Opinion ID: 1650856
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Penalty Phase, Spencer Hearing, and Trial Court's Order

Text: During the penalty phase, the State presented no evidence, electing to rest upon the evidence presented in the guilt phase. The defense presented three witnesses one expert witness and two lay witnesses. The expert witness was Dr. James D. Larson, a licensed psychologist. The penalty phase testimony will be described in further detail in this Court's proportionality discussion. Ultimately, the jury recommended death by a vote of eleven to one. Subsequently, the trial court held a Spencer [7] hearing, at which time both Williams and the State were given an opportunity to present additional evidence. The State presented victim impact testimony from Dykes's son and daughter. Williams also testifiedhe described his background and difficult childhood and gave an account of the events surrounding the murder. He denied killing Dykes. Rather, he claimed that he found her dead the morning of October 3 when he returned to the trailer between ATM withdrawals. He stated that there was already a hasp and lock on the back door of the trailer and that he had bought the hasp and lock for the front door after discovering Dykes's body, but never installed them. He did admit, however, to obtaining Callie's father's boat and using it to dispose of Dykes's body in the lake. In sentencing Williams, the trial court found four aggravators: (1) the crime was committed for the purpose of avoiding or preventing a lawful arrest or effecting an escape from custody; (2) the crime was committed for pecuniary gain; (3) the crime was especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel (HAC); and (4) the crime was committed in a cold, calculated, and premeditated manner, without any pretense of moral or legal justification (CCP). The trial court did not assign any weight to the aggravators that were found. The trial court also rejected the only statutory mitigator requested by Williamsthat the capacity of the defendant to appreciate the criminality of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the requirements of law was substantially impaired. However, the trial court found the following nonstatutory mitigators to which it assigned moderate weight: (1) Williams had a history as a polysubstance abuser, having used such substances as cocaine, crystal methamphetamine, and prescription medication; Williams was on a crack cocaine binge at the time of the murder and was chemically dependent at the time of the crime; and Williams participated in an outpatient substance abuse treatment program approximately ten to twelve months before the murder; (2) Williams had a chaotic and unstable childhood; and (3) Williams had good relationships with family members, had exhibited a caring and loving attitude for his children, and desired to maintain good father-child relationships during imprisonment. The trial court found other nonstatutory mitigators to which it assigned little weight: (1) psychological testing showed that Williams would not likely cause any violence in a controlled population such as prison; (2) Williams's psychological testing showed that he was not a psychopath; (3) Williams appeared to have neuropsychological impairment, which may be classifiable as fetal alcohol syndrome; and (4) Williams was a kind, courteous, and gentle friend and hard worker for his employer, Pam Miller. On appeal, Williams attacks each of the four aggravators found and the trial court's failure to find the mitigating factor that Williams's addiction to crack cocaine substantially impaired his ability to conform his behavior to the requirements of the law at the time of the homicide, among other claims. [8]