Opinion ID: 2301325
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 29

Heading: comparison of agreed-upon cases

Text: In certain respects, Alvin Adams was more culpable than defendant. Unlike defendant, Adams planned his burglary and knew in advance that the victim was an elderly female. Adams also had a record of prior violent offenses and was thirty-three years old at the time of the murder. On the other hand, Adams's victim suffered far less than Mrs. Place. Most notably, Adams did not sexually abuse his victim. Further, Adams was diagnosed as mentally retarded. I thus conclude that Adams's life sentence does not support defendant's claim of disproportionality. Jerry Britton was unexpectedly confronted by his victim during a burglary. A fight ensued, wherein Britton choked and punched the victim and then stabbed her sixteen times. Although the police found Britton's victim naked from the waist down, there is no direct evidence that Britton sexually abused her. Britton was addicted to heroin at the time of the murder. Other than the drug addiction, however, there was no evidence of brain damage, child abuse, or mental illness. Overall, Britton's life sentence does not support defendant's claim of disproportionality. There are substantial similarities between Alphonso Brunson and defendant. Both men endured child abuse and displayed signs of emotional and psychological disturbance. In addition, both men were in their early twenties when they committed their respective murders and had prior criminal records. On the one hand, Brunson is more culpable in that he never confessed to murdering the victim. On the other hand, Brunson murdered his victim in a far less brutal manner and there was no evidence of sexual abuse. In my view, Brunson's life sentence does not strongly support defendant's disproportionality claim. The degree of victimization in Jesus DeJesus's case is similar to that in defendant's case. Although DeJesus did not sexually abuse his victim, he stabbed her and set her apartment on fire before leaving with some of her jewelry. Like defendant, DeJesus had a prior criminal record, but DeJesus was considerably older than defendant. DeJesus had little mitigating evidence. He was drinking regularly around the time of the murder, but he denied having a drug problem. In addition, there was no evidence of child abuse, brain damage, or emotional disturbance. DeJesus's life sentence supports defendant's claim of disproportionality. Although Nathaniel Harvey could not have been surprised by his victim because he burglarized her bedroom at night, the murder he committed does not appear to have been premeditated because the sleeping victim arose and confronted him. Harvey killed his victim by striking her multiple times in the head with a blunt object; he then washed her body and changed the bloody sheets on her bed to avoid detection. The physician who performed the autopsy concluded that there was a brief interval between the first blow and death. Thus, Harvey's victim did not suffer a great deal. Moreover, Harvey did not sexually abuse his victim. Harvey was more culpable than defendant because he was significantly older and did not suffer from a mental disease or defect. Harvey also had an extensive prior criminal record that included convictions for rape and kidnapping. Unlike defendant, Harvey did not express remorse for the murder. Although there was no evidence that Harvey was abused as a child, he was emotionally scarred by a childhood episode in which he accidentally set his sister on fire while trying to light a stove. Harvey was given the death sentence on two occasions. Franklin Flowers Hudson's moral blameworthiness is similar to defendant's moral blameworthiness. Both individuals acted out of a pecuniary motive and were approximately the same age at the time of their respective crimes. Although Hudson did not have a history of mental disease, he was under the influence of cocaine and alcohol when he attacked his victim. With respect to degree of victimization, Hudson stabbed his victim and struck him over the head with a baseball bat. Hudson also tied up and gagged another individual during the robbery, but there was no evidence that he injured her. As for character, Hudson cooperated with authorities by admitting to everything except stealing the homeowner's jewelry. By comparison, defendant continues to contend that Mrs. Place's death was an accident. Hudson and defendant both have criminal records. In short, Hudson and defendant are roughly equally culpable. Thus, Hudson's life sentence supports defendant's claim of disproportionality. Timothy Paul Lee had no history of mental disease, but was addicted to heroin when he committed his murder. In contrast to defendant, the degree of victimization was low in Lee's case. The victim died from a single stab wound to the chest. Like defendant, Lee had a prior criminal record. Due primarily to the degree of victimization, Lee's sentence does not support defendant's claim of disproportionality. The degree of victimization in Gerald Williams's case was lower than in defendant's because Williams's victim presumably died instantaneously upon impact after he was thrown from a window. Williams was also drinking on the night of the murder, and so the AOC coded the c(5)(d) (mental disease, defect, or intoxication) factor as being present. On the other hand, Williams never confessed to the murder, was in his mid-thirties at the time of the offense, and had no history of child abuse or mental illness. In addition, Williams allowed the victim's eight-year old daughter to watch as he killed the victim. Due to the lower level of victimization, however, I find that Williams's life sentence does not support defendant's claim of disproportionality. Thomas Wolfe and defendant have comparable levels of moral blameworthiness. Wolfe and defendant both murdered elderly females for pecuniary gain. Wolfe did not have a history of child abuse or brain damage, although he was classified as emotionally disturbed as a child and was placed in special education classes. Wolfe also had an extensive history of drug abuse and was under the influence of alcohol and cocaine at the time of the murder. However, Wolfe's crime involved a somewhat lesser degree of victimization. Although Wolfe slashed his victim's throat several times in addition to inflicting multiple puncture wounds in her back, he did not sexually abuse his elderly victim. Approximately the same age as defendant, Wolfe exhibited a more positive character than defendant. He engaged in a number of good Samaritan-type acts prior to his crime which, taken in connection with the absence of a prior criminal record, exhibits an increased potential for rehabilitation. In conclusion, defendant is more culpable than Wolfe. Therefore, Wolfe's life sentence does not lend credence to defendant's claim of disproportionality.