Opinion ID: 1227665
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 26

Heading: peremptory instruction on age in mitigation

Text: Finally, defendant Moore contends that the trial judge erred in failing to peremptorily instruct that Moore's age was a mitigating factor. This assignment of error is meritless. At the time of the crime defendant was nineteen years eleven months of age. As we stated earlier, the chronological age of a defendant is not the determinative factor under G.S. § 15A-2000(f)(7). To this effect we cite with approval the language in Giles v. State, 261 Ariz. at 483, 549 S.W.2d at 483: Any hard and fast rule as to age would tend to defeat the ends of justice, so the term youth must be considered as relative and this factor weighed in the light of varying conditions and circumstances. It is well known that two young persons may vary greatly in mental and physical development, experience and criminal tendencies (citation omitted). One of these factors may have greater significance than the others in some cases, depending on the circumstances.