Opinion ID: 1135841
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Relation of juror to one of the victims

Text: After the trial began, a juror learned from her mother that she had once been distantly related to Jim McClain, the second victim. The juror was told that her stepfather's cousin had at one time been married to McClain. This juror was interviewed in the judge's chambers; she stated that she did not know the stepfather's cousin, that her relationship with her stepfather was superficial, and that she believed she could be fair and impartial. Hedlund claims the judge abused his discretion by refusing to dismiss the juror for cause. To prevail on this argument, Hedlund must establish an abuse of discretion with evidence to show that the juror was biased and could not reasonably render a fair or impartial verdict. State v. Cocio, 147 Ariz. 277, 279-80, 709 P.2d 1336, 1338-39 (1985). Although this juror had been distantly related to McClain, the degree of relation was extremely tenuous and existed only by virtue of two marriages: the marriage of the juror's mother to the juror's stepfather, and the marriage of her stepfather's cousin to McClain. Furthermore, because McClain was no longer married to the stepfather's cousin at the time of his murder, the juror would no longer have been related. There is nothing in the record to indicate that the juror knew the victim or the distant cousin, or that she was untruthful in stating she could be fair and impartial. The judge did not abuse his discretion by refusing to dismiss the juror for cause. SENTENCING ISSUES A. Summary issues Hedlund claims that Arizona's death penalty scheme violates the Eighth Amendment because it does not sufficiently channel the trial judge's discretion. We rejected this argument in State v. West, 176 Ariz. 432, 454, 862 P.2d 192, 214 (1993), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 114 S.Ct. 1635, 128 L.Ed.2d 358 (1994). Hedlund also claims that Arizona's death penalty statute violates the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments because it is cruel and unusual punishment. We disagree. State v. Hinchey, 181 Ariz. 307, 315, 890 P.2d 602, 610, cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 116 S.Ct. 528, 133 L.Ed.2d 434 (1995); accord LaGrand v. Lewis, 883 F. Supp. 469 (D.Ariz. 1995) (noting that every court to address this issue has upheld the constitutionality of execution by lethal injection). Hedlund also claims that he was denied his Fourteenth Amendment right to equal protection because he was deprived of a jury trial on aggravating factors in his capital case while defendants in non-capital cases have juries determine aggravating factors. This argument was rejected in State v. Landrigan, 176 Ariz. 1, 6, 859 P.2d 111, 116, cert. denied, 510 U.S. 927, 114 S.Ct. 334, 126 L.Ed.2d 279 (1993). Hedlund argues that a proportionality review of his death sentence is constitutionally required. The United States Supreme Court rejected such a requirement in Pulley v. Harris, 465 U.S. 37, 44, 104 S.Ct. 871, 876, 79 L.Ed.2d 29 (1984); we rejected it in State v. Salazar, 173 Ariz. 399, 417, 844 P.2d 566, 584 (1992), cert. denied, 509 U.S. 912, 113 S.Ct. 3017, 125 L.Ed.2d 707 (1993). B. Independent review When the trial court imposes the death sentence, this court conducts a thorough and independent review of the record and of the aggravating and mitigating evidence to determine whether the sentence is justified. State v. Brewer, 170 Ariz. 486, 500, 826 P.2d 783, 797, cert. denied, 506 U.S. 872, 113 S.Ct. 206, 121 L.Ed.2d 147 (1992). The trial court weighs aggravating and mitigating circumstances to determine whether the death sentence is warranted. A.R.S. § 13-703. The state must prove aggravating circumstances beyond a reasonable doubt. See A.R.S. § 13-703(C); Brewer, 170 Ariz. at 500, 826 P.2d at 797. The defendant must prove mitigating circumstances by a preponderance of the evidence, but the trial court may consider evidence that tends to refute a mitigating circumstance. State v. Lopez, 174 Ariz. 131, 145, 847 P.2d 1078, 1092 (1992), cert. denied, 510 U.S. 894, 114 S.Ct. 258, 126 L.Ed.2d 210 (1993). In weighing, this court considers the quality and the strength, not simply the number, of aggravating or mitigating factors. State v. Willoughby, 181 Ariz. 530, 549, 892 P.2d 1319, 1338 (1995), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 116 S.Ct. 725, 133 L.Ed.2d 677 (1996).
