Opinion ID: 2156968
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: other arguments a. alleged intracase disproportionality

Text: Defendant argues that his sentence is disproportionate in part because Alonzo Bryant, the alleged more culpable co-defendant, received a life sentence for the murder of Michael Eck. Ten of the jurors who deliberated in defendant's case concluded that defendant would not have committed the offense but for Bryant. That may or may not suggest that defendant's jury concluded that Bryant was more culpable than defendant. Even if the jury thought that Bryant was more culpable than defendant, however, Bryant's life sentence is not probative evidence of disproportionality. The jury in Bryant's case could not agree on whether Bryant committed the murder by his own conduct, despite the trial court's belief that Bryant inflicted some of Eck's stab wounds. The jury's finding made Bryant ineligible for the death penalty. Irrespective of Bryant's role as the primary planner of the robbery-murder, Bryant's death-ineligibility has little bearing on defendant's deathworthiness. Cf. DiFrisco III, supra, 142 N.J. at 170, 662 A. 2d 442 (Simply because the co-defendant hirer might have gotten away does not mean that the defendant hit-man in custody should not be prosecuted and punished.).