Opinion ID: 1536017
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 21

Heading: Jury Instructions Regarding Mitigating Factors

Text: Defendant contends for the first time on appeal that his constitutional rights to a fair trial were violated when the trial judge instructed the jury that its decision to consider a mitigating factor should be unanimous, and that in order to spare defendant from a sentence of death the jury must find that the mitigating factors outweighed the aggravating factors. Because defendant did not object to the jury instruction during the penalty-phase trial, the issue is raised as plain error. Under that standard, defendant must demonstrate that the jury instruction was clearly erroneous, and that it caused the jury to reach a verdict it otherwise would not have reached. State v. Jordan, 147 N.J. 409, 422, 688 A. 2d 97 (1997); State v. Macon, 57 N.J. 325, 335, 273 A. 2d 1 (1971); R. 2:10-2. Defendant is unable to satisfy that standard. The objective of jury instructions is to assist the jurors in applying the law to the facts presented in order to reach a verdict. DiFrisco II, supra, 137 N.J. at 491, 645 A. 2d 734; State v. Martini, 131 N.J. 176, 271, 619 A. 2d 1208 (1993) ( Martini I ). When an appellate court reviews jury instructions, the court must examine the challenged language in the context of the entire charge. Cupp v. Naughten, 414 U.S. 141, 146-47, 94 S.Ct. 396, 400, 38 L.Ed. 2d 368 (1973); DiFrisco II, supra, 137 N.J. at 491, 645 A. 2d 734. In a capital case, a jury must be instructed that in order to impose the death penalty, it must be satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that the statutory aggravating factors outweigh all of the mitigating factors. N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3c(3)(a); State v. Biegenwald, 106 N.J. 13, 63-67, 524 A. 2d 130 (1987). Aggravating factors must be found unanimously by the jury. State v. Bey, 112 N.J. 123, 159, 548 A. 2d 887 (1988) ( Bey II) ; State v. Zola, 112 N.J. 384, 433, 548 A. 2d 1022 (1988), cert. denied, 489 U.S. 1022, 109 S.Ct. 1146, 103 L.Ed. 2d 205 (1989). On the other hand, mitigating factors can be found non-unanimously. Bey II, supra, 112 N.J. at 159-61, 548 A. 2d 887. As long as one juror finds any mitigating factor exists that is not outweighed beyond a reasonable doubt by the aggravating factors, the jury may not impose a sentence of death. Id. at 161, 548 A. 2d 887. In this case, defendant challenges the following statement made by the trial court: You are asked here to indicate below one, and only one, choice which is the decision of the jury. You have three choices. First choice is, the jury is unanimously satisfied that any aggravating factor or factors proven to exist fail to outweigh the mitigating factor or factors. So that if all 12 of you conclude that there are one or more mitigating factors and that those mitigating factors in the judgment of each of you equal or outweigh the aggravating factors, that's the other way of saying it, then you unanimously agree that death is not the appropriate sentence.