Opinion ID: 629067
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Utter Disregard Factor

Text: 17 In Beam I, we determined that one of the three statutory aggravating factors found to be present in Beam's case--that the defendant exhibited utter disregard for human life--was unconstitutionally vague. See Beam I, 966 F.2d at 1574-75. We relied principally upon Creech v. Arave, 947 F.2d 873 (9th Cir.1991). Last term, the Supreme Court reversed Creech and held that the utter disregard factor as construed by the Idaho Supreme Court was not unconstitutionally vague. See Creech, --- U.S. at ---- - ----, 113 S.Ct. at 1544-45. The Court then remanded this case for further consideration. See Beam, --- U.S. at ----, 113 S.Ct. at 1837. We are of course bound by the Supreme Court's holding in Creech that the utter disregard factor is not unconstitutionally vague. Thus, we proceed to an examination of another of the three aggravating factors.