Opinion ID: 1868959
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Premeditated and Deliberated Capital Murder.

Text: We turn then to the second judgment for capital murder based on premeditation and deliberation. For this charge, capital murder can only be sustained if there was sufficient evidence for the jury to find that the killing was committed [w]ith the premeditated and deliberated purpose of causing the death of another person. Ark. Code Ann. § 5-10-101(a)(4) (Repl.2006). This court has said that [p]remeditated and deliberated murder occurs when it is the killer's conscious object to cause death and he forms that intention before he acts and as a result of a weighing of the consequences of his course of conduct. Carmichael v. State, 340 Ark. 598, 602, 12 S.W.3d 225, 228 (2000). Moreover, [i]n order to prove that an accused acted with a premeditated and deliberated purpose the State must prove: (1) that the accused had the conscious object to cause the death of another; (2) that the accused formed the intention of causing the death before acting; and (3) that the accused weighed in his mind the consequences of a course of conduct, as distinguished from acting suddenly on impulse without the exercise of reasoning power. Ward v. State, 298 Ark. 448, 451, 770 S.W.2d 109, 111 (1989); see O'Neal v. State, 356 Ark. 674, 682, 158 S.W.3d 175, 180 (2004) (Deliberation has been defined as weighing in the mind of the consequences of a course of conduct, as distinguished from acting upon a sudden impulse without the exercise of reasoning powers.) (quoting Ford v. State, 334 Ark. 385, 389, 976 S.W.2d 915, 917 (1998)). This court has also held that [t]he necessary premeditation and deliberation is not required to exist for a particular length of time and may be formed in an instant. Reese v. State, 371 Ark. 1, 3, 262 S.W.3d 604, 606 (2007). It is neither necessary nor usually possible to prove intent by direct evidence. Id. Instead, a jury may infer premeditation and deliberation from circumstantial evidence, such as the type and character of the weapon used, the nature, extent, and location of the wounds inflicted, and the conduct of the accused. Id. In the present case, Daniels stabbed Williams three times with a large knife. One of the stab wounds was located in Williams's chest, and the fatal wound was to his abdomen. Had this been the only evidence before the jury, the type and character of the weapon used and the location of the wounds inflicted would support a finding of premeditation and deliberation. Id. Moreover, as the circuit court noted, the store security camera shows that Daniels paused, drawing his knife over his head, before delivering a significant stabbing blow. The same video further demonstrates that Daniels's attack on Williams did not end at that time. Instead, the two men continued to struggle, with Williams back on his feet within a few seconds of the final stab wound. Despite the fact that Williams was still standing, Daniels broke off the attack, leaving the store aware that Williams was able to walk and was leaving the store behind him. We are mindful that the California Supreme Court examined a similar situation some years ago in which the appellant shot the deceased after the deceased disregarded the appellant's order not to approach him. People v. Holt, 25 Cal.2d 59, 92, 153 P.2d 21, 38 (1944). After being shot, the victim stopped, turned, and walked around the train and to the station at which time the appellant with eight loaded cartridges remaining in his rifle stopped firing ... [and] permitted the deceased to proceed to the station without further molestation. Id. The court found that these facts, established beyond question by prosecution witnesses, [were], in the light of all the circumstances shown, overwhelmingly inconsistent with a deliberate, premeditated, and clear intent to take life. Id. at 92, 153 P.2d at 39. Nevertheless, Arkansas's jurisprudence is at odds with the conclusion reached in People v. Holt, supra . It is clear to this court that the jury could well have concluded that Daniels intended to cause the death of Williams by inflicting multiple stab wounds. See O'Neal, 356 Ark. at 682, 158 S.W.3d at 180; Ward, 298 Ark. at 451, 770 S.W.2d at 111. The fact that Daniels saw Williams standing with his hand over his abdomen and did not see him actually die is not determinative. We affirm the judgment of conviction for capital murder based on premeditation and deliberation.