Opinion ID: 1836662
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Whether the Submission of the Great Risk of Death to Many Persons Violated Flowers's Rights Secured by the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Text: ¶ 91. Flowers first contends that the use of this aggravator violated his rights under the Eighth Amendment. As the State points out, this issue was addressed in Flowers I where we held: Finally, we note that one of the aggravators that the jury found was that Flowers created a great risk of death to many people. This Court has allowed evidence of other crimes against other victims during sentencing where this aggravator has been sought by the State and the proof supported it. See McGilberry v. State, 741 So.2d 894, 925 (Miss. 1999) (robbery case where four murders were committed and where the aggravator of creating a great risk of death to many people was given and the proof supported). We note however, that the District Attorney in McGilberry tried all four murders together. The Court has also considered this same aggravator and rejected it because of the lack of proof to support the giving of such an aggravator, because the Court stated there is no evidence that Porter knowingly created a great risk of death to anyone, other than Brown, his intended victim. Porter v. State, 732 So.2d 899, 905-06 (Miss.1999) (citing Jackson v. State, 684 So.2d 1213, 1235 (Miss.1996)). Thus, evidence regarding the other killings would have been relevant in the case at bar during sentencing, whereas during the guilt phase, although some of the evidence is probably admissible, the overwhelming prejudicial evidence regarding the killing of the other three victims was for the most part irrelevant and inadmissible. The admission of this irrelevant, inadmissible testimony and exhibits was substantially prejudicial to Flowers. Therefore, we must reverse and remand for a new trial on guilt and if necessary, sentencing. On remand, if a sentencing hearing becomes necessary, and if the prosecution alleges as one of the aggravators that Flowers created a risk to many people, then evidence regarding the other three killings would be relevant at sentencing. Flowers I, 773 So.2d at 325. ¶ 92. Miss.Code Ann. § 99-19-101(5)(c) provides that a defendant must have knowingly created a great risk of death to many persons. In upholding the aggravator, we have said that to restrict its use to those crimes where a very large number of individuals were at risk or to where the safety of those, other than an intended few, is jeopardized would be to limit the statute beyond its intended scope. Snow v. State, 800 So.2d 472, 493 (Miss.2001). See Jackson v. State, 672 So.2d 468, 490 (Miss.1996) (finding the aggravator warranted where a defendant stabbed four children and one adult to death, and inflicted life-threatening stab wounds on two other children); McGilberry v. State, 741 So.2d 894 (Miss. 1999) (evidence in capital murder prosecution supported jury's finding of aggravating circumstance of creating a great risk of death to many persons, committing capital offense for pecuniary gain during the course of a robbery). The risk must be to someone other than the intended victim. Porter v. State, 732 So.2d 899 (Miss.1999) (evidentiary basis insufficient where a defendant, hired to kill the victim, hid outside the doorway of the victim's home and shot him when he came to the door, fleeing afterwards despite the fact that there were other persons in the house). ¶ 93. Based on case law and statutes of this state, the submission of this aggravator did not violate Flowers's Eighth Amendment rights. Therefore, this Court finds this issue to be without merit.