Opinion ID: 1058543
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: use of the felony murder aggravating circumstance

Text: The defendant argues that the trial court should not have allowed the state to pursue the death penalty based upon the felony murder aggravating circumstance because he was convicted of felony murder. The felony murder aggravating circumstance may be relied upon by the prosecution in seeking a death sentence when the defendant is found guilty of both premeditated murder and murder in the perpetration of a robbery, and the trial court merges the dual convictions into one conviction of first degree murder. See, e.g., Reid, 91 S.W.3d at 306; Carter v. State, 958 S.W.2d 620, 624 (Tenn.1997). The defendant recognizes that other cases have upheld this practice by merging the premeditated and felony murder convictions. However, he claims the practice violates the principles of death-sentencing as outlined by the Tennessee Supreme Court in Middlebrooks .  He also recognizes that the language of the (i)(7) aggravating circumstance has been amended by adding the knowing element. He simply requests that we adopt a position contrary to that currently held by the courts of this state. This we may not do.