Opinion ID: 1595336
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Substitution of Aggravating Circumstances at the Close of the Sentencing Phase.

Text: ¶ 122. Ross complains that, during the jury instruction conference for the sentencing phase, the State was allowed, over objection, to withdraw a jury instruction on the aggravating circumstance of murder committed by a person who had previously been convicted of a felony involving the threat of violence to persons and substitute a jury instruction on the aggravating circumstance of murder committed for the purpose of avoiding or preventing a lawful arrest. Ross argues that this last-minute substitution of aggravating circumstances violated his Fifth Amendment right to timely notice of the charges against him and his Sixth Amendment right to sufficient notice of the charges against him. ¶ 123. In Gardner v. Florida, 430 U.S. 349, 362, 97 S.Ct. 1197, 51 L.Ed.2d 393 (1977), the United States Supreme Court held that a defendant may not be sentenced to death on the basis of information which he had no opportunity to deny or explain. However, it has already been established that an indictment for capital murder puts a defendant on notice of the aggravating circumstances that may be used against him, Williams v. State, 445 So.2d 798, 804-05 (Miss.1984), and there is no authority for the proposition that the State must furnish formal notice of aggravating circumstances in discovery. Smith v. State, 729 So.2d 1191, 1224 (Miss.1998). ¶ 124. Even if the substituted aggravating circumstance had been excluded, there was still sufficient proof of other aggravating circumstances to support the sentence. Jordan v. State, 912 So.2d 800, 812 (Miss.2005). If one aggravator is found to be invalid, the Court is authorized to reweigh the remaining aggravators against the mitigating circumstances. McGilberry v. State, 843 So.2d 21, 29 (Miss.2003). Upon review of the aggravating and mitigating circumstances without the contested aggravating circumstances, we find that there were sufficient aggravating circumstances to justify the sentence. This assignment of error is without merit.