Opinion ID: 1842904
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Juvenile Adjudication as an Aggravating Circumstance under Article 905.4 A(3)

Text: While evidence of some juvenile adjudications may be admissible, as discussed above, a juvenile adjudication based on armed robbery does not qualify as an aggravating circumstance under Article 905.4 A(3). Only prior convictions can be used to prove this aggravating circumstance. Therefore, the prosecutor cannot use defendant's juvenile adjudication of delinquency based on an armed robbery to fulfill Article 905.3's requirement of proving at least one statutory aggravating circumstance beyond a reasonable doubt in the capital sentencing hearing, but may introduce evidence of this adjudication in his case-in-chief to show defendant's character and propensities, subject to the limitations hereinabove set forth. [13]