Opinion ID: 900573
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 12

Heading: Raftery

Text: [¶ 32.] With Raftery, the defense first showed pictures of Becky's body at the crime scene and before the autopsy was conducted. Defense counsel then asked him whether, even after viewing the pictures, he could be impartial; Raftery responded in the affirmative. Counsel next moved the voir dire onto the topic of the death penalty. When asked what types of crimes would warrant the death penalty, Raftery responded, Well, the crimes involved in this case would be a good example. Without first explaining the bifurcated structure of the case, Moeller's counsel then asked: Q: Beyond a reasonable doubt you were satisfied they committed this crime, would you be strongly inclined at the time that you get to make a judgment about penalty to give them the death penalty? A: I would vote for the death penalty. Q: Even if you had the alternative of life? A: Yes. .... Q: If somebody told you not to feel the way you felt, in other words, you know, you've heard a lot in here about, well, if the Judge is going to order you to do this and instruct you to do this, you realize that's kind of a fallacy in a way. You just can't tell somebody to stop feeling something. A: Right. Because it's America and we all have opinions. Q: Right. And your opinion here wouldn't be changed just by somebody telling you to change it. A: No. [¶ 33.] Based on these responses, Moeller's counsel challenged Raftery for cause. State responded with the following explanation of the sentencing phase: Q. I want to follow up on some questions Mr. Butler asked you. And I'm not sure the process was entirely clear. I'll walk you through the process and ask you some follow-up questions. Let's assume for the sake of argument you find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of first degree murder. Okay? Then you come back in for a sentencing hearing, kind of a mini-trial, so to speak. It would be a second trial or hearing. And at that hearing the purpose would be to determine what the sentence is. Okay. The law in the State of South Dakota and in the United States does not allow a juror after they've reached the guilty verdict to come in here at that sentencing hearing and say to themselves, well, I don't care what evidence is presented at the sentencing hearing, I want to sentence this person to life, the heck with the evidence at the sentencing hearing. Okay. That's rule number one. And the Judge would give you that rule if you were selected as a juror in this case. All right? So you would be required under the law to keep an open mind at the sentencing hearing and listen to all the evidence that was presented at the sentencing hearing, and then only after you heard all the evidence at the sentencing hearing you go back and make a determination what the sentence should be. Now, at this sentencing hearing you can count on the fact that I would stand before you and I would argue this is one of those special types of murder under South Dakota law which is subject to the death penalty. And I have to prove that to you beyond a reasonable doubt that this is one of those special classes or categories of murders. Okay. Then the defendant, if he wanted to, he doesn't have to, but in addition to all the evidence you may have heard at the original trial the defendant could present additional evidence at the sentencing hearing. For instance, in some cases a defendant may stand up and argue or his attorney may argue. Please take into account the fact that my client was fourteen or fifteen when this murder happened. Can you take that into account? Or maybe they'll say, please take into account the fact that my client had a mental defect at the time this happened and was really affected mentally and wasn't in the right frame of mind, please take that into account. Or they may say, please take into account the history that my client has had to endure, let's talk about the terrible family life that this person went through and let's talk about the circumstances under which they were brought up. Hopeless environment. Let's talk about that. Please take that into account. Okay? Defendant doesn't have to present any evidence like that, I don't want to mislead you. But he could, okay? And you would be sitting here as a juror and you would be required under the law to consider any evidence that was put forward at that sentencing hearing. Okay. And the law would not permit you to make up your mind on what the sentence should be until after you've heard all of the evidence and after you've considered all of the evidence fairly and then go back and, if we meet our burden that this is one of those special types of cases, and after you've considered all the evidence, then you would be permitted to impose the penalty of death. Okay? You follow that process the way it's set out? A. Yah. [¶ 34.] After giving that explanation, Raftery indicated that he would be able to listen to all the evidence, follow the judge's instructions as to the sentencing phase, and not lean either way until he had been presented with everything.