Opinion ID: 3066031
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Arizona Supreme Court Decision

Text: The Arizona Supreme Court affirmed Poyson’s conviction and sentence on direct appeal. See State v. Poyson, 7 P.3d 79 (Ariz. 2000). As required by Arizona law, the court “independently review[ed] the trial court’s findings of aggravation and mitigation and the propriety of the death sentence.” Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13-703.01(A) (2000). The court agreed with the trial court that Poyson’s drug use was not a statutory mitigating circumstance under § 13703(G)(1). See Poyson, 7 P.3d at 88–89. In the court’s view, there was “scant evidence that he was actually intoxicated on the day of the murders.” Id. at 88. “Although Poyson purportedly used both marijuana and PCP ‘on an as available basis’ in days preceding these crimes, the only substance he apparently used on the date in question was marijuana,” and Poyson “reported smoking the marijuana at least six hours before killing Delahunt and eleven hours before the murders POYSON V . RYAN 17 of Kagen and Wear.” Id. The evidence that Poyson experienced a PCP flashback during the murder of Delahunt was not credible, and even if the flashback occurred, it lasted only a “few moments.” Id. at 88–89. Poyson was “not under the influence of PCP at any other time.” Id. at 89. Poyson’s claims of substantial impairment were also belied by his deliberate actions, including concocting a ruse to obtain bullets from a neighbor, testing the rifle to make sure it would work properly when needed, cutting the telephone line and concealing the crimes. See id. Substance Abuse: The court also agreed with the trial court that Poyson’s substance abuse, mental health and abusive childhood were not nonstatutory mitigating circumstances. As to substance abuse, the court agreed with the trial court that Poyson had failed at step one because the evidence did not show a history of drug or alcohol abuse: The trial judge refused to accord any weight to the defendant’s substance abuse as a nonstatutory mitigating circumstance. It characterized the defendant’s claims that he had used drugs or alcohol in the past or was under the influence of drugs on the day of the murders as little more than “vague allegations.” As discussed above, we agree. Id. at 90. Mental Health Issues: With respect to mental health issues, the court agreed with the trial court that Poyson’s personality disorders, although proven at step one, were entitled to no weight at step two because they were not causally connected to the murders: 18 POYSON V . RYAN The trial court found that Poyson suffers from “certain personality disorders” but did not assign any weight to this factor. Dr. Celia Drake diagnosed the defendant with antisocial personality disorder, which she attributed to the “chaotic environment in which he was raised.” She found that there was, among other things, no “appropriate model for moral reasoning within the family setting” to which the defendant could look for guidance. However, we find no indication in the record that “the disorder controlled [his] conduct or impaired his mental capacity to such a degree that leniency is required.” State v. Brewer, 170 Ariz. 486, 505, 826 P.2d 783, 802 (1992); see also [State v. Medina, 193 Ariz. 504, 517, 975 P.2d 94, 107 (1999)] (holding that the defendant’s personality disorder “ha[d] little or no mitigating value” where the defendant’s desire to emulate his friends, not his mental disorder, was the cause of his criminal behavior). We therefore accord this factor no mitigating weight. Id. at 90–91. Troubled Childhood: The court also agreed with the trial court’s assessment of Poyson’s troubled childhood. The court found that Poyson established an abusive childhood at step one, but gave this consideration no weight at step two because of the absence of a causal nexus: Defendant presented some evidence that as a youngster he was physically and mentally POYSON V . RYAN 19 abused by several stepfathers and his maternal grandmother. He also self-reported one instance of sexual assault by a neighbor. Again, however, defendant did not show that his traumatic childhood somehow rendered him unable to control his conduct. Thus, the evidence is without mitigating value. Id. at 91. The court found three aggravating factors (pecuniary gain, murder committed in an especially cruel manner and multiple homicides), one statutory mitigating factor (Poyson’s age) and three nonstatutory mitigating factors (cooperation with law enforcement, potential for rehabilitation and family support). See id. at 90–91.6 The court concluded that the mitigating evidence was not sufficiently substantial to call for leniency and affirmed the sentence of death. See id. at 91–92; Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13-703.1(B) (2000).