Opinion ID: 1879070
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Whether the Eighth Amendment allows the underlying felony to also be used as an aggravating factor.

Text: ¶ 14. Artis Austin was convicted of capital felony murder under Miss.Code Ann. § 97-3-19(2)(e) with an underlying felony of robbery. During the sentencing phase, the trial court directed the jury to consider, as an aggravating factor in sentencing, that the killing was committed during the commission of a robbery. Austin argues that the use of the underlying felony of robbery as an aggravating factor amounted to a double counting of the underlying crime in violation of Austin's Eighth Amendment rights. Further, Austin asks the Court to hold that Miss.Code Ann. § 99-19-101(5)(d) [1] (2000) is unconstitutional when a defendant such as Austin has been convicted of felony murder as defined in Miss.Code Ann. § 97-3-19 [2] (2000). Austin asks the Court to redress the alleged errors by granting him a new sentencing hearing. ¶ 15. This argument is not properly before the Court in view of the fact that the jury did not return a sentence of death against Austin. Where the jury is given an instruction that allegedly invites the death sentence, yet the instruction does not result in causing the jury to render such a verdict, the verdict will not be disturbed. Gilliam v. State, 186 Miss. 884, 192 So. 440 (1939). Since Austin did not ultimately receive the death penalty, he has suffered no prejudice arising from the instruction. This Court will not consider alleged errors or issues which have no practical effect in a case. Nicholson ex rel. Gollott v. State, 672 So.2d 744, 751 (Miss.1996).