Opinion ID: 867281
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Enmund/Tison Finding in Aggravation Phase

Text: ¶ 40 In November 2005, the assigned judge granted Garcia's motion to have the Enmund/Tison inquiry resolved in the guilt phase. In February 2007, after the case had been reassigned, another judge reversed the prior ruling and ruled that the Enmund/Tison finding would be made in the aggravation phase. After the jury returned its guilty verdict, Garcia moved to bifurcate the aggravation phase so as to resolve the Enmund/Tison issue separately from the aggravation issue. The trial court also denied this motion. ¶ 41 Garcia argues that the trial court violated the law of the case doctrine by ruling that the jury would make the Enmund/Tison finding in the aggravation phase. Garcia also contends that even if the Enmund/Tison inquiry was properly conducted during the aggravation phase, the trial court still erred by denying his motion to bifurcate the death eligibility and aggravation issues. ¶ 42 We review a trial court's reconsideration of a prior judge's ruling for abuse of discretion. State v. King, 180 Ariz. 268, 279, 883 P.2d 1024, 1035 (1994). Although we have not previously adopted a standard of review for a trial court's denial of a motion to bifurcate an aggravation hearing, we conclude that this decision should also be reviewed for an abuse of discretion. Cf. Atwood, 171 Ariz. at 612, 832 P.2d at 629 (reviewing decision on motion to sever for abuse of discretion). ¶ 43 The second judge did not abuse his discretion by reconsidering the prior judge's decision. Arizona Rule of Criminal Procedure 16.1(d) provides that [e]xcept for good cause ... an issue previously determined by the court shall not be reconsidered. This rule and the law of the case doctrine are rules of procedure, not substance; thus, they do not limit a court's power to change a ruling simply because it ruled on the question at an earlier stage. King, 180 Ariz. at 279, 883 P.2d at 1035. Nor do the rules prevent a different judge, sitting on the same case, from reconsidering the first judge's prior, nonfinal rulings. Id. ¶ 44 More importantly, in reconsidering the earlier ruling, the second judge properly gave effect to Arizona law, which specifically requires the trier of fact to make Enmund/Tison findings in the aggravation phase. State v. Garza, 216 Ariz. 56, 67 ¶ 46, 163 P.3d 1006, 1017 (2007) (citing A.R.S. § 13-752(P) (Supp.2009)); Ellison, 213 at 134-35 n. 12 ¶ 72, 140 P.3d at 917-18 n. 12. ¶ 45 Nor did the trial court abuse its discretion in denying Garcia's motion to bifurcate the death eligibility and aggravation issues. Bifurcation may be appropriate in some cases. See, e.g., United States v. Fell, 531 F.3d 197, 239-40 (2d Cir.2008) (noting that while not required, a number of district courts had trifurcated capital proceedings to avoid unfair prejudice to defendants). Here, however, the trial court's refusal to bifurcate did not unfairly prejudice Garcia. Even if the jury had been asked to separately determine the Enmund/Tison issue before finding any aggravating factors, evidence of Garcia's involvement in the RNR Stix robbery would have been admissible in that first phase to establish his reckless indifference to human life. Thus, the jury would still have heard about the most damning of Garcia's prior convictions during a separate Enmund/Tison phase. ¶ 46 Finally, Garcia contends that resolution of the Enmund/Tison issue during an un-bifurcated aggravation phase violated his constitutional rights. We have previously held that making this determination in the aggravation phase does not violate the Sixth Amendment. Garza, 216 Ariz. at 67 ¶ 46, 163 P.3d at 1017. We also reject Garcia's arguments that the process used here resulted in the arbitrary imposition of a death sentence in violation of the Eighth Amendment or denied him due process in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment.