Opinion ID: 867378
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Jury Admonition

Text: ¶ 80 Tucker argues that the trial judge did not follow the proper procedural safeguards when he failed to determine on the record whether an alternate juror had followed the admonition before the penalty phase deliberations and to instruct the jury to begin deliberations anew. Tucker did not object at trial and, therefore, we review for fundamental error. Henderson, 210 Ariz. at 567 ¶ 19, 115 P.3d at 607. ¶ 81 Juror 15 was designated an alternate juror at the close of the aggravation phase. When the jury retired to deliberate during the aggravation phase, the alternate jurors were told that they would not participate, but that they should continue to follow the admonition until they were discharged. Before the penalty phase began, the judge excused a sick juror and instructed the returning alternate jurors to continue to observe the admonition. At the close of the penalty phase, Juror 15 was selected to deliberate. ¶ 82 The trial judge complied with Arizona Rule of Criminal Procedure 18.5(i) when he instructed Juror 15 to follow the admonition before excusing Juror 15 for the aggravation phase deliberations and renewed the admonition when Juror 15 rejoined the panel for the penalty phase. Indeed, Rule 18.5(i) requires the trial judge to instruct an alternate juror not selected for deliberation in either the aggravation or penalty phase to observe the admonition until discharged. The rule does not, however, prescribe any additional procedure that must be followed when an alternate juror is substituted between the aggravation and penalty phases. ¶ 83 The trial judge was not required to instruct the jury to begin deliberations anew because such an instruction is required only where a substitution is made after deliberations have begun. Ariz. R.Crim. P. 18.5(i); see Roseberry, 210 Ariz. at 372-73 ¶ 71, 111 P.3d at 414-15 (concluding that judge's failure to instruct jury to begin deliberations anew was not error because the juror was substituted before penalty phase deliberations).