Opinion ID: 1907203
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Scope of the Statistical Universe of Comparison Cases

Text: We have observed that [t]he first step in any proportionality undertaking is to establish the `universe' of cases that the Court will consider. Marshall II, supra, 130 N.J. at 131, 613 A. 2d 1059. In Marshall II, we examined three possible statistical universes from which to draw comparison cases: a universe consisting of only those cases in which a death sentence was imposed, a universe consisting of all penalty-trial cases, and a universe consisting of all penalty-trial cases plus clearly death-eligible homicides in which the prosecutor elected not to seek the death penalty. Id. at 131-37, 613 A. 2d 1059. After careful evaluation, we selected the third option as best serving the purposes to be achieved by proportionality review. Id. at 137, 613 A. 2d 1059. We rejected a universe consisting of only death-sentenced cases as inadequate, id. at 133, 613 A. 2d 1059, and offered in support of our determination this simple example: On the assumption that 100 robbery-felony-murder cases are prosecuted as capital crimes, all defendants are convicted and one defendant is sentenced to death, a comparison of the death-sentenced defendant's punishment with a punishment imposed only on other death-sentenced defendants would exclude from the proportionality-review process the ninety-nine robbery-felony-murder defendants that juries did not sentence to death. Indisputably, the determination whether that single death sentence is disproportionate can be made only by comparing it with the life sentences imposed on the ninety-nine defendants convicted of the same crime.