Opinion ID: 2543852
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 13

Heading: Statement to Prior Victim

Text: Ault also objects to the trial court's finding on the proposed nonstatutory mitigating circumstance based on his statement to a prior victim. In its sentencing order, the trial court evaluated the proposed factor by first recounting that the witness had testified regarding her being the victim of an attempted sexual battery by Ault on December 31, 1995. The witness stated that after she stopped Ault from attacking, Ault told her to call the police and that he further stated that what he did was wrong. The trial court found these statements significant in that they represented a spark of humanity. The court noted that some would argue that the statements represented an acknowledgement by Ault of his sexual problems, a reaching out for help. The court found that, while this may have been true, the murders were the result of Ault's knowing, intentional, and morbidly logical analysis of his predicament, and not the compulsion of pedophilia. The court explained, however, that the spark of humanity must be recognized, and noted that it gave some weight to Ault's statements in determining the appropriate sentence. Ault argues that this ruling was deficient, contending, first, that the trial court erred in rejecting as mitigation that Ault was reaching out for help with his pedophilia and, second, that the court should have given the issue more weight. We reject Ault's challenges to the trial court's finding. The trial court set out the evidence, determined that the circumstance was both proved by the evidence and mitigating, and assigned weight. This approach complies with the requirements set out by this Court. See Coday, 946 So.2d at 1003. Further, there is no indication that the trial judge abused his discretion. See Canakaris v. Canakaris, 382 So.2d 1197, 1203 (Fla.1980) (defining abuse of discretion as judicial action that is arbitrary, fanciful, or unreasonable). Ault objects only to the trial court's determination that this factor was not mitigating as it related to pedophilia. However, pedophilia was proposed as a separate mitigating circumstance, which we discuss above as a separate issue. As to the trial court's determination that Ault's statements represented a spark of humanity and deserved some weight as mitigation, we find no error.