Opinion ID: 1375948
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Aggravation-Mitigation Issues

Text: Pursuant to A.R.S. § 13-703(B), the trial judge held an aggravation-mitigation hearing and returned a special verdict pursuant to A.R.S. § 13-703(D). He found the following aggravating circumstances: (1) Defendant was previously convicted of a felony in the United States involving the use or threat of violence, (2) the murder was especially cruel, heinous, or depraved, and (3) Defendant committed the murder in expectation of pecuniary gain. The trial judge also found one statutory mitigating circumstance: Defendant's capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law was significantly impaired by alcohol abuse. The judge then found that the aggravating circumstances outweighed the mitigating factors and sentenced Defendant to death.

After trial, Defendant admitted to having pleaded guilty in Colorado in May 1971 to assault with a deadly weapon. R.T., Dec. 29, 1989, at 76. He now argues, however, that the state did not prove his conviction involved the use or threat of violence on another person, which is necessary to establish an aggravating circumstance under A.R.S. § 13-703(F)(2). Defendant argues that the state failed to introduce sufficient evidence that the pertinent Colorado law in effect at the time of Defendant's conviction inherently involved violence or the threat of violence. We disagree. In order to constitute an aggravating circumstance under § 13-703(F)(2), the felony for which the defendant was previously convicted must, by statutory definition, involve violence or the threat of violence. State v. Romanosky, 162 Ariz. 217, 227-28, 782 P.2d 693, 703-04 (1989); State v. Gillies, 135 Ariz. 500, 511, 662 P.2d 1007, 1018 (1983). Thus we examine only the pertinent Colorado statutory definition of assault with a deadly weapon to determine whether the state proved an aggravating factor under § 13-703(F)(2). [5] In this case, the state introduced evidence of the Colorado information charging Defendant with assault with a deadly weapon under Colo. Rev. Stat. § 40-2-34 (1963), as well as the judgment and sentence convicting him of that charge. [6] Exhibits 91, 92. We believe the applicable Colorado statutes plainly define assault with a deadly weapon as a felony involving the use or threat of violence. Under Colo. Rev. Stat. § 40-2-33, assault combines an unlawful attempt with a present ability to commit a violent injury on another person. Under Colo. Rev. Stat. § 40-2-34, assault with a deadly weapon is a felony requiring an intent to commit bodily injury on another person. Thus, the trial court did not err in finding that the state proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Defendant's previous Colorado conviction was a felony involving the use or threat of violence on another person under A.R.S. § 13-703(F)(2).
Defendant next argues that the trial court erred in finding that the murder was especially cruel, heinous, or depraved as an aggravating factor under A.R.S. § 13-703(F)(6). Under the Arizona statute, the terms cruel, heinous or depraved are disjunctive; therefore, the finding of any one establishes the § 13-703(F)(6) aggravating circumstance. State v. Amaya-Ruiz, 166 Ariz. 152, 177, 800 P.2d 1260, 1275 (1990), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 111 S.Ct. 2044, 114 L.Ed.2d 129 (1991). `To support a finding of cruelty, the state must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the victim was conscious and suffered pain or distress at the time of the offense.' Cook, 170 Ariz. at 60, 821 P.2d at 751 (quoting State v. Jimenez, 165 Ariz. 444, 453, 799 P.2d 785, 794 (1990)). The state's coroner and Defendant's pathologist testified that smoke in the victim's trachea demonstrates that the victim was alive during the fire. Evidence also showed that the victim thrashed about, possibly attempting to get up to escape the fire. We agree with the trial court that this is sufficient to establish that the victim was conscious and quite obviously suffered tremendous pain from Defendant setting him on fire. Having agreed with the trial court's finding of cruelty, we need not address its finding of heinousness or depravity because the terms are disjunctive. See Amaya-Ruiz, 166 Ariz. at 177, 800 P.2d at 1275. We believe that the trial court did not err in finding that the murder was especially cruel, heinous, or depraved under § 13-703(F)(6).
Defendant argues that the trial court erred in finding as an aggravating circumstance that Defendant committed the murder for pecuniary gain. Pecuniary gain must be the motive for the murder, not merely the result of the killing, to qualify as an aggravating circumstance under A.R.S. § 13-703(F)(5). State v. Rockwell, 161 Ariz. 5, 14, 775 P.2d 1069, 1078 (1989); State v. Nash, 143 Ariz. 392, 405, 694 P.2d 222, 235, cert. denied, 471 U.S. 1143, 105 S.Ct. 2689, 86 L.Ed.2d 706 (1985). Defendant argues that, from the evidence presented, the state did not prove this aggravating circumstance beyond a reasonable doubt. Again, we disagree. The evidence at trial showed that (1) the victim's wallet was discovered on the body with no money, (2) Defendant was arrested with over $200 and the victim's grocery receipt in his wallet, (3) approximately two weeks before the murder, Defendant and the victim had a heated argument over money that the victim allegedly owed Defendant for work around the house, (4) Defendant had no steady source of income, and (5) Defendant had an expensive drinking habit. We believe this evidence taken as a whole is sufficient evidence to permit the inference, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Defendant murdered the victim to obtain the money that he needed and that he believed the victim owed him. The trial court did not err in finding the aggravating circumstance of pecuniary gain under § 13-703(F)(5). See Rockwell, 161 Ariz. at 14, 775 P.2d at 1078.

