Opinion ID: 1624316
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 26

Heading: Defense Penalty Instructions

Text: Wheeler argues that the penalty phase instructions denied him due process and a reliable capital sentencing. He claims 13 errors in support of his contention. Before the beginning of the penalty phase, both the prosecution and the defense tendered proposed jury instructions to the trial judge and a hearing was held. The tendered penalty phase instructions of Wheeler were not in conformity with the accepted standards of penalty phase instructions and were correctly refused by the trial judge. The claims of Wheeler have been previously rejected in other death penalty cases by this Court. Foley v. Commonwealth, Ky., 953 S.W.2d 924 (1997); Mills, supra . There is no statutory requirement for a trial judge to instruct that findings on mitigating circumstances do not have to be unanimous nor is there a burden of proof requirement. See Bowling. The jury was instructed to consider nonstatutory mitigating factors but there is no requirement that the jury be instructed on specific nonstatutory mitigating circumstances. See Sanders v. Commonwealth, Ky., 801 S.W.2d 665 (1990). There is no requirement that the trial judge must give an instruction that the jury must conduct a balancing test between the aggravating and mitigating factors. See Hodge, supra. There is also no statutory authority for separate instructions to the jury that if it did not find any of the mitigating circumstances to exist the jury still had the option of sentencing to something less than death. The instructions in this case specifically permitted the jury to consider the entire range of penalties. There was no constitutional defect pursuant to either the federal or state constitutions.