Opinion ID: 1059460
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: issues waived or defaulted

Text: Schmitt raises on appeal the following issues that are procedurally defaulted from consideration in this Court: 1. Schmitt did not ask the trial court to strike prospective juror James J. Goodin for cause based on Goodin's statements concerning the death penalty. Therefore, Schmitt has waived his objection to the seating of this juror. Rule 5:25. 1 2. Schmitt did not object in the trial court to the exclusion of prospective jurors Linda Miles and Leo Gibbs based on their statements expressing objections to the death penalty. Schmitt also did not argue in the trial court that by excluding 1 Schmitt asserts that his later motion objecting to the seating of the entire panel was sufficient to preserve this issue. That motion, however, merely referenced all the reasons stated in our objections to particular jurors, and Schmitt had stated during the voir dire of Goodin that he had no objection to Goodin serving as a juror. Thus, Schmitt's motion was insufficient to preserve for appeal any objection to Goodin serving on the jury. 8 Miles, Gibbs, and others, the court adopted a pattern of seating pro-death penalty jurors. Because Schmitt failed to make these objections in the trial court, he has waived these issues on appeal. Rule 5:25. 3. Schmitt did not argue in the trial court that the capital murder charge should be struck on the ground that the charge encouraged the jury to impose harsher sentences for the non-capital offenses. Since Schmitt failed to raise this argument in the trial court, he has waived the issue on appeal. Rule 5:25. 4. Schmitt filed a pre-trial motion to bar admission during the penalty phase of the trial of evidence of his unadjudicated conduct. Prior to the trial, the court reserved ruling on the motion. During the penalty phase proceedings, Schmitt did not object to the testimony of several witnesses concerning Schmitt's unadjudicated conduct. Because Schmitt failed to object contemporaneously to the admission of this evidence, Schmitt has waived this objection on appeal. Rule 5:25. 5. Schmitt argues that the trial court erred in allowing the jury to consider the issue of future dangerousness. In the trial court, Schmitt argued that the future dangerousness aggravator is unconstitutionally vague and violates the Sixth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments. However, on brief, he refers 9 solely to his motion presented to the trial court with regard to this issue. Schmitt's references to arguments that he made in the trial court are insufficient and amount to procedural default of this issue. Burns, 261 Va. at 319, 541 S.E.2d at 881; Hedrick v. Commonwealth, 257 Va. 328, 336, 513 S.E.2d 634, 638, cert. denied, 528 U.S. 952 (1999); Swisher v. Commonwealth, 256 Va. 471, 478, 506 S.E.2d 763, 767 (1998), cert. denied, 528 U.S. 812 (1999). 6. At the conclusion of his brief, Schmitt sets forth an additional argument relating to all assignments of error that the alleged errors violated his constitutional rights. However, Schmitt failed to specify in what manner his rights were violated with respect to each assignment of error. Consequently, this argument is waived, and we will not consider it on appeal. See Burns, 261 Va. at 318, 541 S.E.2d at 880; Kasi v. Commonwealth, 256 Va. 407, 413, 508 S.E.2d 57, 60 (1998), cert. denied, 527 U.S. 1038 (1999) (citing Jenkins v. Commonwealth, 244 Va. 445, 451, 423 S.E.2d 360, 364 (1992), cert. denied, 507 U.S. 1036 (1993)).