Opinion ID: 174891
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: State Witnesses

Text: To establish aggravating circumstances, the State called several witnesses 4 Case: 08-70011 Document: 00511226342 Page: 5 Date Filed: 09/07/2010 No. 08-70011 during the sentencing phase of Simon’s trial. The State relied on four aggravating factors for each of the victims. For all three, the State asked the jury find the murders were: committed for the purpose of avoiding arrest, committed for pecuniary gain, and especially heinous, atrocious, and cruel. With respect to Carl, the State asked the jury to find the murder was committed while Simon or his accomplice were engaged in the commission of a robbery. For Bobbie Joe, the State asked the jury to find the murder was committed while Simon or his accomplice were engaged in the crime of burglary of a dwelling. Finally, for Gregory, the State asked the jury to find the crime was committed while Simon or his accomplice were engaged in the crime of kidnapping. The State called Scott Parker, Carl’s grown son, who testified about his family and authenticated photographs of the Parkers taken while they were alive. The State then called a crime scene investigator who authenticated gruesome pictures that he had taken of the crime scene. The medical examiner authenticated and described photographs of the bodies of Carl, Bobbie Joe, and Gregory taken at the morgue. As part of his testimony, the medical examiner testified that Gregory and Carl suffered pain before they died. He also testified that Carl, Bobbie Joe, and Gregory died of gunshot wounds, not smoke inhalation. The remains of Bobbie Joe were so badly charred that the examiner was only able to identify a few of her organs. The State’s final witness, Sheriff Jack Harrison, authenticated additional photographs taken of Carl and Gregory’s bodies.