Opinion ID: 1959985
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Exclusion of Siblings' Pleas for Mercy

Text: Defendant argues that the trial court erred in refusing to allow defendant's two siblings to ask the jury to spare his life. The trial court determined that the defense could offer one witness to plead for mercy on defendant's behalf. The defense ultimately had defendant's mother ask the jury to spare defendant's life. In Moore, supra, 122 N.J. at 479-80, 585 A. 2d 864, we held that the decision to exclude testimony of witnesses pleading for mercy for a defendant was within the discretion of the trial court. We noted that the trial court might allow Moore's mother to ask the jury for mercy, so long as her plea for mercy was not cumulative. Id. at 480, 585 A. 2d 864. Our conclusion was shaped by our recognition of the following: (1) capital defendants have the constitutional right to present evidence relevant to any aspect of their character or record and any of the circumstances of their crime in a capital sentencing proceeding; Lockett, supra, 438 U.S. at 604, 98 S.Ct. at 2964, 57 L.Ed. 2d at 989; (2) a witness's plea for mercy is not relevant to any aspect of a defendant's character or record or to the circumstances of a capital defendant's offense; (3) although not relevant, a capital-sentencing court may, at its discretion, admit the testimony of close family members pleading for mercy if they are also testifying about relevant facts to avoid allowing the jury to infer that the witness does not wish the jury to have mercy on the defendant; and (4) a trial court's discretion in admitting mercy plea testimony from close family members should be limited by concerns for cumulativeness. See 122 N.J. at 479-80, 585 A. 2d 864. Although we may not agree with the trial court's decision to prohibit defendant's two siblings from asking the jury to have mercy on him, that decision was well within the bounds of the court's discretion. Thus, we find no error in the trial court's ruling.