Opinion ID: 1690710
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the trial court violated the united states and mississippi constitutions and mississippi law in submitting the avoiding arrest aggravating circumstance to the jury.[26]

Text: ś 88. Doss argues (1) that the evidence did not support the giving of sentencing instruction No. C-1 setting forth the aggravating circumstance that the murder was committed for the purpose of avoiding arrest and (2) that no accompanying limiting instruction was given. ś 89. The State asserts that this Court, in Chase v. State, 645 So.2d 829, 858 (Miss. 1994), held that a limiting instruction on this type of aggravator is not necessary. Chase clearly does dispose of this portion of Doss's argument, rendering it without merit. See Evans v. Thigpen, 631 F. Supp. 274, 283 (S.D.Miss. 1986), aff'd 809 F.2d 239 (5th Cir.1987); Gray v. Lucas, 677 F.2d 1086, 1109-1110 (5th Cir.1982). ś 90. The State next asserts that the evidence supported the instruction. It points to the following facts. (1) Doss admittedly went into the store with a gun to rob it. (2) Freddie had said before entering the store that they were going to go in shooting. (3) Doss supposedly said Let's go. Let's go do it immediately before entering Sparks. (4) Bell hollered as he was shot and had several shots through his hands indicating that he was neither armed nor posed a threat to the robbers' escape. (5) According to Coffey, once Doss was on his way to Memphis, Doss was ready to go back and kill James to eliminate a possible witness. And finally, (6) Doss admitted that he went to Memphis so that he would not get caught. [27] ś 91. Doss responds in his reply brief with the argument that all of the above-mentioned facts exist in any felony-murder case and that there are no substantial reasons to support the aggravating circumstance in this case. We find Doss's argument unpersuasive as the aforementioned facts, particularly # 4 and # 6, support the giving of the instruction. This argument is without merit.