Opinion ID: 1550932
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: the challenge to the imposition of the penalty in this case

Text: The defendant argues that it was inappropriate for the trial justice to impose the two sentences of life imprisonment without parole in respect to counts 1 and 3 of the indictment. The defendant argues that although he is a person of limited abilities, he is young and can be rehabilitated, and therefore there is no need for the imposition of the additional sanction in this case. We must reject this argument. The defendant was found to be fully capable of responding to the criminal process after consideration of expert testimony on the issue of competency prior to trial. There is no question that the jury and the trial justice properly found that the circumstance of aggravated battery existed in respect to these two charges. In regard to the murders of Carlucci and Neuser, the record discloses shocking brutality in both cases. The defendant beat Carlucci into unconsciousness, strangled her (fracturing both larynx and hyoid bone in multiple sites), and then forcefully inserted a plywood stick into her rectum with such force and so deeply that the medical examiner at first was led to believe that her clavicle had been fractured. In the defendant's own words in his statement to the police: Then I grabbed her by the neck with my both hands and strangled her but she was still alive and I dragged her out of the car and I laid her on the ground and she was unconscious. I hit her some more and then hit her with my fists some more. I don't know how many times I hit her. I then pulled her pants off and pulled her underwear down. I saw a thin plywood stick on the ground and I took the stick and I shoved it up her ass. She screamed when I shoved the stick up her ass. I got into my friend's car and left. After the murder of Neuser, the autopsy demonstrated injuries indicative of manual strangulation and severe injuries and fractures of the face and scalp resulting in extensive hemorrhage. There were also injuries of the lower abdomen resulting in bladder separation and laceration of the small bowel and mesentery with internal hemorrhage. She died as a result of asphyxia due to strangulation and blunt force trauma [to] the face,    head and lower abdomen. If there has ever been a case in which an aggravated battery was committed upon a victim with such savagery as to constitute serious physical abuse of the victim before death, it has certainly been proven beyond a reasonable doubt in this case in respect to Lori Carlucci and Delores Neuser. In the exercise of our independent judgment and discretion, we affirm the sentence of life imprisonment without parole imposed upon this defendant in respect to counts 1 and 3 of the indictment.