Opinion ID: 859212
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Murder of Timothy

Text: ¶82 Witnesses described Boyston coming out of Mary’s apartment fighting with Timothy, then pulling out a knife and stabbing him several times. Two witnesses testified that they heard Timothy yelling for help. ¶83 Dr. Shvarts testified that Timothy received nine stab wounds and several abrasions in various parts of the body, each of which would have caused pain. Three stab wounds to Timothy’s chin and neck were non-fatal, as were two to the upper back. Four stab wounds were to the chest, one of which was fatal. The fatal wound was almost 3.5 inches deep and penetrated the pericardium and the heart. Dr. Shvarts testified that the wound likely would have been fatal within a few seconds to minutes, but could possibly have taken up to twenty minutes to cause Timothy’s death, depending on how quickly he lost blood. Dr. 8 Boyston’s argument that the state must present evidence that the defendant actually knew the victims would suffer pain misstates the law, as the state must prove merely that the defendant “knew or should have known that the victim would suffer.” McCray, 218 Ariz. at 259 ¶¶ 31, 33, 183 P.2d at 510 (emphasis added). 39 Shvarts could not opine how long it would have taken Timothy to become unconscious. But Timothy’s hands were covered with blood, which, as Dr. Shvarts testified, indicated he likely used his hands to try to stop the bleeding. ¶84 From the evidence, the jury could reasonably conclude that Timothy suffered physical pain while being stabbed to death and that Boyston knew or should have known of that. Timothy “had ample opportunity not only to feel pain, but also to contemplate his impending death.” State v. Kuhs, 223 Ariz. 376, 388 ¶ 62, 224 P.3d 192, 204 (2010). Indeed, Timothy’s cries for help and his attempts to stop his own bleeding show that he was not only experiencing physical pain, but also mental anguish. See id. (concluding that the jury did not abuse its discretion in finding especial cruelty when the victim was stabbed twentyone times and died by bleeding to death while choking on his blood). Thus, the jury did not abuse its discretion in finding the (F)(6) aggravator established for Timothy’s murder.