, 632 So. 2d 568 (Ala.Crim.App.1992), aff'd, 632 So. 2d 577 (Ala.1993), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 114 S. Ct. 2694, 129 L. Ed. 2d 825 (1994); Ex parte Parker, 610 So. 2d 1181 (Ala.1992), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 113 S. Ct. 3053, 125 L. Ed. 2d 737 (1993); Lawhorn v. State, supra; Hooks v. State, 534 So. 2d 329 (Ala.Crim.App.1987), aff'd, 534 So. 2d 371 (Ala.1988), cert. denied, 488 U.S. 1050, 109 S. Ct. 883, 102 L. Ed. 2d 1005 (1989); and Ex parte Whisenhant, supra, applying a *1006 harmless error analysis in death penalty cases. Our review of the record indicates that Rieber's attorneys did not object to Mr. Craig's brief references to Ms. Craig's children or ask him any questions on cross-examination. The trial court clearly instructed the jury that it had to determine, based on all of the evidence, whether Rieber had robbed and killed Ms. Craig. The jury was instructed that it could not find Rieber guilty unless the prosecutor had established his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The jury was also instructed not to let sympathy or prejudice affect its verdict. We caution prosecutors that the introduction of victim impact evidence during the guilt phase of a capital murder trial can result in reversible error if the record indicates that it probably distracted the jury and kept it from performing its duty of determining the guilt or innocence of the defendant based on the admissible evidence and the applicable law. However, after examining the record in its entirety, we conclude that the aforementioned portions of Mr. Craig's testimony, although they should not have been permitted, did not operate to deny Rieber a fair trial. It is presumed that jurors do not leave their common sense at the courthouse door. It would elevate form over substance for us to hold, based on the record before us, that Rieber did not receive a fair trial simply because the jurors were told what they probably had already suspectedthat Ms. Craig was not a "human island," but a unique individual whose murder had inevitably had a profound impact on her children, spouse, parents, friends, or dependents (paraphrasing a portion of Justice Souter's opinion concurring in the judgment in Payne v. Tennessee, 501 U.S. 808, 838, 111 S. Ct. 2597, 2615, 115 L. Ed. 2d 720 (1991)).
In addition, Rieber contends that the trial court considered, and based his death sentence on, Mr. Craig's victim impact statement that was included in the presentence investigation report, and that it was reversible error for the court to do so. Mr. Craig's statement included his perceptions as to how his wife's murder had affected him and his family. Mr. Craig also expressed his opinions about the crime, about Rieber, and about the appropriateness of a death sentence. Mr. Craig's statement consisted of three paragraphs, covering two pages in a 37-page report (including, among other things, details of the crime, evidence of mitigating and aggravating circumstances, Rieber's criminal record and personal history, and a number of letters written on Rieber's behalf). The trial court stated in its sentencing order that it had "ordered and received" the report. The trial court also stated that it had considered the report in making its determination that Rieber had no significant history of prior criminal activity. In concluding that death was the appropriate sentence, the trial court noted that it had "carefully weighed the aggravating and the mitigating circumstances" that it found to exist and that it had "given [heavy] consideration to the [mitigating circumstances and the] recommendation of the jury contained in its advisory verdict." There is no indication in the sentencing order that the trial court considered Mr. Craig's statement in sentencing Rieber, much less an indication that it based its sentence, even in part, on that statement.
