Opinion ID: 1587246
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Goforth's prior criminal convictions.

Text: KRS 532.025(1)(a) provides, inter alia: In such hearing, the judge shall hear additional evidence in extenuation, mitigation, and aggravation of punishment, including the record of any prior criminal convictions and pleas of guilty or pleas of nolo contendere of the defendant, or the absence of any prior conviction and pleas; provided, however, that only such evidence in aggravation as the state has made known to the defendant prior to his trial shall be admissible. KRS 532.025(1)(b), which provides for capital sentencing by a jury, incorporates this provision by reference. During the penalty phase of this trial, the prosecutor introduced evidence of two prior criminal convictions of Goforth: (1) a conviction of trafficking in a controlled substance in the third degree, and (2) a conviction of three counts of criminal facilitation of robbery in the first degree. Goforth's appellate counsel asserts entitlement to a new penalty phase because there is no proof in the record that the Commonwealth gave Goforth's trial counsel pretrial notice of an intent to introduce these two prior convictions. However, there is also no proof that the Commonwealth did not give such notice. In fact, prior to the commencement of the penalty phase, Goforth's trial counsel inquired as to the procedure the prosecutor intended to use to introduce Goforth's prior convictions. After the prosecutor recited verbatim what he intended to tell the jury, Goforth's counsel stated he had no objection. At no time did he complain that he had not been given pretrial notice of the Commonwealth's intent to introduce those convictions.