Opinion ID: 2338338
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Whether the Sentence was Arbitrary and Capricious

Text: The Superior Court carefully considered a number of aggravating and mitigating circumstances in reaching its determination, consistent with the jury's 10-2 recommendation, to impose the death penalty. The mitigating circumstances included the fact that Norcross expressed remorse, both at trial and in his discussions with others prior to his arrest. In addition, Norcross endured a difficult childhood, marked by physical, emotional and sexual abuse. He does not know who is father is and his mother was uncaring. Despite that adversity, friends and acquaintances described Norcross as friendly, polite and helpful. Finally, Norcross was gainfully employed as an adult. The aggravating circumstances are, as the trial court noted, overwhelming. What happened on November 4, 1996, is every family's worst nightmare. Warren and his wife were in their home, relaxing together after a long day of work, enjoying time with their happy, active young son. They did nothing to place themselves in jeopardy, like opening the door to a stranger. They had every reason to believe that they were safe. The fact that Warren was slaughtered in his own home in front of his wife and son is an aggravator of enormous importance. The ruthlessness of this crime is compounded by the fact that Norcross saw the Warren family through the patio doors before he broke in. So Norcross knew he would be confronting Warren. Norcross had a gun, and could have demanded valuables if that was what he wanted. But Warren was given no chance to comply with any demands. He was attacked immediately and brutally murdered. Norcross may have told people that he did not mean to hurt anyone, but his actions belie such self-serving comments. Norcross told the police that he gets a rush from breaking and entering, and with friends he joked and bragged about the killing. This was not a robbery gone bad. It was a vicious, unprovoked, random act of violence of the highest order. Finally, the devastating impact of this murder on Warren's family and friends adds another significant aggravating circumstance. In almost any murder, there are loved ones left to grieve and try to get on with their lives. But in this murder, because Warren was so close to his extended family, the number of victims and the extent of their suffering is noteworthy. Also, because of the way that Warren was murdered, his loved ones have been permanently robbed of their sense of safety and security. The Warren family will never fully recover from this tragedy. In sum, the Superior Court's decision to impose the death penalty was neither arbitrary nor capricious. The court found that the aggravating circumstances far outweighed the mitigating circumstances and that finding is amply supported by the record.