Opinion ID: 2540167
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Taylor Waived Jury Sentencing

Text: Pursuant to Blakely, whether Taylor waived his rights to Sixth Amendment jury sentencing is an important consideration in determining if his judge-imposed death sentence is authorized. Considering the facts of Taylor's case, his 1991 decision to plead guilty and be sentenced by a judge, rather than by a jury, precludes his ability now to claim the Sixth Amendment entitles him to jury sentencing. Taylor I established that Taylor's 1991 guilty plea and jury waiver was not invalidated after this Court remanded his case for a new sentencing hearing. See 929 S.W.2d at 215-18 (approving of the refusal to allow Taylor to withdraw his plea and undergo jury sentencing after his case was remanded). Accordingly, what Taylor knew, intended, and understood in 1991 when he entered his guilty plea is paramount to determining whether he waived his rights to jury sentencing. The record in Taylor's case shows that, when Taylor entered his plea in 1991, he understood that a consequence of his plea was that he would not have his guilt or sentence determined by a jury. [10] The record demonstrates his understanding that his guilty plea would lead to him being sentenced by a judge, whereas a not-guilty plea would lead to him being sentenced by a jury. Moreover, the record makes clear that he knew that the judge would be considering the State's recommendation of the death penalty. The following testimony illuminates that Taylor willingly declined a jury's involvement in his sentencing: From the plea hearing transcript at pages 8-9 (emphasis added): Q. Do you also understand that if you plead guilty it will be up to the judge to decide the sentence on all charges? A. Yes. Q. And as the maximum that you can get on all of these charges, do you understand that the Judge can give you the death sentence ? A. Yes. From the plea hearing transcript at pages 9-10: Q. If you plead not guilty, do you understand that you have a right to go to trial? A. Yes. Q. And if you plead not guilty, there would be a trial. A. Yes. Q. Do you understand that the trial would be in front of a jury of twelve people? A. Yes, I do. Q. And the twelve people would have to be unanimous in their verdict? A. Yes. Q. In other words, all twelve would have to agree. A. Yes. Q. The twelve people would have to be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt by the state that you're guilty. A. Yes. Q. And that would be on each charge, all four counts; do you understand that? A. Yes. I do. From the plea hearing transcript at page 13 (emphasis added): Q. Michael, do you understand that if you plead guilty there won't be a trial? A. Yes, I do. Q. And you, in essence, would be giving up those rights. Do you understand that? A. Yes, I do. Q. Sometimes we use the word waive. If you plead guilty, you are waiving the right to a trial by a jury. A. Yes, I understand. Q. The right to a trial. A. Yes, I understand. From the plea hearing transcript at pages 19-21 (emphasis added): Q. Has anyone made any promises to you about how this is going to turn out if you plead guilty? A. No, they haven't. Q. You know that if you plead guilty the state is going to ask for a death sentence and the Judge could impose death. A. Yes, I do. Q. Now, if you plead guilty, do you understand that all that would be left for the Court to do would be to sentence you? A. Yes. . . . . Q. . . . [D]o you understand, Michael, that there would still be a sentencing hearing where the state will be presenting evidence, and we, on your behalf[,] will be presenting evidence to the Judge as to what sentence to propose on the murder charge ? A. Yes. Q. And actually the Judge can entertain evidence on all of the charges. A. I understand. From the plea hearing transcript at page 28 (emphasis added): Q. And do you understand that there will be a sentencing proceeding yet to occur in front of the Judge? A. Yes, I do. From the plea hearing transcript at pages 34-36 (emphasis added): Q. Do you understand that . . . you might be entitled to two trials, that is, one trial where the jury would decide murder in the first degree and then punishment if they found you guilty of murder in the first degree. . . . Do you understand that? A. Yes. . . . . Q. No one has guaranteed you what sentence you're going to receive? A. No. Q. No promises have been made to you as to what sentence you're going to receive. A. No, they haven't. Q. Has anyone told you what sentence you're likely to receive? A. No, they haven't. Q. What sentence do you think you're going to receive as to Count I, murder in the first degree? A. What sentence do I think? Q. Yes. A. I don't know. Q. Do you understand that the Judge might very well sentence you to the death penalty in this case ? A. Yes, I do. Q. Do you know that by pleading guilty here today that instead of twelve people deciding, there will only be one person deciding, this Judge; do you understand that? A. Yes, I do. Q. As to the other counts, the Judge could sentence you to the minimum, or he may very well sentence you to the maximum on each of the other counts charged; do you understand that? A. Yes. From the plea hearing transcript at pages 38-42 (emphasis added): Q. Have your attorneys gone over with you the different stages that occur at a murder in the first degree trial? A. Yes. . . . . Q. Now, the second phase would be a separate trial in front of the same jury, if they do find you guilty of murder in the first degree. Do you understand that? A. Yes, I do. Q. It would be like a trial. There would be opening statements. The state would present evidence, and you could present evidence. Do you understand that? A. Yes, I do. Q. You would have a right to confront the witnesses, to subpoena witnesses, to subpoena witnesses in. Do you understand that? A. Yes. Q. The court would then instruct the jury, the attorneys would argue, and then they would deliberate, the jury would deliberate. Do you understand that? A. Yes. Q. During their deliberations, all twelve jurors must find, beyond a reasonable doubt, at least one aggravating circumstance. Do you understand that? A. Yes. Q. And if they don't find at least one aggravating circumstance, then they must sentence you to life without parole. Do you understand that? A. Yes. Q. Now, the state has filed notice of nine aggravating circumstances, statutory aggravating circumstances. Do you understand that? A. Yes. Q. Have you talked about those with your attorney; have you seen those? A. I'm not real familiar with seeing them, but I have talked with them about them. Q. When I say that the jury must find at least one, they must find at least one statutory aggravating circumstance. If they don't, it's life without parole. Do you understand that? A. Yes. Q. If they do find at least one statutory aggravating circumstance, then they can determine if there are any non-statutory aggravating circumstances. Do you understand that? A. Yes. Q. And the state has filed notice, I believe, of [25] or [26] non-statutory aggravating circumstances. Are you aware of that? A. Yes. Q. And the jury would determine if the statutory aggravating circumstances nonstatutory aggravating circumstances and the evidence in the case, whether they warrant the death penalty. Do you understand that? A. Yes. Q. And they must unanimously find that they do warrant the death penalty. Do you understand that? A. Yes. Q. And if they don't, then it's life without parole. Do you understand that? A. Yes, I do. Q. And then if they find that there are sufficient aggravating circumstances to warrant death, then they must consider whether there are mitigating circumstances. Do you understand that? A. Yes, I do. Q. And your attorney has supplied me with notice of five statutory mitigating circumstances that would be presented to the jury; do you understand that? A. Yes. Q. And the jury would then consider whether those mitigating circumstances, or the evidence in the case, whether it outweighs the aggravating circumstances. And if they found that the mitigating circumstances outweigh the aggravating circumstances, then they must sentence you to life without parole. Do you understand that? A. Yes. Q. And do you understand that when they consider the mitigating circumstances that they don't have to all unanimously find the same mitigating circumstances; do you understand that? A. Yes. Q. And do you understand that even if they find that the mitigating circumstances do not outweigh the aggravating circumstances that they still are not obliged to sentence you to death; do you understand that? A. Yes. Q. The final decision would rest with the jury. Do you understand that? A. Yes. Q. But again in this case it will all be up to one man. Do you understand that? A. Yes. Q. Is that what you want? A. Yes, it is.