Opinion ID: 1706805
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: order of the court on imposition of the death penalty

Text: Defendant Bankhead was charged by indictment with the capital offense of murder during a robbery in the 1st degree, 13A-5-40(2), wherein one Jack David McGraw was intentionally killed. A petit jury, duly impaneled and sworn as required by law, after hearing the evidence [and] the court's charge as to the applicable law, including the lesser included offense of felony murder and manslaughter, found the defendant guilty of capital murder. The same jury, sequestered throughout the entire proceedings, heard evidence, counsel's argument and the court charge during the punishment phase and returned an advisory verdict [fixing] the defendant's punishment at death. The vote was eleven for death and one for life without parole, as reflected in the verdict form and confirmed by individually polling the jury. This court commends the respective attorneys for putting aside any attempt to emotionally influence the jury with passion, prejudice or other arbitrary factors in arriving at their advisory verdict. The trial record abundantly supports the court's findings that the jury's advisory verdict was not imposed under the influence of passion, prejudice or any arbitrary factor.