Opinion ID: 609824
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Propriety of the evidence at sentencing

Text: 93 Section 848 establishes a procedure for the introduction of evidence at the sentencing phase. Before trial, the government must provide the defendant with a list setting forth each aggravating factor that the government will attempt to prove as a basis for the imposition of the death penalty. 21 U.S.C. § 848(h)(1)(B). At the sentencing hearing, the government may present information relevant to any of the aggravating factors set forth in the Section 848(h)(1)(B) list as long as the probative value of the information is not substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, confusion of the issues, or misleading the jury. 21 U.S.C. § 848(j). 94 Prior to trial, the government provided a list to Chandler of the three aggravating factors on which it would rely in seeking the death penalty. The three factors were: (1) Chandler did intentionally kill or intentionally engage in conduct intending the killing of Marlin Shuler, Section 848(n)(1); (2) Chandler procured the murder of Shuler by promise of payment of money, (n)(6); and (3) Chandler committed the murder after substantial planning and premeditation, (n)(8). 95 At the guilt phase, the government introduced evidence that Chandler had made threats against McFry and Burrows because he thought they were stealing his marijuana and that the two had not been seen since the threats were made. Prior to the sentencing hearing, Chandler submitted proposed jury instructions. Proposed Instruction 14 stated that it would be inappropriate for the jury to speculate on what may have happened to McFry and Burrows or what connection Chandler may have had with them. Proposed Instruction 15 stated that the jury may consider evidence relating only to Marlin Shuler and to Count Three of the indictment. Prior to the hearing, the district court, the prosecution, and Chandler's attorney discussed these proposed charges. The district court indicated that it thought that the charges unduly limited the evidence that the jury could consider because most of the evidence presented at the guilt phase was relevant to either Chandler's intent or to the planning or scheming of Shuler's murder. Then, in response to a question from the prosecution, the court opined that any evidence concerning the disappearance of either McFry or Burrows was relevant to planning, if nothing else. Later, the court advised that although he would not give Chandler's proposed instructions, he thought they were fair arguments for Chandler's counsel to make in closing. 96 At the hearing, the district court received, upon the government's submission, all of the testimony, evidence, and exhibits presented at the guilt phase that were relevant to the murder of Shuler or to the presence of aggravating or mitigating factors. Chandler's counsel, in his closing argument to the jury, requested that it should not speculate about any connection between Chandler and the disappearances of McFry and Burrows. The prosecution replied in rebuttal that the threats made against McFry and Burrows demonstrated planning in the protection of Chandler's marijuana operation. Following closing arguments, the court instructed the jury that it could consider any evidence relevant to the Shuler murder and to the existence of aggravating and mitigating factors. The court identified the specific factors that the government was attempting to prove and admonished the jury to consider no other aggravating factor. 97 On appeal, Chandler argues that the introduction of all the evidence from the guilt stage of the proceedings coupled with the argument made in closing by the government relating to McFry and Burrows constituted an attempt by the government to use the apparent murders of McFry and Burrows as aggravating factors. Since these putative murders were not included in the list provided under Section 848(h)(1)(B), Chandler insists that the sentence of death should be vacated. 98 The evidence relating to McFry and Burrows was properly admitted during sentencing because it related to the aggravating factors the prosecution was responsible for proving. Section 848(j) allows the presentation of any information relevant to aggravating circumstances provided the probative value is not substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, confusion of the issues or misleading the jury. Although the Federal Rules of Evidence do not govern the admissibility of evidence during a Section 848(e) sentencing hearing it is helpful to refer to the definition of relevant evidence from the Federal Rules, to wit: evidence having any tendency to make the existence of a material fact more probable or less probable than it would be without the evidence. Fed.R.Evid. 401. 99 The evidence concerning McFry and Burrows has a tendency to prove Chandler's intent to kill Shuler and his substantial planning in the murder. The fact that Chandler threatened to eliminate two individuals who he believed were stealing his marijuana tends to prove that Chandler was willing to harm someone who threatened his marijuana enterprise. Since Shuler threatened Chandler's operation by informing on Donna Shuler, Chandler's prior threats and the disappearances have a tendency to prove that Chandler would also respond to Shuler's actions to protect his operation. This has a tendency to prove that Chandler intended to harm Shuler. 100 The evidence also demonstrates that Chandler planned the protection of his marijuana operation. Public statements indicating that Burrows is dead and McFry will be next, reveal Chandler's conscious actions over time to protect his operation. That Chandler planned the protection of his operation against those who threatened it has some tendency to prove that Chandler would plan a reprisal against Shuler for informing. 101 We conclude that the probative value of this evidence is not substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, confusion of the issues or misleading the jury. The evidence concerning McFry and Burrows was properly admitted at the guilt phase of trial, 2 so the jury had previously considered the evidence. The district court instructed the jury that it could only weigh the evidence as it related to the three aggravating factors and that only those three factors could serve as the basis for imposition of a death sentence. Therefore, the evidence was not erroneously admitted during the sentencing hearing.