Opinion ID: 1945465
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 12

Heading: Sufficiency of Evidence and Proportionality

Text: Finally, although Troy does not challenge the sufficiency of the evidence or the proportionality of his death sentence, this Court must still consider those issues. See, e.g., Rimmer v. State, 825 So.2d 304, 331 (Fla.2002) (Although appellant does not argue the proportionality of the death sentence in this case, this Court must nevertheless conduct a proportionality review.). We have outlined in detail the evidence presented at trial, and upon review, we find that evidence sufficient to sustain Troy's guilt of first-degree murder. We also conclude that Troy's sentence of death is not disproportionate. Proportionality review is not a comparison between the number of aggravating and mitigating circumstances; rather, it is a `thoughtful, deliberate proportionality review to consider the totality of the circumstances in a case, and to compare it with other capital cases.' Beasley v. State, 774 So.2d 649, 673 (Fla.2000) (quoting Porter v. State, 564 So.2d 1060, 1064 (Fla. 1990)). The jury in this action recommended the death penalty by a vote of eleven to one. The trial court found four aggravating factors: (1) HAC (great weight), see § 921.141(5)(h), Fla. Stat. (2001); (2) Troy was previously convicted of another felony involving the use or threat of violence to the person (considerable weight), see § 921.141(5)(b), Fla. Stat. (2001); (3) Troy committed the capital felony while under a sentence of imprisonment or community control (considerable weight), see § 921.141(5)(a) Fla. Stat. (2001); and (4) Troy committed the murder while engaged in the commission of or an attempt to commit, or flight after committing or attempting to commit robbery and sexual battery (considerable weight), see § 921.141(5)(d), Fla. Stat. (2001). In mitigation, the trial judge found that two statutory mitigating circumstances had been established: (1) The capital felony was committed while Troy was under the influence of extreme mental or emotional disturbance (moderate weight), see § 921.141(6)(b), Fla. Stat. (2001); and (2) Troy's capacity to appreciate the criminality of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the requirements of law was substantially impaired (considerable weight), see § 921.141(6)(f), Fla. Stat. (2001). The trial judge considered the following nonstatutory mitigating factors: (1) Troy's dysfunctional family background (little weight); (2) Troy has many positive characteristics (little weight); (3) Troy was sexually molested as a teenager, testified in court, and was stigmatized in a small town (little weight); (4) Troy has a life-long history of severe substance abuse (little weight); (5) Troy has a life-long history of mental and emotional problems (little weight); (6) Troy adjusted well to the structured environment of prison, developed into an outstanding inmate, and behaved well in Sarasota County Jail and in the courtroom during the pendency of this case (little weight); (7) Troy cooperated with the police, fully confessed his guilt at the first opportunity, and offered to plead guilty on all charges (little weight); (8) Troy will remain incarcerated throughout the remainder of his life (little weight); (9) shortly before the offense, Troy had been released from incarceration after serving ten years, and experienced a difficult adjustment period (little weight); (10) Troy has three children, whom he cares for (little weight); (11) when arrested for crimes in the past, Troy has cooperated with the police and confessed his guilt (little weight); (12) Troy is intelligent and he has obtained his GED (little weight); (13) Troy was previously confined longer than he should have been due to an illegal sentence (no weight); (14) Troy has shown some legal skills as demonstrated by his successful litigation of his illegal sentence (little weight); (15) Troy could assist corrections officers and other inmates if sentenced to life imprisonment (little weight); and (16) Troy has repeatedly expressed remorse for his conduct (little weight). The trial court found no evidence to support the following two nonstatutory mitigators: (1) Troy did not plan to commit the murder in advance, and that the murder was the result of a combination of circumstances unlikely to reoccur; and (2) as a youth, Troy huffed gasoline to the point of unconsciousness, and the lead in the gasoline may have affected his brain. Upon review, we conclude that the circumstances of this case are similar to other cases in which this Court has upheld the death penalty. See Butler, 842 So.2d at 833 (holding the death sentence proportional for the first-degree murder conviction where only the HAC aggravator was found); Singleton v. State, 783 So.2d 970, 979 (Fla.2001) (holding the death sentence proportional for the first-degree murder conviction where the aggravators included prior violent felony conviction and HAC); Johnston, 863 So.2d at 278 (holding death sentence proportional for first-degree murder conviction where the court found two aggravating factors, one statutory mitigator, and twenty-six nonstatutory mitigators). Comparing the circumstances in this action to the cases cited above and other capital cases, we conclude that death is proportionate in this action.