In Ex parte Martin, 548 So. 2d 496, 497-98 (Ala.1989), cert. denied, 493 U.S. 970, 110 S. Ct. 419, 107 L. Ed. 2d 383 (1989), this Court wrote:
(Emphasis in original.) See, also, Haney v. State, 603 So. 2d 368 (Ala.Crim.App.1991), aff'd, 603 So. 2d 412 (Ala.1992), cert. denied, 507 U.S. 925, 113 S. Ct. 1297, 122 L. Ed. 2d 687 (1993); and Pierce v. State, 586 So. 2d 1005 (Ala.Crim.App.1991), wherein the Court of Criminal Appeals remanded for new sentencing hearings. In Haney, the Court was faced with a "substantial" victim impact statement that was "`carefully read, studied and considered'" by the trial court "`before arriving at the final decision determining the sentence.'" 603 So. 2d  at 382, quoting the trial court's sentencing order. In Pierce, there was no specific indication that the trial court had considered the victim impact statement contained in the presentence investigation report. Although in Haney and Pierce the Court of Criminal Appeals chose to remand for new sentencing hearings, out of "an abundance of caution," a remand is not required in every death penalty case in which a victim impact statement appears in a presentence investigation report. Ex parte Martin, supra. We note that Mr. Craig's statements with respect to the murder's impact on him and on his family were properly before the trial court during the sentencing phase. See Payne v. Tennessee, supra, partially overruling Booth v. Maryland, 482 U.S. 496, 107 S. Ct. 2529, 96 L. Ed. 2d 440 (1987), and South Carolina v. Gathers, 490 U.S. 805, 109 S. Ct. 2207, 104 L. Ed. 2d 876 (1989). However, the Payne Court did not overrule the rule stated in Booth prohibiting consideration of a victim's family members' characterizations and opinions about the crime, the defendant, and the appropriate sentence during the sentencing phase of a capital murder trial. See 501 U.S.  at 830, n. 2, 111 S. Ct.  at 2611 n. 2. In any event, we conclude, based on the record before us (indicating that Mr. Craig's statements about the crime, about Rieber, and about the appropriateness of a death sentence, comprised only a portion of the three paragraphs in the victim impact statement), that the rule stated in Ex parte Martin controls this case.
Rieber also contends that it was reversible error to admit the surveillance videotape into evidence. He argues that the videotape was not sufficiently clear to allow anyone to identify him as the gunman depicted in the videotape and, therefore, that the videotape lacked any real probative value and was highly inflammatory. Rieber further argues that the requirements for admissibility of videotapes set out in Ex parte Fuller, 620 So. 2d 675 (Ala.1993), were not satisfied. In the alternative, Rieber contends that even if the videotape was properly admitted, it was error to allow Wayne Gentle to testify as to the identity of the gunman shown on the videotape. Gentle, according to Rieber, lacked any special knowledge or expertise in viewing and interpreting videotapes. Rieber maintains that Gentle's in-court identification was impermissibly tainted by what he calls unduly suggestive pretrial identification procedures, lacked any real probative value, and usurped the function of the jury in evaluating the videotape.
After carefully examining the record, including the pertinent portions of the videotape, we agree with the State that the videotape was properly admitted into evidence and that any problem with respect to the clarity of the videotape and Gentle's identification of Rieber as the gunman shown on the videotape would go to the weight accorded the evidence by the jury and not to its admissibility.
*1008 In Ex parte Fuller, supra, at 677-78, this Court stated:
The videotape in the present case depicts certain scenes in which no witnesses for the State appear, e.g., certain scenes in which only Ms. Craig appears, certain scenes in which Ms. Craig appears with unidentified customers, certain scenes in which Ms. Craig appears with the gunman, etc. The admissibility of the videotape with respect to those scenes must be analyzed under the "silent witness" theory. Our review of the record indicates that the prosecutor laid the necessary evidentiary foundation for admitting those portions of the videotape. Gary Davis, a representative of Management Security, Inc., the company that installed the surveillance system, testified that he had more than 15 years' experience in working with surveillance systems. He further testified as to how the system worked and that the system had been reliable from the day it was installed. Davis testified, in pertinent part, as follows:
Likewise, Linda Sue Newmeyer, the store's manager, testified as follows:
The State also presented the testimony of the police officers involved in the investigation, establishing the chain of custody of the videotape and the manner in which the videotape had been removed from the video cassette recorder and preserved for later viewing.
The videotape also depicts certain scenes in which several witnesses for the State appear. The admissibility of the videotape with respect to those scenes must be analyzed under the "pictorial communication" theory. Our review of the record also indicates that the prosecutor laid the necessary evidentiary foundation for admitting those portions of the videotape. The prosecutor presented sufficient evidence to satisfy the "reliable representation" standard by soliciting testimony from each of the witnesses shown on the videotape that the videotape accurately and reliably represented the actual scene in which the witness appeared.
As to Rieber's contention that Wayne Gentle should not have been allowed to testify that Rieber was the gunman shown on the videotape, we note that we are aware of no rule (and Rieber does not cite us to one) preventing a lay witness from testifying to facts that are within his personal knowledge. See J. Colquitt, Alabama Law of Evidence, §§ 7.0, 7.1 (1990), and the cases cited therein; C. Gamble, McElroy's Alabama Evidence, § 127.01 (4th ed. 1991), and the cases cited therein. Gentle testified that he had been a high school classmate of Rieber; that he knew Rieber when he saw him; and that he had seen and spoken to Rieber at the store at approximately 5:00 p.m. on the day of the murder. The record indicates that Gentle's identification of Rieber as the gunman shown on the videotape was based on his personal knowledge of Rieber's physical characteristics and on his appearance on the day of the murder.
