Opinion ID: 1060393
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 40

Heading: failure to inform the jury about the previous life sentence

Text: Appellants contend that the trial court erred when it failed to instruct the jury that Appellants had received life sentences for their convictions in the Branam murder case. We disagree. Appellants concede that under current law, the trial court properly refused to instruct the jury about the sentences in the Branam murder case. Indeed, the Tennessee Supreme Court has specifically held that it is improper to inform a jury in a capital case that the defendant received a life sentence for a previous first degree murder conviction. State v. Smith, 857 S.W.2d 1, 24-25 (Tenn.1993). This Court has neither the authority nor the desire to overrule the supreme court on this issue. This issue has no merit.