Opinion ID: 2541567
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Point Seven: Proportionality Review

Text: Tisius invokes this Court's independent duty to review his death sentence under section 565.035. Tisius believes this Court should reduce his sentence to life imprisonment without parole based upon the substantial evidence in mitigation, the nature of his crimes, and similar cases in which death was not imposed. This Court is obliged to conduct an independent review of all death penalty cases for proportionality pursuant to section 565.035. Section 565.035.3 requires this Court to determine: (1) Whether the sentence of death was imposed under the influence of passion, prejudice, or any other arbitrary factor; and (2) Whether the evidence supports the jury's or judge's finding of a statutory aggravating circumstance as enumerated in subsection 2 of section 565.032 and any other circumstance found; (3) Whether the sentence of death is excessive or disproportionate to the penalty imposed in similar cases, considering both the crime, the strength of the evidence and the defendant.