We also note Rieber's contentions that Gentle's identification testimony was impermissibly tainted by what Rieber calls an unduly suggestive pretrial identification procedure and that it constituted a non-expert opinion that usurped the function of the jury in evaluating the videotape. However, our review of the record reveals no unduly suggestive pretrial identification procedure. The evidence indicates that Gentle had given Rieber's name to the police before he viewed the videotape. Although Gentle may have suspected that Rieber might have committed the murder, the undisputed evidence shows that the police did not suggest to Gentle that Rieber might be involved and did not tell him anything about who he was supposed to be looking for in the videotape. Furthermore, even if we were to agree with Rieber's characterization of Gentle's testimony as an opinion, and we do not, our conclusion as to the admissibility of Gentle's testimony would not be different. Gentle personally observed Rieber on the day of the murder. At that time, according to Gentle, Rieber was wearing a light colored T-shirt and a ball cap, and he had darker hair than he had at the trial. The record indicates that Rieber had cut his hair before the trial commenced; he wore a gray suit in court. It is *1012 well settled that if a lay witness is better qualified or in a better position than the jury to draw inferences from the facts, then it is permissible for that witness to express an opinion or to draw a conclusion from those facts personally observed by or known to the witness. Colquitt, Alabama Law of Evidence, supra; McElroy's, supra; Wright v. Rowland, 406 So. 2d 830 (Ala.1981).
Rieber further contends that several comments made by the prosecutor during his closing argument in the guilt phase of the trial constituted reversible error. Rieber argues that these comments pertained to the impact that the murder had had on Ms. Craig's family and expressed the prosecutor's personal opinions as to the credibility of the State's witnesses and as to the fact of Rieber's guilt. After carefully reviewing the prosecutor's closing argument, we conclude that the comments complained of either were within the scope of permissible argument, or, if they were outside that scope, did not undermine the fundamental fairness of the trial.
Immediately before the prosecutor began his closing argument, the trial court instructed the jury as follows:
The prosecutor then made the following comments, to which Rieber made no objections:
"These children will never know their mother's caress again in their lives. In times of emotional distress, physical pain, they will never have their mother's guidance on matters of life. She'll never be able to help them with their homework. Why? When you talk about mercy, don't be one-sided."
(Emphasis added.) In rebuttal to the closing argument of Rieber's attorney, the prosecutor stated:
In Ex parte Parker, supra, 610 So. 2d  at 1183-84, this Court stated:
In Racine v. State, 290 Ala. 225, 226, 275 So. 2d 655, 656 (1973), this Court noted:
*1014 We agree with Rieber that it was improper for the prosecutor to base part of his closing comments on those portions of Mr. Craig's victim impact testimony. As previously noted, Mr. Craig's testimony as to the impact that the murder had had on Ms. Craig's family was irrelevant during the guilt phase of the trial. However, just as we do not view Mr. Craig's testimony as constituting reversible error, neither do we view the prosecutor's comments with respect to that testimony as being so prejudicial as to require a new trial. We again caution prosecutors that victim impact commentary during closing arguments in the guilt phase of a capital murder trial, like victim impact evidence introduced during the guilt phase, can result in reversible error if the record indicates that it probably has led to a verdict based on sympathy and passion instead of deliberation. However, we cannot reasonably conclude that the prosecutor's comments in this particular case, when considered in the context of the entire trial, were so prejudicial as to call into question the correctness of the verdict.
Furthermore, we view those comments that the prosecutor prefaced with "I think," "I believe," "I feel," "I am satisfied," and "I have no doubt," as expressing his reasonable impressions from the evidence. The prosecutor was allowed to argue every legitimate inference from the evidence, and the trial court was afforded wide discretion in regulating his comments. We note, however, that even if these comments were to be viewed as expressions of the prosecutor's personal opinions and, thus, as "crossing the line" of permissible argument, they, nonetheless, would not constitute reversible error. There is no fixed standard for determining whether a prosecutor's comments so prejudiced the factfinding process as to require a new trial. Each case must be judged on its own merits. Hooks v. State, supra; Racine v. State, supra. These remarks by the prosecutor were not as potentially prejudicial as those of the prosecutors in Ex parte Parker, supra, wherein we held that the prosecutors' remarks did not undermine the fundamental fairness of the trial. We further note that the prosecutor, referring to State's witness Tommy Erskine, stated: "He was extremely believable to me." This isolated comment, although improperly expressing the prosecutor's personal opinion as to Erskine's credibility, likewise did not constitute reversible error. Ex parte Parker.
