Opinion ID: 1959682
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Directed Verdict Life Imprisonment

Text: Johnson alleges that the trial court erred in overruling his motions for a directed verdict of life imprisonment because the mitigating evidence outweighed the aggravating evidence as a matter of law, and thus, the evidence as a whole did not warrant imposition of the three death sentences. The standard of review is the same as previously discussed in point III. During the penalty phase, Johnson presented evidence of many different mitigating circumstances. None, however, was so strong that a reasonable juror could have concluded that the evidence in mitigation outweighed the aggravating evidence. Johnson provided the jury with evidence of a very poor home lifehe was abandoned by his mother when he was young, he was physically and sexually abused, and he was exposed to drugs and alcohol at an early age. Mitigating evidence of enduring an extremely difficult childhood is an insufficient basis to find that the imposition of the death penalty is unwarranted. State v. Brooks, 960 S.W.2d 479, 503 (Mo. banc 1997). Johnson's psychologist also testified that he allegedly suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome, yet the psychologist acknowledged that the characteristics he observed in Johnson were not conclusively fetal alcohol syndrome and could be indicative of other conditions. Additionally, Johnson presented evidence that he was suffering from acute withdrawal from a cocaine binge at the time he committed the murders. Evidence of substance abuse can be seen as an aggravating circumstance rather than a mitigating circumstance by some jurors. See Taylor v. State, 126 S.W.3d 755, 763 (Mo. banc 2004). Further, there was evidence indicating that it was not an impulsive crime, but instead involved planning and forethought. Johnson had planned to hold up a convenience store for at least a month before he did so and committed the murders. He borrowed and test-fired the pistol that he used in the robbery. He also wore layers of clothing, which he could discard after the murders to prevent his identification. Dr. Smith testified that Johnson's motivation for committing the crime was to get money to buy more cocaine. But the jury heard testimony that just hours after the crime, Johnson took a cab to the mall and used some of the money from the robbery to buy a diamond cluster ring for his girlfriend as a Valentine's Day present that he had been contemplating buying before the murders. Johnson argues that even if the jury did not find him to be mentally retarded, he did have a diminished intellectual capacity, which affected his ability to function in society. Despite his assertion, this Court has, upheld death sentences when a defendant has provided evidence of a low I.Q. State v. Richardson, 923 S.W.2d 301, 325 (Mo. banc 1996); State v. Leisure, 749 S.W.2d 366, 382 (Mo. banc 1988); State v. Gilmore, 681 S.W.2d 934, 940 (Mo. banc 1984); State v. Shaw, 636 S.W.2d 667, 672-73 (Mo. banc 1982). Regardless of Johnson's contention that the jury was in Correct as a matter of law when it did not find that the evidence in mitigation outweighed the evidence in aggravation because of his background, impaired functioning, below average intelligence, and the influence he was under at the time of the murder, his argument is unsupported by the record. When examining the evidence in the light most favorable to the judgment, there was sufficient evidence from which a reasonable juror could have found that the mitigating evidence did not outweigh the aggravating evidence. As a result, deference should be given to the jury, and the trial court was not in error when it overruled Johnson's motions for directed verdict.