Opinion ID: 1280915
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: mr langston

Text: Mr. Langston initially stated that he would always vote for the death penalty. However, once the nature of a bifurcated trial was explained to him, Mr. Langston said he could listen with an open mind to all of the evidence. He specifically stated that he could vote for any of the three sentencing options, even where there was an aggravating circumstance. Mr. Langston did subsequently state his belief that murder deserved the death penalty. However, such a personal belief would not disqualify Mr. Langston, unless it would prevent or substantially impair him from performing his duties as a juror in accordance with his instructions and his oath. Greene v. State, 268 Ga. 47, 485 S.E.2d 741 (1997). The trial court was authorized to believe Mr. Langston when he testified that he would listen to all of the evidence and that he could vote for any of the three possible sentencing options. Because Mr. Langston expressed qualifying beliefs which the trial court accepted, the refusal to strike him for cause must be upheld on appeal. Compare Pope v. State, supra.