Opinion ID: 1756872
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: Point Eight: Aggravating Circumstances

Text: In the eighth point, Appellant argues the trial court erred in: A) overruling Appellant's objection to admitting and reading a victim impact statement from Sgt. McEntee's son as it was hearsay and invited the sentence to be based on passion and emotion; and B) submitting the aggravating circumstances jury instruction, MAI-CR3d 314.40, and refusing to submit Appellant's modified aggravating circumstances instruction as the jury was not instructed how to consider non-statutory aggravating factors.
Appellant argues the trial court erred in overruling Appellant's objection to admitting and reading a victim impact statement from Sgt. McEntee's son as it was hearsay and invited the sentence to be based on passion and emotion. Appellant also raised constitutional arguments related to aggravators and the Confrontation Clause. Sgt. McEntee's wife read a letter their then nine-year-old son wrote to his father. The son was twelve years old at the time of the trial and did not testify in the guilt or penalty phases. Appellant objected to the letter's admission as hearsay, and the State defended the exhibit as a victim impact statement from a twelve-year-old. The trial court judge overruled the objection and admitted the letter. On cross examination, Appellant did not ask Mrs. McEntee any questions about the letter. The son's letter is as follows: Day one. The next day. I was all shook up about what happened. I did not go outside until five o'clock. Day two. Coming out. I was still sad but I came out and went to my friend's house, Michael. I had a good time, but I miss him. Day three. Lay out. It was hard to get past. I was about to burst, but I didn't. I sat in a room for seven hours wondering why I still didn't know, nobody does know except the guy who did it. Day four. Funeral. It was sad day for me and everyone else. Then it was the end. Everyone said their goodbyes, and they left. Then I wondered why. Those are the four most saddest days of my life. I am still sad today, and I wonder why. It has been three to four months from then, and we are doing better. I am sad because he was the best coach ever and no one who could take my dad's spot, nobody. He was also my baseball coach, and I am sad about him not being there when I need him and I am lonely, when I kick a soccer ball. He was the greatest dad ever. He was ready for soccer season, and someone took his life away. I was so mad. I was in shock that night. I thought he would be okay, but I was wrong. He had passed away. Dad, if you hear me right now, I love you. The trial court has discretion to admit evidence deemed helpful to the jury in the penalty phase. State v. Clark, 197 S.W.3d 598, 600 (Mo. banc 2006). A victim impact statement is admissible to show the victim was a unique individual. Forrest, 183 S.W.3d at 225. Evidence of the specific harm a defendant caused may be presented in the sentencing phase for the jury to assess meaningfully the defendant's moral culpability and blameworthiness. State v. Basile, 942 S.W.2d 342, 359 (Mo. banc 1997). A victim impact statement violates the federal and state constitutions only when it is so unduly prejudicial that it renders the trial fundamentally unfair. Forrest, 183 S.W.3d at 225. A hearsay statement is any out-of-court statement that is used to prove the truth of the matter asserted and depends on the veracity of the statement for its value. State v. Kemp, 212 S.W.3d 135, 146 (Mo. banc 2007). The victim impact statement offered during the sentencing phase was offered to show the effect of the crime on the victim's son and his feelings, not for the truth of any factual matter asserted therein. In Basile , this Court found the trial court properly overruled a motion to exclude a family member's victim impact statement read by another family member. 942 S.W.2d at 358-59. The letter described the victim and the effect the crime had on the family. Id. at 358. This Court found the letter admissible because it was directed at [the] defendant's moral culpability in causing harm to the victim and her family. Id. at 359. Sgt. McEntee's son's letter is similar to the letter in Basile as the son described how he felt and the impact his father's death had on his life. A victim impact statement is not offered to prove an element of the charged offense or a statutory aggravating circumstance. As this Court said in Basile : Under our statutes, there is no requirement that the victim impact statement evidence be related to the specific aggravators submitted by the State. It is sufficient that it is relevant to inform the jury as to the effect of the crime for which the defendant is being sentenced even if no instruction is given regarding the evidence. 942 S.W.2d at 359. Here, the son's letter was not used to support any of the three statutory aggravating circumstances and was only used to show the effect of the crime on the son. The letter was properly used as a victim impact statement because it addressed the effect of the crime. A victim impact statement is not subject to the Confrontation Clause. The Confrontation Clause does not operate to bar the admission of testimony relevant only to a capital sentencing authority's selection decisions. United States v. Fields, 483 F.3d 313, 326 (5th Cir.2007). In Fields, the challenged hearsay statements related to non-statutory aggravating factors and were not barred by the Confrontation Clause because the factors were not used to determine if the defendant was eligible for the death penalty. Id. at 325. See also United States v. Wallace, 408 F.3d 1046, 1048 (8th Cir.2005).
Appellant argues the trial court erred in submitting the aggravating circumstances jury instruction, MAI-CR3d 314.40, and refusing to submit Appellant's modified aggravating circumstances instruction, because the jury was not instructed how to consider the non-statutory aggravating factors. The State submitted the MAI jury instruction for aggravating circumstances, [15] which the trial court accepted. Appellant submitted a modified aggravating circumstances instruction, [16] which instructed the jury to consider the non-statutory aggravating circumstances only if they are found beyond a reasonable doubt. During the instruction conference, Appellant objected to the State's proposed instruction because it does not address the burden of proof for non-statutory circumstances. The trial court refused to submit the modified instruction. Appellant relies on Ring v. Arizona, 536 U.S. 584, 122 S.Ct. 2428, 153 L.Ed.2d 556 (2002); Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466, 120 S.Ct. 2348, 147 L.Ed.2d 435 (2000); State v. Whitfield, 107 S.W.3d 253 (Mo. banc 2003); and State v. Whitfield, 837 S.W.2d 503 (Mo. banc 1992). Under section 565.030.4, the jury is required to find a statutory aggravating circumstance beyond a reasonable doubt. State v. Gill, 167 S.W.3d 184, 193 (Mo. banc 2005); section 565.030.4(2). The reasonable doubt standard does not apply to mitigating evidence, Gill, 167 S.W.3d at 193, or non-statutory aggravating factors, including victim impact statements, see Forrest, 183 S.W.3d at 226. Appellant's reliance on Ring , Apprendi , and Whitfield is misplaced. This Court has stated that under Ring and Apprendi only evidence functionally equivalent to an element, including statutory aggravating circumstances, must be found beyond a reasonable doubt. Clark, 197 S.W.3d at 601. The trial court was not obligated to instruct the jury to find non-statutory aggravators, including a victim impact statement, beyond a reasonable doubt.
The trial court did not err. Point eight is denied.