Opinion ID: 1836662
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Whether The Submission of the Great Risk of Death to Many Persons Violated Flowers's Rights Secured by the Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Text: ¶ 94. Flowers next argues the submission of this aggravator violated the double jeopardy clause of the Fifth Amendment. Flowers cites Meeks v. State, 604 So.2d 748 (Miss.1992) to support his argument that a defendant may not be punished twice based on the same set of facts. But as the State points out, a similar argument was addressed and rejected in Wilcher v. State, 697 So.2d 1087 (Miss. 1997): Wilcher argues that, by having his conviction in the capital murder of Moore considered as an aggravating circumstance, the jury was improperly required to weigh the same facts twice against the mitigating evidence, in violation of the double jeopardy clause of the Fifth Amendment. Wilcher correctly states that a capital murder defendant cannot be convicted of both capital murder and the underlying felony; the reason being that the defendant cannot be twice prosecuted for the same actions. See Meeks v. State, 604 So.2d 748, 753 (Miss.1992). By analogy, Wilcher argues that the same elements or  Blockburger  test precludes the introduction of his conviction of the capital murder conviction of the second victim as an aggravator at the sentencing hearing on the first murder victim. See Blockburger v. United States, 284 U.S. 299, 304, 52 S.Ct. 180, 182, 76 L.Ed. 306 (1932). Wilcher's analogy does not hold true. In this case, the court is not faced with one action for which Wilcher could be prosecuted on either the underlying crime or the capital murder. Rather, there are actually two murder victims-the product of two separate criminal actions by Wilcher. Even though the same facts surround the murder of each victim, there are undeniably two victims, and two counts of capital murder arising from Wilcher's actions. Therefore, the same elements test does not apply. Furthermore, as the Fifth Circuit has observed: [C]onsideration of other crimes at sentencing does not implicate the Double Jeopardy Clause because the defendant is not actually being punished for the crimes so considered. Rather, the other crimes aggravate his guilt of, and justify heavier punishment for, the specific crime for which defendant has just been convicted. See United States v. Bowdach, 561 F.2d 1160, 1175 (5th Cir.1977) (rejecting virtually identical double jeopardy argument). Sekou v. Blackburn, 796 F.2d 108, 112 (5th Cir.1986). Wilcher's argument to the contrary is without merit. Wilcher, 697 So.2d at 1105. ¶ 95. Based on this Court's holding in Wilcher, we find this sub-issue to be without merit.
¶ 96. Flowers finally argues that the use of the aggravator violated Mississippi law. Flowers solely bases this argument on a statement made by the prosecutor in closing argument. The Assistant District Attorney stated: The Defendant went down to that store for the purpose of seeing Bertha Tardy. Derrick Stewart had been there two days, and Robert Golden had been there, that was his first day. He had no idea those two individuals would be there. Because of this statement, Flowers argues the State admitted Flowers had no idea two of the other victims would be in the store that day; therefore, he could not knowingly create[ ] a great risk of death to anyone other than Bertha Tardy, his intended victim. ¶ 97. The State argues that the evidence clearly supports the submission of this aggravator. The same weapon was used to commit all four murders, and testimony linked Flowers to this weapon. Eyewitness testimony placed Flowers near the scene of the crime. There was also evidence that Mrs. Tardy had docked Flowers's paycheck after an incident regarding some batteries. The State argues, and we agree, that the jury could have inferred Flowers deliberately killed Mrs. Tardy and robbed the store. ¶ 98. There was also evidence that three other people were killed during the robbery. Flowers was a former employee of Tardy Furniture, so he was aware Bertha Tardy, Carmen Rigby, and other employees would be present at the store. Because the murders took place while the store was open for business, it was also likely that customers could have been in the store. All this evidence supports the jury's finding that this aggravated circumstance existed. ¶ 99. This aggravator was properly submitted to the jury and did not violate Mississippi law. This Court finds this issue to be without merit. ¶ 100. In conclusion, the use of the great risk of death to many persons as an aggravator in the sentencing phase of this trial did not violate Flowers's Eighth or Fifth Amendment rights, nor did it violate Mississippi law. This issue is without merit.