Opinion ID: 1353139
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 24

Heading: Morgan claim

Text: Appellant also claims that he was not afforded the opportunity to adequately question jurors about their attitude towards the death penalty in light of the aggravators presented by the Commonwealth. The trial court did ask the prospective jurors whether they could consider the full range of penalties for Appellant where evidence would be presented of three aggravating factors, in addition to evidence of mitigating circumstances. Appellant requested the court to ask the jurors a slightly different question regarding their attitude towards the death penalty: that is, if they would automatically impose the death sentence if the three aggravators were proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The trial court denied defense counsel's request, determining that the proposed question impermissibly asked a prospective juror to commit to a verdict before hearing the evidence. The trial court also noted that it felt that the proposed question was essentially a re-wording of questions already being posed. Appellant claims that the trial court's ruling denied him due process of law because he was not able to intelligently exercise his preemptory challenges and challenges for cause in striking prospective jurors. Appellant's reliance on Morgan v. Illinois is misplaced. [104] In Morgan , it was determined that the defendant should have been permitted to inquire whether a prospective juror would automatically impose the death penalty upon conviction; i.e., if the prospective juror would recommend death regardless of any evidence in mitigation, so long as the defendant was proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The question actually posed by the trial court in Morgan that is, whether a prospective juror would follow the instructions on the lawwas insufficient to satisfy the due process right to make meaningful inquiry into jurors' biases and views towards the death penalty. [105] Morgan concerns itself with the defendant's right to make inquiry; it does not set forth an affirmative right to ask certain specific questions of prospective jurors, as Appellant asserts. Where a defendant is seeking to determine prospective jurors' attitudes towards the death penalty, it would be a game of semantics, not law, to conclude that the failure to phrase a question in a specific way is fatal where other questions are equally illuminating. [106] Here, Appellant's proposed question seeks to determine whether a prospective juror is so biased in favor of the death penalty, that he or she would automatically impose it upon a finding of aggravating circumstances. Essentially, Appellant was seeking to determine whether a prospective juror would consider evidence in mitigation, even where aggravating factors existed. We conclude that the permitted voir dire was sufficient and thorough enough to elicit the information sought by Appellant. After reciting the aggravating circumstances in the case, defense counsel asked the voir dire panel if those facts that you will find make you believe that maybe there's already an opinion in your mind or in your head about what needs to be done? Defense counsel was permitted to ask each juror whether he or she could consider all ranges of penalties. The trial court also engaged in questioning concerning jurors' attitudes towards the death penalty, specifically asking jurors whether they would consider all range of penalties in light of the evidence and whether they had already formed an opinion based on the preliminary facts presented (which included a synopsis of the circumstances of the crime and the aggravators to be applied in the case). The extent of and scope of direct questioning during voir dire examination is a matter within the sound discretion of the trial court. [107] The trial court determined that the information sought by Appellant was already being elicited by other questions, and the record supports this conclusion. We find no abuse of discretion.