Opinion ID: 1595336
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Denial of Ross' Proposed Sentencing Instructions.

Text: ¶ 107. Ross maintains that the trial court erred in refusing his second proposed sentencing instruction, which set out elements of the crime that the State had to prove, a list of the aggravating circumstances the State would attempt to show, and a list of twenty-four non-statutory mitigators, presented as illustrations of the type of information that the jury could consider mitigating circumstances. The crux of Ross' contention is that the refusal of this instruction impermissibly restricted the mitigation evidence the jury could consider. ¶ 108. Specific instructions on non-statutory mitigating circumstances need not be given, so long as a catch-all instruction is included that instructs the jury that they may consider any factors that they may deem mitigating in their deliberations. See, e.g., Manning v. State, 735 So.2d 323, 352 (Miss.1999). This Court has also held that catch-all instructions do not limit the jury's consideration of mitigating factors. Simmons v. State, 805 So.2d 452, 499 (Miss.2001). Under the list of statutory mitigating circumstances in the first sentencing instruction, the trial court instructed the jury that they may consider: Any other matter, any other aspect of the defendant's character or record, and any other circumstance of the offense brought to you during the trial of this cause which you, the jury, deem to be mitigating on behalf of the defendant. The instruction properly informs the jury about what may be considered as mitigation evidence. Therefore, the trial court's refusal of Ross' proposed instruction does not constitute error.
¶ 109. Ross argues that the trial court erred in refusing his third sentencing instruction, which stated that the fact of his conviction of capital murder was not itself an aggravator that could be considered for the purpose of punishment. However, when a jury has been instructed to consider only an enumerated list of statutory aggravating factors, there is no need for a separate instruction to this effect. See, e.g., Walker v. State, 913 So.2d 198, 248 (Miss.2005); Edwards v. State, 737 So.2d 275, 317 (Miss.1999). There was no error in refusing Ross' third proposed sentencing instruction.
¶ 110. Ross contends that the trial court erred in refusing his fourth proposed sentencing instruction, which instructed jurors to consider as a mitigating circumstance the possibility of residual doubt about Ross' guilt. Both the United States Supreme Court and this Court have held that a capital defendant is not entitled to an instruction on residual doubt. Holland v. State, 705 So.2d 307, 325-27 (Miss.1997); Franklin v. Lynaugh, 487 U.S. 164, 174, 108 S.Ct. 2320, 101 L.Ed.2d 155 (1988). The trial court did not err in refusing this proposed instruction.
¶ 111. Ross maintains that the trial court erred in granting the State's first sentencing instruction and denying his twelfth proposed sentencing instruction. Ross' proposed instruction emphasized that while jurors could not consider mere sympathy in their culpability determination, they could, and presumably should, consider mercy or sympathy in their sentencing determination as a mitigating circumstance. The contested part of the State's instruction explained the process of balancing aggravating and mitigating circumstances to the jury: You must consider and weigh any aggravating and mitigating circumstances, as set forth later in this instruction, but you are cautioned not to be swayed by mere sentiment, conjecture, sympathy, passion, prejudice, public opinion, or public feeling. ¶ 112. This Court has held the above-quoted language, considered in the context of a long sentencing instruction, does not prevent the consideration of sympathy. See Flowers v. State, 842 So.2d 531, 563 (Miss.2003); Evans v. State, 725 So.2d 613, 690-91 (Miss.1997)(expressly approving of such language in the context of a long instruction). Consequently, the trial court did not err in granting the State's first sentencing instruction. Similarly, there was no error in refusing Ross' proposed instruction specifically citing mercy or sympathy as a mitigator. This Court has repeatedly held that a capital defendant is not entitled to a sympathy instruction, because, like a mercy instruction, it could result in a verdict based on whim and caprice. See, e.g., Howell v. State, 860 So.2d 704, 759 (Miss.2003).
¶ 113. Finally, Ross argues that the trial court erred in denying his thirteenth instruction, which would have allowed jurors to rely on a sense of mercy to sentence Ross to life imprisonment, despite the fact that aggravators existed and were not balanced by any mitigating factors. Such an instruction is both a mercy instruction and an instruction that jurors are not bound to weigh aggravating and mitigating circumstances contemplated in the State's first sentencing instruction. This Court does not recognize a right to a mercy instruction. Howell, 860 So.2d at 759. Similarly, this Court has repeatedly refused to accept instructions that would nullify the balancing of aggravating and mitigating factors, since such instructions might induce verdicts based on whim and caprice. Manning v. State, 726 So.2d 1152, 1197 (Miss.1998). The trial court did not err in refusing Ross' proposed instruction. ¶ 114. Because Ross has shown no error by the trial court in its rulings on jury instructions, this assignment of error is without merit.