Opinion ID: 1059722
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: passion, prejudice, and proportionality review

Text: Pursuant to Code § 17.1-313(C)(1), we must determine whether the death sentence in this case was imposed under the influence of passion, prejudice, or other arbitrary factors. Upon careful review of the record, we find no evidence that any such factor was present or influenced either the jury's or the trial court's sentencing decision. The defendant's only contention with regard to this issue is that the sentence of death was imposed under the influence of prejudice because the trial court did not instruct the jury on lesser included offenses. We have already addressed that question. Code § 17.1-313(C)(2) requires us to determine whether the sentence of death in this case is excessive or disproportionate to the penalty imposed in similar cases, considering both the crime and the defendant. Pursuant to Code § 17.1-313(E), we have accumulated the records of all capital murder cases reviewed by this Court. The records include not only those capital murder cases in which the death penalty was imposed, but also those cases in which the trial court or jury imposed a life sentence and the defendant petitioned this Court for an appeal. Whitley v. Commonwealth, 223 Va. 66, 82, 286 S.E.2d 162, 171, cert. denied, 459 U.S. 882, 103 S.Ct. 181, 74 L.Ed.2d 148 (1982). In complying with the statutory directive to compare this case with similar cases, we have specifically focused on cases in which an employee was murdered at a business establishment during the commission of robbery and the death penalty was imposed solely on the future dangerousness predicate. [14] See, e.g. Peterson v. Commonwealth, 225 Va. 289, 302 S.E.2d 520, cert. denied, 464 U.S. 865, 104 S.Ct. 202, 78 L.Ed.2d 176, reh'g denied, 464 U.S. 1004, 104 S.Ct. 515, 78 L.Ed.2d 702 (1983) (accountant murdered during armed robbery of store; defendant had prior convictions for armed robbery, two of which occurred within three weeks of the capital murder); Townes v. Commonwealth, 234 Va. 307, 362 S.E.2d 650 (1987), cert. denied, 485 U.S. 971, 108 S.Ct. 1249, 99 L.Ed.2d 447 (1988) (female employee murdered during robbery of store; defendant had 22 prior convictions for forgery and uttering, 4 convictions for robbery, and convictions for maiming, felony escape, and use of a firearm); Mackall, 236 Va. 240, 372 S.E.2d 759 (gas station cashier killed during armed robbery; defendant's criminal history included larcenies, burglaries, threats of violence to correctional officers, and possession of deadly weapon while incarcerated); Dubois v. Commonwealth, 246 Va. 260, 435 S.E.2d 636 (1993), cert. denied, 511 U.S. 1012, 114 S.Ct. 1389, 128 L.Ed.2d 63 (1994) (store employee murdered during armed robbery; defendant previously convicted of grand larceny, assault, and possession of firearm as a convicted felon); Chichester, 248 Va. 311, 448 S.E.2d 638 (employee killed during armed robbery of restaurant; defendant previously convicted of carrying concealed weapon; and nine days before capital murder offense, defendant robbed another restaurant); Joseph v. Commonwealth, 249 Va. 78, 452 S.E.2d 862, cert. denied, 516 U.S. 876, 116 S.Ct. 204, 133 L.Ed.2d 137 (1995) (employee murdered during armed robbery of restaurant; defendant had assaulted police officer, had been in possession of loaded revolver and crack cocaine, and had participated in abduction of two store clerks during armed robbery). We have also reviewed cases in which the defendant received a life sentence, rather than the death penalty, for capital murder during the commission of robbery. See, e.g. Johnson v. Commonwealth, 221 Va. 736, 273 S.E.2d 784, cert. denied, 454 U.S. 920, 102 S.Ct. 422, 70 L.Ed.2d 231 (1981); Bowling v. Commonwealth, 12 Va.App. 166, 403 S.E.2d 375 (1991); Wilkins v. Commonwealth, appeal denied, No. 840142 (Va. Oct. 10, 1984); Freeman v. Commonwealth, appeal denied, No. 830290 (Va. Jan. 25, 1984). The purpose of our comparative review is to reach a reasoned judgment regarding what cases justify the imposition of the death penalty. We cannot insure complete symmetry among all death penalty cases, but our review does enable us to identify and invalidate a death sentence that is excessive or disproportionate to the penalty imposed in similar cases. Code § 17.1-313(C)(2); see Tennessee v. Bland, 958 S.W.2d 651, 665 (Tenn.1997), cert. denied, 523 U.S. 1083, 118 S.Ct. 1536, 140 L.Ed.2d 686 (1998) (The court's function in performing comparative review is not to search for proof that a defendant's death sentence is perfectly symmetrical, but to identify and invalidate the aberrant death sentence.). The defendant has not argued that the sentence of death in his case is disproportionate, and based on our review of this case and similar cases, we conclude that the defendant's sentence of death is not excessive or disproportionate to sentences generally imposed in this Commonwealth for capital murders comparable to the defendant's murder of Burnett. For these reasons, we find no error either in the judgments of the circuit court or in the imposition of the death penalty. Therefore, we will affirm the judgments of the circuit court. Record No. 990363Affirmed. Record No. 990364Affirmed.