Opinion ID: 1325644
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Parole Ineligibility.

Text: Mueller argues that the trial court violated his due process rights by refusing to instruct the jury that, pursuant to Code § 53.1-151(B1), he would not be eligible for parole if convicted of the rape of Charity Powers, since this would be his third rape conviction. He also asserts that he should have been allowed the opportunity to introduce evidence regarding parole ineligibility in mitigation of punishment at the penalty phase of the trial. We hold that the trial court did not err in its rulings here. This Court has held uniformly and repeatedly that information regarding parole eligibility is not relevant for the jury's consideration. King v. Commonwealth, 243 Va. 353, 367-68, 416 S.E.2d 669, 676-77 (1992); Eaton, 240 Va. at 248-49, 397 S.E.2d at 392-93; Watkins v. Commonwealth, 238 Va. 341, 351, 385 S.E.2d 50, 56 (1989), cert. denied, 494 U.S. 1074, 110 S.Ct. 1797, 108 L.Ed.2d 798 (1990). Further, the United States Supreme Court has expressly left the determination of this question to the individual states, as a matter of state law. California v. Ramos, 463 U.S. 992, 1013-14, 103 S.Ct. 3446, 3459-60, 77 L.Ed.2d 1171 (1983); Eaton, 240 Va. at 249, 397 S.E.2d at 392-93. We perceive no reason in the case before us to depart from our prior rulings on this subject. We find no merit in Mueller's contention that, notwithstanding the prior rulings of this Court, he should have been permitted to present evidence of parole ineligibility because two of the Commonwealth's witnesses referred to his prior parole history in their testimony during the penalty phase of the trial. In Pope, 234 Va. at 126-27, 360 S.E.2d at 360, this Court held that evidence of a defendant's prior parole history is admissible during the penalty phase of a capital murder trial, where the Commonwealth is seeking the death penalty based on the future dangerousness predicate. This Court explained that, under Code § 19.2-264.4, the jury is required, prior to imposing the death penalty based on a finding of future dangerousness, to consider the defendant's prior history. The fact that a defendant has had the benefit of parole supervision is part of this prior history. See id. Thus, this Court has drawn a clear distinction between the admissibility of a defendant's parole history and evidence of his future parole eligibility.