Opinion ID: 867212
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Gabriel's murder

Text: ¶ 29 Dr. Parks testified that there were a total of eleven lacerations on Gabriel's head, and that no more than eleven blows would have caused those lacerations. Dr. Parks was not able to determine the order of the blows or which particular one caused Gabriel's death, but opined that two separate wounds to Gabriel's head would alone most likely [have been] fatal. One of those blows to the forehead exposed Gabriel's brain and caused a portion of brain tissue to separate from the rest of his brain and exit Gabriel's skull. Another fatal skull fracture near Gabriel's right ear protruded inward, causing a deep depression in Gabriel's head. ¶ 30 On cross examination, Dr. Parks acknowledged that he could not say that the injuries [Gabriel] sustained were more . . . than were necessary to have caused his death. But later, when asked whether he thought either the gaping hole to Gabriel's forehead or the caved in portion of his head could by itself have caused Gabriel's death, Dr. Parks responded affirmatively. We therefore conclude that the State proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Wallace inflicted more injury than necessary to kill Gabriel.
¶ 31 When asked by police whether he knew Gabriel was dead during the attack, Wallace said, I just knew I had to kill him, I couldn't stand there and watch him go. When asked whether Gabriel was moving, Wallace said, He might, he, body reflexes, he probably flinched or something, I smashed his skull in. As noted earlier, he also stated, I never killed anybody before. . . . I tried to kill his sister and she wouldn't die. I broke a f  ing bat on her head and she was still moaning. I don't know what people are like when they're dead. ¶ 32 Dr. Parks testified that, if the two most severe blows to Gabriel's head were delivered in rapid succession, there would be no time for the person to register the effect of Blow A versus Blow B. He further acknowledged that the potentially fatal blows could have been the final two impacts to Gabriel's skull. Dr. Parks agreed that Gabriel might have still been conscious as his head was struck and might have exhibited some bodily movement to make one think the person was still alive. In that regard, Dr. Parks acknowledged that Wallace's statement that Gabriel might have been flinching during the blows was medically consistent with his observations. When asked about the blood found in Gabriel's lungs, Dr. Parks stated that this indicated Gabriel's breathing following at least some of the injuries. ¶ 33 Whether Bocharski 's knowledge requirement has been established with respect to Gabriel's murder is difficult to determine. In contrast to his recollection of Anna's murder, Wallace was less certain about whether Gabriel was flinching during the attacks, which suggests that he was not motivated by Gabriel's movements to continue attacking him. Given the heavy tool and force used to pummel Gabriel's head, the number of blows inflicted, and the nature and severity of the injuries Gabriel suffered, it is certainly arguable that Wallace should have known that striking the head of a 102-pound twelve-year-old with an 18-inch pipe wrench nine or fewer times, rather than ten or eleven times, would have been sufficient to kill. See Wallace III, 219 Ariz. at 7 ¶ 34, 191 P.3d at 170 ([T]he nature of the attack [on Gabriel] and its results support an inference that Wallace either knew or should have known he had struck enough blows to kill yet continued his attack.). ¶ 34 But Wallace stated that he used the pipe wrench on Gabriel because he had such difficulty killing Anna and wanted Gabriel to die more quickly than her. As in Bocharski, the injuries occurred in quick succession, and all the blows were delivered with the means used to inflict death, facts that tend to cut against a finding of gratuitous violence. In addition, as Dr. Parks acknowledged, the most obviously fatal and gruesome wound that caused Gabriel's skull to split open could have been the final blow. Creating further doubt, Dr. Parks also acknowledged that in 2005 he could not say for certain whether more injury than necessary to kill was inflicted on Gabriel. ¶ 35 Although the issue is very close, on our independent review of this record, we cannot find beyond a reasonable doubt that Wallace continued to inflict violence [on Gabriel] after he knew or should have known that a fatal action had occurred.  Bocharski, 218 Ariz. at 494 ¶ 87, 189 P.3d at 421. Because the State did not meet its burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt Wallace's intent to inflict gratuitous violence on Gabriel, the (F)(6) aggravating circumstance was not established.