Opinion ID: 1489705
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Existence of an Aggravator

Text: As his second point, Wertz avers that the prosecution presented no evidence supporting the notion that Wertz knew the Wattses' infant son, Joshua, was in the house at the time of the murders. For that reason, he claims, the State did not prove the aggravator that he knowingly created a great risk of death to a person other than the victim. The State urges that Wertz's challenge is without merit. It contends that it presented substantial evidence in support of the aggravator at issue, which demonstrated that Wertz knowingly fired a shotgun into a house where he knew a baby resided. Whenever there is evidence of an aggravating or mitigating circumstance, however slight, the matter should be submitted to the jury for consideration. See Roberts v. State, 352 Ark. 489, 102 S.W.3d 482 (2003). Once the jury has found that an aggravating circumstance exists beyond a reasonable doubt, this court may affirm only if the State has presented substantial evidence in support of each element therein. See id. Substantial evidence is that which is forceful enough to compel reasonable minds to reach a conclusion one way or the other and permits the trier of fact to reach a conclusion without having to resort to speculation or conjecture. See id. To make this determination, we view the evidence in the light most favorable to the State to determine whether any rational trier of fact could have found the existence of the aggravating circumstance beyond a reasonable doubt. See id. During sentencing, the jury was instructed on two aggravating circumstances: (4) the person in the commission of the capital murder knowingly created a great risk of death to a person other than the victim; [and] (5) the capital murder was committed for the purpose of avoiding or preventing an arrest or effecting an escape from custody[.] Ark. Stat. Ann. § 41-1303 (Repl.1977 & Supp.1985). On appeal, Wertz argues that there was insufficient evidence to support a finding of the former. After viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the State, we hold that the jury could have determined beyond a reasonable doubt that Wertz knowingly created a great risk of death to the Wattses' child, Joshua. Ms. Bone testified that she found Joshua in the Wattses' home, near his father's lifeless body. Shotgun shells were found both in the living room area of the home, where Joshua was found, as well as in a bedroom in which was Joshua's crib. Prior to the murders occurring, Wertz told Snyder that children might be present and that those over eight would need to be eliminated as possible witnesses. In addition, David Huffmaster testified that, based on his review and his investigation and the investigatory file, Wertz was aware that the Wattses had an infant son. We hold that this evidence is substantial evidence that Wertz knowingly created a great risk of death to Joshua Watts, a person other than the victims. We, therefore, affirm on this point as well.