Opinion ID: 2621432
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 32

Heading: Murder of Geneiene H.

Text: ś 256 On July 27, 1996, Geneiene H. was brutally raped and murdered by Gregory in her home. She was by all accounts a totally innocent, blameless victim. Of necessity, I briefly summarize testimony the jury heard in the guilt phase of the trial for this crime. (An excerpt from the victim impact testimony from Geneiene H.'s mother can be found at pages 1221-22, infra. ) ś 257 Geneiene H.'s clothes were cut with a knife. Her hands were bound so tightly as to cut circulation in her hands. While alive, she suffered numerous traumatic injuries and blunt force injuries to her face, torso, and extremities. She had two black eyes, a laceration on her right eyelid, forehead abrasions, and scalp hemorrhages. Her bruised left temple was consistent with a severe blow to her head. ś 258 There was a half-inch deep stab wound on Geneiene H.'s neck. Her blood was on the kitchen floor, and the blood pool indicated that she had been dragged through the blood to the bedroom. ś 259 Geneiene had three severe stab wounds to her back, inflicted with a single-edged knife. Those stab wounds were all at least three inches deep. One of the stab wounds was so deep as to penetrate Geneiene's right lung. Another penetrated her left lung and cut her aorta. Geneiene would have been conscious for some time after being stabbed and continued to struggle against her violent attacker. ś 260 She had devastating neck injuries. Her neck was slit three separate times. One of the slices was seven inches long. Another was more than seven inches long and deep enough to cut through her windpipe and through her esophagus. The sixth vertebra in her neck was fractured. Her blood covered the wall and floor of her bedroom. These blood patterns were consistent with the throat wounds and indicate that she was alive at the time her throat was cut. ś 261 Later, there was no cash found in Geneiene H.'s house. Her purse was found in the bedroom, its contents dumped out on the bed and floor. Geneiene always wore a favorite pair of diamond stud earrings, which were never recovered. ś 262 There was extensive evidence of sexual assault. Gregory brutally raped Geneiene H., the horrifying details of which will not be repeated here but were described to the jury. ś 263 After Geneiene H.'s body was discovered, the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab (WSP Lab) obtained a DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) profile from the sperm found, which was analyzed and retained. In 1998, Gregory was arrested for raping a separate, surviving victim, R.S. (discussed further infra). As a result of Gregory's arrest for the later crime, a sample of his blood was collected and provided to the WSP Lab. A DNA profile was obtained on that blood sample. That profile matched the DNA profile obtained from the sperm on Geneiene's bedspread. The odds of a random match between those profiles were 1 in 235 million. ś 264 The WSP Lab also obtained DNA profiles from vaginal swabs and from known blood samples of Geneiene H. and Gregory. The DNA profile from Gregory's blood matched the DNA profile from the sperm fraction of the vaginal swabs. The odds of a random match between those profiles were 1 in 2,500. Samples of hair found on Geneiene H.'s body were consistent with Gregory's hair. ś 265 Swabs and blood samples were sent to Forensic Science Associates in California. DNA testing was conducted. Gregory's DNA profile matched the DNA profile from sperm found on Geneiene H.'s bedspread and her body. The odds of a random match between Gregory's DNA and DNA from the evidence were 1 in 190 billion. ś 266 Following a two-month trial, Gregory was convicted by a jury of aggravated first degree murder. That jury found the State had proved the existence of the following aggravating circumstance: The murder was committed in the course of, in furtherance of, or in immediate flight from a Rape in the First or Second Degree or a Robbery in the First Degree. Murder Case Clerk's Papers (MCP) at 2490. ś 267 Note that the separate crime against R.S. was not found as any aggravating circumstance; indeed, that crime was not even presented to the jury in the guilt phase. The jury's finding of guilt for aggravated first degree murder was based entirely on the rape/murder of Geneiene H. ś 268 As required by law, a second hearing or penalty phase was to be heard by the same jury. The statutory purpose is to determine whether there are not sufficient mitigating circumstances to merit leniency, instead of a death sentence. RCW 10.95.040. A mitigation specialist was hired for Gregory by the State for this separate penalty phase of the trial. That trial was held before the same jury that convicted him of Geneiene H.'s murder. ś 269 The jury later determined, as required by RCW 10.95.060(4), that there were not sufficient mitigating circumstances to merit leniency and Gregory was sentenced to death. He appealed to this court.