Opinion ID: 2382857
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 29

Heading: State v. Erazo

Text: Although Erazo's conviction was overturned on errors in the guilt phase (a jury instruction shifted the burden of proof to defendant to prove passion/provocation, and the jury instruction did not comply with Gerald ), error in the penalty phase makes Erazo's death sentence especially untrustworthy. The Court found that the record was devoid of any evidence to support the submission of the c(4)(c) aggravating factor to the jury because there was no evidence that Erazo had intended to inflict pain beyond above the act of killing on his victim. State v. Erazo, 126 N.J. 112, 137-38, 594 A. 2d 232 (1991). The State was prohibited from alleging that factor on retrial. The unwarranted inclusion of the c(4)(c) aggravating factor almost certainly affected the jury's deliberations on the deathworthiness of defendant.