Opinion ID: 1919348
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Statutory Aggravating Factors and Prior Bad Acts

Text: ś 40. Hodges also argues that the admission of these prior bad acts were prohibited, since they were not relevant to any of the statutory aggravating factors enumerated in Miss.Code Ann. § 99-19-101(5). Hodges alleges that the State is only allowed to offer evidence that is relevant to the statutory aggravating circumstances. However, Miss.Code Ann. § 99-19-101(1) provides that at the sentencing hearing evidence may be presented as to any matter that the court deems relevant to sentence, and shall include matters relating to any of the aggravating or mitigating circumstances. This Court has stated that the statute does not limit the evidence that can be presented at the sentencing phase to evidence relevant to the aggravating circumstances. West v. State, 820 So.2d 668, 670 (Miss.2001). As discussed above, these prior bad acts were introduced when the defense opened the door to Hodges' character. Since § 99-19-101(1) allows any evidence that the court deems relevant to sentence and because these acts were relevant to rebut the direct testimony of Hodges' character, this assignment of error is without merit. This Court has also held that [t]he State is allowed to rebut mitigating evidence through cross-examination, introduction of rebuttal evidence or by argument. Wiley v. State, 750 So.2d 1193, 1202 (Miss.1999) (quoting Turner v. State, 732 So.2d at 950). As stated previously, these prior bad acts were admissible as proper rebuttal evidence. Therefore, this issue is without merit.