Opinion ID: 1186423
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Jury instruction to be given at all subsequent penalty hearings where the death sentence is an option.

Text: To forestall future uncertainty on the issues considered above, we provide the district courts with the following instruction to be given in the sentencing phases of all capital cases. The jury must find the existence of each aggravating circumstance, if any, unanimously and beyond a reasonable doubt. The jurors need not find mitigating circumstances unanimously. In determining the appropriate sentence, each juror must consider and weigh any mitigating circumstance or circumstances which that juror finds. The jury may impose a sentence of death only if: 1) The jurors find unanimously and beyond a reasonable doubt that at least one aggravating circumstance exists; 2) Each and every juror determines that the mitigating circumstance or circumstances, if any, which he or she has found do not outweigh the aggravating circumstance or circumstances; and 3) The jurors unanimously determine that in their discretion a sentence of death is appropriate. We conclude that while we mistakenly determined the above two issues in our prior opinion on rehearing, the other errors in the penalty phase still mandate that the death sentence be vacated. Therefore, with respect to the remaining challenges in the state's petition for rehearing, we deny the petition. Further, we have reviewed Geary's contentions in his petition for rehearing and conclude that we did not overlook or misapprehend any material matter. See NRAP 40(c). Accordingly, Geary's petition is denied. [1] It is so ORDERED. [2]