Defendant next argues that the trial court erred in excluding hearsay evidence of mitigating factors at the sentencing hearing. A.R.S. § 13-703(C) provides that [a]ny information relevant to any mitigating circumstances ... may be presented by either the prosecution or the defendant, regardless of its admissibility under the rules governing admission of evidence at criminal trials. Defendant argues that the trial court improperly excluded testimony from a defense investigator and that this error was fundamental in preventing the court from considering all mitigating factors prior to sentencing. We disagree. Defendant called a Mohave County Public Defender's Office investigator to testify regarding his interview with a witness. The investigator testified to the witness' statements that Defendant received $500 from his father in March 1989, approximately three months before the murder. R.T., May 15, 1990, at 137-38. Defense counsel then asked the investigator, Now, even after that particular date, had [the witness] at times paid David Hill money to do work for her? R.T., May 15, 1990, at 138. The trial court then sustained the prosecutor's hearsay objection. The trial court arguably erred in excluding potentially mitigating information. Defense counsel, however, failed to make an offer of proof after the objection. When an objection to the introduction of evidence is sustained, in order to assert error on appeal it is ordinarily necessary to make an offer of proof. Law of Evidence § 13, at 20 (footnote omitted). One purpose of this rule is to enable an appellate court to determine whether any error was harmful in the context of the case. Id. at 21. Rule 103(a)(2), Ariz.R.Evid., provides: Error may not be predicated upon a ruling which ... excludes evidence unless a substantial right of the party is affected, and ... the substance of the evidence was made known to the court by offer or was apparent from the context within which questions were asked. See Ariz. Const. art. 6, § 27; Jones v. Pak-Mor Mfg. Co., 145 Ariz. 121, 129, 700 P.2d 819, 827, cert. denied, 474 U.S. 948, 106 S.Ct. 314, 88 L.Ed.2d 295 (1985). In this case, we cannot know what the proffered testimony would have shown  whether and when the witness had paid Defendant and, if so, in any significant amount. We cannot speculate from the record that such testimony would have been significant or favorable to Defendant and therefore cannot reverse the trial court's ruling. See Jones, 145 Ariz. at 130-31, 700 P.2d at 828-29; Musgrave v. Karis, 63 Ariz. 417, 419, 163 P.2d 278, 279 (1945).
Defendant next argues that the trial court erred in not listing, discussing, and rejecting possible mitigating circumstances other than the one it found under A.R.S. § 13-703(G)(1). Defendant argues that he offered evidence of the following, each of which may be a mitigating circumstance: his good conduct in prison, his potential for rehabilitation, his background and emotional character stemming from his Vietnam experience, the plea agreement offered by the state, and his mens rea ( i.e., that the state offered no evidence proving that Defendant intended to kill the victim). Defendant quotes State v. Leslie, 147 Ariz. 38, 50, 708 P.2d 719, 731 (1985), in stating, if [this court] cannot determine from the record whether the trial court considered all the relevant mitigating factors, the federal constitution compels us to remand the case for further explanation. He argues that, because the trial court failed to list or discuss any of these proffered factors, this court cannot determine from the record that it considered them. See Sochor v. Florida, ___ U.S. ___, ___, 112 S.Ct. 2114, 2122-23, 119 L.Ed.2d 326 (1992) (if United States Supreme Court cannot determine, from language of opinion, that state appellate court conducted harmless error analysis, Supreme Court will not presume that error by the trial court in finding existence of aggravating circumstance was cured by appellate consideration). While we continue to believe that trial judges should discuss all factors considered in mitigation, we have never required a sentencing judge to make detailed, exhaustive findings or cite every claim or nuance advanced by defendant or his counsel in argument. State v. McCall, 160 Ariz. 119, 125, 770 P.2d 1165, 1171 (1989), cert. denied, 497 U.S. 1031, 110 S.Ct. 3289, 111 L.Ed.2d 798 (1990). We believe the record shows that the trial judge adequately identified and considered the primary mitigating circumstance raised by the evidence in this case  that Defendant's capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the requirements of law was significantly impaired, in this case by years of alcohol abuse. [7] A.R.S. § 13-703(G)(1). We believe that, in this case, questions regarding other mitigating factors were insubstantial and did not warrant additional discussion. In fact, defense counsel made no argument regarding other such factors in his closing arguments. Thus, we find that the trial court did enumerate and discuss in the special verdict the relevant mitigating factor raised by the evidence and argued by Defendant.
This court independently reviews the facts that establish the presence of aggravating and mitigating circumstances. State v. White, 168 Ariz. 500, 510, 815 P.2d 869, 879 (1991) (citing State v. Richmond, 136 Ariz. 312, 320, 666 P.2d 57, 65, cert. denied, 464 U.S. 986, 104 S.Ct. 435, 78 L.Ed.2d 367 (1983)), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 112 S.Ct. 1199, 117 L.Ed.2d 439 (1992). We have reviewed the record for evidence of additional mitigating factors. We agree with the trial court that the state proved the existence of the previously discussed aggravating circumstances beyond a reasonable doubt. We also agree that the only statutory mitigating circumstance sufficiently supported by the evidence is that Defendant's capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the requirements of law was significantly impaired. We find no additional non-statutory mitigating factor that would warrant leniency. We believe the trial court correctly concluded that the aggravating factors outweigh the mitigating circumstances, and therefore properly imposed the death penalty. [8]