As a final matter, we note Rieber's contention that his right to due process was violated when a police technician commingled "live" ammunition found in the gun seized from Rieber's automobile with other "live" ammunition found in a box in that automobile. The record indicates that Rieber's attorney discovered this commingling during his cross-examination of the technician. Rieber argues that an unfired shell that was found by the technician in the gun's cylinder between two fired shell casings was placed in the box with other unfired shells (including the shells from the gun, the box contained approximately 14 shells) and that if he had known about the commingling of the shells and had had the opportunity to examine that unfired shell he could possibly have shown that the shell had misfired. Such a showing, according to Rieber, would have supported a finding that the bullets that struck Ms. Craig had been fired in "rapid succession." Rieber argues that such a finding would have been exculpatory.
After carefully reviewing the record, we conclude that, contrary to Rieber's contentions, the police did not destroy any evidence. The police technician who handled the ammunition testified that he saw no unusual markings on the unfired shell in question that would have indicated that it had misfired. All of the shells in the box found in Rieber's automobile were available for examination or testing by Rieber's attorneys; however, the record does not indicate that they sought a continuance of the trial for such purposes once they learned that the shells had been commingled.
We further note that even in those cases where evidence is actually lost or destroyed by the police and, thus, is unavailable for inspection and testing by the defendant, there is no due process violation unless the police acted in bad faith in handling the evidence or the evidence destroyed was so critical to the defense that its destruction renders the trial fundamentally unfair. See *1015 Ex parte Gingo, 605 So. 2d 1237 (Ala.1992), discussing Arizona v. Youngblood, 488 U.S. 51, 109 S. Ct. 333, 102 L. Ed. 2d 281 (1988). The record here indicates no bad faith on the part of the police. The police technician who handled the evidence testified that he saw no indication that the unfired shell had any evidentiary value. Furthermore, we question Rieber's unsupported conclusion that one could reasonably infer from a finding that the shell had misfired that the two bullets that struck Ms. Craig were fired in rapid succession. The evidence at trial was inconclusive as to exactly how quickly the gunman may have fired. It is certainly reasonable to conclude from viewing the videotape that the two shots were fired within a matter of seconds. However, the unfired shell between the two fired shell casings in the gun's cylinder indicates nothing more than that the gun either misfired or, as the evidence also suggests, that the gun's cylinder rotated for some reason after the first shot was fired but before the second shot was fired. It would be speculative at best to say, even based upon forensic evidence that the gun had misfired, that the second bullet that struck Ms. Craig was fired immediately after the first bullet that struck her. Moreover, we fail to see how even a finding that the bullets were fired in rapid succession could be exculpatory. The only issue to which such a finding could be applicable would be whether the murder was especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel. The evidence conclusively shows that Ms. Craig was shot twice; whether the two shots were fired one right after the other, as Rieber contends, or were fired a number of seconds apart, as the state contends, would appear to be of little consequence in view of the suffering, both psychological and physical, that Ms. Craig apparently endured. In any event, it is clear that Rieber's inability to make this argument obviously did not prejudice him in the eyes of the jury, as evidenced by its recommendation that he be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.
Pursuant to Ala.Code 1975, § 13A-5-53, we have carefully searched the record of both the guilt phase and the sentencing phase of Rieber's trial, and we have found no reversible error. In reviewing the sentence in this case, we find no evidence that it was imposed under the influence of passion, prejudice, or any other arbitrary factor. We find that the guilty verdict and the sentence are supported by the evidence. Our independent weighing of the aggravating and mitigating circumstances convinces us that the sentence of death is appropriate for this defendant. Considering the crime and the defendant, we find that the sentence of death is neither excessive nor disproportionate to the penalty imposed in similar cases. Accordingly, the Court of Criminal Appeals properly affirmed Rieber's conviction and sentence of death. That court's judgment is affirmed.
AFFIRMED.
HORNSBY, C.J., and MADDOX, SHORES, INGRAM, COOK, and BUTTS, JJ., concur.
[1]  Each of the Justices has viewed the pertinent portions of the videotape.
[2]  The videotape did not contain a recorded statement by Rieber; therefore, this requirement was not applicable.