Opinion ID: 1158148
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: capital sentencing proceeding issues

Text: Defendant argues there was insufficient evidence to submit to the jury the aggravating circumstance that he committed the murder during the course of a first-degree burglary because there was insufficient evidence to show the breaking and entering occurred at nighttime. All evidence presented during the guilt-innocence proceeding of defendant's trial was competent evidence for the jury to consider in making its sentencing determination. See N.C.G.S. § 15A-2000(a)(3) (2005). Because we have already determined there was sufficient evidence for the jury to return a verdict of guilty of first-degree burglary and the evidence tends to show Ms. McCrimmon was murdered contemporaneously with the burglary, there was sufficient evidence to submit this aggravating circumstance to the jury. We therefore overrule defendant's assignment of error. Defendant contends the trial court committed plain error by instructing the jury to answer Issue Three of the Issues and Recommendation as to Punishment Form in the affirmative even if the jury found the weight of the five mitigating circumstances equaled the weight of the two aggravating circumstances. Specifically, the trial court instructed the jury as to Issue Three: If you unanimously find beyond a reasonable doubt that the mitigating circumstances found are insufficient to outweigh the aggravating circumstance or circumstances found, you would answer [I]ssue Three yes. We have recently considered at length whether such an instruction amounts to plain error and have held that it does not. See State v. Duke, 360 N.C. 110, 138-40, 623 S.E.2d 11, 29-31 (2005). We decline to overrule our recent jurisprudence on this matter and, therefore, overrule defendant's assignment of error. Defendant argues the trial court erred in instructing the jury concerning the especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel aggravating circumstance because the trial court denied defendant's request to have the modifier especially repeated in the instruction before both atrocious and cruel. Defendant contends the trial court's instruction, which followed the pattern jury instructions, was unconstitutionally vague and overbroad. We have held numerous times the pattern jury instruction on the especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel aggravating circumstance found in 1 N.C.P.I.-Crim. 150.10, is not unconstitutionally vague or overbroad. See, e.g., Duke, 360 N.C. at 136-37, 623 S.E.2d at 28-29; State v. Syriani, 333 N.C. 350, 388-92, 428 S.E.2d 118, 139-42, cert. denied, 510 U.S. 948, 114 S.Ct. 392, 126 L.Ed.2d 341 (1993). Defendant's arguments have not persuaded us to depart from our previous holdings on this matter. We therefore overrule defendant's assignments of error.