Opinion ID: 2081667
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: In March 2001, a gunman shot and killed Darnell Evans and five-year-old Damon Gist Jr. on West Fourth Street in Wilmington. After arriving at the scene, Wilmington police interviewed witnesses to the shooting. Although the witnesses provided a physical description of the shooter, none could identify him by name. Several weeks later, a newly discovered witness, Alfred Gaines, indicated to police that he observed the shootings. Gaines identified Starling as the gunman who shot Evans and Gist. Acting on this information, Wilmington police interviewed Starling's brother, Michael. In an April 2001 recorded statement, Michael claimed that Starling admitted that he messed up and was sorry about the kid. Police also interviewed Starling's girlfriend, Vickie Miller, who denied that Starling admitted anything to her or that she saw Starling on the night of the shootings. Shortly thereafter, Wilmington police arrested Starling. Trial proceedings began in Superior Court in October 2003. During jury selection, the trial judge asked prospective jurors whether they were predisposed to a particular sentence  either life imprisonment or death  without regard for any aggravating or mitigating factors that may exist. The trial judge excused some members of the venire who stated they would automatically recommend a life sentence. The State, through several peremptory challenges, also sought to exclude three female venire members. Starling objected to these challenges, claiming they were motivated by gender discrimination. Citing the State's gender-neutral explanations, the trial judge overruled Starling's objections. At trial, Gaines recounted the incidents surrounding the shooting and identified Starling as the shooter. Gaines also testified that, on the night of the shooting, Starling admitted to Michael, Miller, and Gaines that he shot a child. Although Michael's recorded statement corroborated Gaines's testimony, Michael later denied that Starling made any admissions. To lay a foundation for admitting Michael's recorded statement, the State called Wilmington Police Detective Patrick Conner. In response to questioning about whether he was present during Michael's statement, Detective Conner revealed that he had interviewed Starling. Starling objected, claiming that Conner's testimony compromised Starling's Fifth Amendment right to silence because it created a negative inference concerning his decision to exercise that right. In response, the trial judge instructed the jury to disregard the reference to Starling's statement. Following trial, the jury found Starling guilty on two counts of first-degree Murder, two counts of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, and one count of first-degree Conspiracy. [1] Following the verdict, Starling moved for a new trial on two grounds. First, Starling renewed his contention that Conner's statement violated Starling's right to remain silent. Second, Starling argued that the State was required to but did not disclose the Wilmington Police interview of Vickie Miller, which was exculpatory because it could have impeached Gaines's testimony. In an April 2004 opinion, the trial judge denied Starling's motion. [2] On the first issue, the trial judge found that Conner's statement did not reveal any aspect of the dialogue between the police and Starling or provide the basis for reasonable implication that Starling had invoked his right to remain silent. [3] Rather, according to the trial judge, the statement indicated only that the police interviewed Starling. On the second issue, the trial judge found that Miller's statement was not exculpatory, and, therefore, need not have been disclosed because Miller never actually contradicted Gaines's account of the shooting. [4] Starling's trial then moved to the penalty phase. The parties agreed that the jury would consider three statutory aggravating factors: (1) the defendant was previously convicted of a felony involving the use or threat of force or violence on another person; (2) the defendant's course of conduct resulted in the deaths of two or more persons and the deaths were the probable consequence of the defendant's conduct; and (3) the victim was a child fourteen years of age or younger, and the murder was committed by an individual who was at least four years older than the victim. [5] The parties presented evidence over a three-day period, during which the State called three witnesses to give victim-impact statements. After hearing the evidence, the sentencing judge instructed the jury, stating that although the jury's role was vital and their recommendation was an important factor in sentencing, their recommendation ultimately did not bind him. Next, the trial judge instructed the jury on the statutory aggravating factors, stating that a unanimous finding of at least one statutory aggravating factor beyond a reasonable doubt made Starling eligible for the death penalty. Finally, the trial judge listed the stipulated aggravating and mitigating factors, instructing the jurors to weigh the aggravating and mitigating factors when deciding between life imprisonment and death. Following deliberations, the jury unanimously found that the evidence supported all three statutory aggravating factors and recommended the death penalty. In a June 2004 sentencing decision, the trial judge, after considering the aggravating and mitigating circumstances, found that the jury's recommendation was supported by the record and not irrational. [6] Citing our decision in Garden v. State, [7] the trial judge stated that he was directed to give this [jury] recommendation great weight and that the jury's recommendation is most appropriate under the circumstances. [8] Lastly, weighing all of the evidence provided and considering the jury's recommendation, the trial judge found, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the aggravating circumstances outweighed the mitigating circumstances. Accordingly, the trial judge sentenced Starling to death. This is Starling's appeal.