Opinion ID: 1220368
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Whether the sentence of death is excessive or disproportionate to the penalty imposed in similar cases, considering both the crime and the defendant.

Text: Finally, we have conducted our proportionality review as required by I.C. § 19-2827. To complete this process, we have reviewed the sentence imposed and the sentences imposed in similar cases in an effort to assure that the sentence in this case was not excessively disproportionate. [14] In making such a comparison, we have generally considered (1) the nature of and the motive for the crime committed; (2) the heinous nature of the crime; and (3) the nature and character of the defendant to determine whether the sentence was proportionate and just. After thoroughly examining the record and evaluating these factors, we find nothing that would indicate that the sentence of death imposed against Lankford was disproportionate or unjust. In this case, Lankford was found guilty of a savage murder against two innocent campers who were selected because they owned a van which the defendant intended to steal. Lankford came into their camp wielding a shotgun which must have ultimately led to Mr. Bravence's (who was a captain in the United States Marine Corps) subservient compliance with Lankford's brother's order to kneel on the ground where he was bludgeoned to death. Jurors could reasonably have inferred that Mr. Bravence complied with the demand to kneel on the ground because of the defendant's menacing display of the shotgun. After Mr. Bravence was mortally wounded, Mrs. Bravence returned from the creek. She was ordered onto the ground and unmercifully killed by a blow to the head without a word of protest from Lankford. Although Lankford testified that he did not intend that the Bravences die, Lankford not only participated in the murders, but he did nothing to prevent his brother from bludgeoning Mrs. Bravence after he had witnessed the savage consequences of the nightstick attack on Mr. Bravence. The attack was brutal and one that could only have been intended to kill the victims because of the severity of the blows. The district court judge was entirely justified in finding from these facts that Lankford was a major participant in the killings and that he intended that the Bravences die. The character and nature of Lankford leads to the conclusion that he was an extremely dangerous person. The fact that the murders were committed while Lankford was in violation of parole on a robbery charge in Texas, and was fleeing from the authorities, indicated to the sentencing court that he has little respect for the law or for fellow human beings, and the record substantiates this finding. Our review of similar recent cases demonstrates that Lankford's acts can be easily aligned with other Idaho cases in which the death penalty was imposed. In State v. Gibson, 106 Idaho 54, 675 P.2d 33 (1983), and State v. Paradis, 106 Idaho 117, 676 P.2d 81 (1983), the nature of the crime and the character of the defendants were similar to this case. The murders in those cases were not only brutal, but the defendants had, like Lankford, prior criminal records. In State v. Sivak, 105 Idaho 900, 674 P.2d 396 (1983), defendant viciously murdered his female victim who was a former co-worker. Sivak, like Lankford, had a prior criminal record. In these and other recent cases the aggravating circumstances surrounding the commission of the crime far outweighed any mitigating circumstances. In State v. Aragon, 107 Idaho 358, 690 P.2d 293 (1984), we stated: We acknowledge the trial court's superior ability to observe witnesses and their demeanor during the sentencing phase of a trial, and especially the unique ability of the trial judge to observe the character and demeanor of the defendant, a tool essential to the ultimate goal of tailoring a sentence to a particular defendant. With that unique ability of the trial court in mind, we have determined that the sentence imposed in the present case is not out of proportion to the sentence heretofore imposed. 107 Idaho at 369, 690 P.2d at 304. We find that the trial court exercised this unique ability, understood the record in detail, and acted in accordance with Idaho statutory procedure to sentence the defendant to death. The judgment of conviction and the sentence imposed are affirmed. SHEPARD, C.J., and DONALDSON and HUNTLEY, JJ., concur.