Hedlund claims the trial judge discounted expert psychological testimony offered in mitigation and thus violated his rights to due process and equal protection and against cruel and unusual punishment. We do not agree. Two psychiatric experts testified for Hedlund. The first was Dr. Holler, whose testimony focused on Hedlund's childhood abuse and the resultant psychoneurological effects. Dr. Holler's evaluation was based on a two-day interview with Hedlund, numerous tests, and background material about Hedlund's childhood. It is clear from the record that most, if not all, of Dr. Holler's testimony regarding Hedlund's childhood was based on reports he received from other sources and not from his own investigation. Dr. Holler characterized Hedlund as a follower but also said he could sometimes be a leader. He testified that Hedlund's ability to conform his conduct to the law was impaired but that Hedlund knew right from wrong. Based on reports of others, Dr. Holler also testified about Hedlund's difficult childhood and concluded that Hedlund suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, alcohol dependence, and a depressive disorder. Cross-examination, however, revealed that Dr. Holler made these diagnoses only after defense counsel told him they would be helpful. The testimony of Dr. Shaw, the second psychiatric expert, was based on a single interview with Hedlund in 1993, two years following his arrest. Dr. Shaw's testimony related to the effect of Hedlund's alleged alcoholism and Hedlund's judgment at the time of the murders. Based on Hedlund's self-reporting, Dr. Shaw believed that Hedlund would not have been present at the crime scenes had he not been drinking. However, Dr. Shaw could not tell whether the amount of alcohol Hedlund said he regularly consumed was, in fact, consumed on the nights of the murders, whether it was consumed during the other burglaries, or whether there was any consumption at all before the criminal acts. Dr. Shaw was also unable to give an opinion about whether Hedlund could discern right from wrong at the time of the crimes. Hedlund told Dr. Holler that at age nineteen he was drinking six to twelve and sometimes twenty beers, four or five nights a week. In a presentence report from an unrelated conviction in 1984, when he was nineteen years old, Hedlund stated that he had consumed alcohol in the past but had quit, and that he had quit so long ago that he could not remember when he had done so. Hedlund's character witnesses testified that Hedlund did not have a drinking problem, was not an alcoholic, and that his level of consumption was far below what Hedlund reported to the psychiatric experts. Hedlund correctly observes that the trial judge must consider any aspect of his character or record and any circumstance of the offense relevant to determining whether a sentence less severe than the death penalty is appropriate. In considering such material, however, the judge has broad discretion to evaluate expert mental health evidence and to determine the weight and credibility given to it. State v. Ramirez, 178 Ariz. 116, 131, 871 P.2d 237, 252, cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 115 S.Ct. 435, 130 L.Ed.2d 347 (1994); State v. Milke, 177 Ariz. 118, 128, 865 P.2d 779, 789 (1993), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 114 S.Ct. 2726, 129 L.Ed.2d 849 (1994); State v. Smith, 123 Ariz. 231, 243, 599 P.2d 187, 199 (1979). This record does not establish that the judge failed to consider any of the expert psychological testimony, only that he found some of the factual evidence for the experts' opinions lacking in credibility. The judge therefore did not violate Hedlund's constitutional rights by discounting his experts' testimony.
Hedlund argues that the trial judge abused his discretion when he did not find the evidence of Hedlund's abusive childhood, dysfunctional family, alcohol-induced impairment, and level of participation in the crime sufficiently mitigating to call for a sentence less than death. Testimony by Hedlund's friends and relatives shows an abusive childhood. Hedlund was beaten and tormented by his mother, who frequently reminded him of his illegitimacy. The judge specifically found that Hedlund was abused as a child but that the latest episodes of abuse occurred ten to eleven years before the crimes and that there was no evidence of a causal relationship between the abuse and the murders. A difficult family background, including childhood abuse, does not necessarily have substantial mitigating weight absent a showing that it significantly affected or impacted a defendant's ability to perceive, to comprehend, or to control his actions. See State v. Ross, 180 Ariz. 598, 607, 886 P.2d 1354, 1363 (1994), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 116 S.Ct. 210, 133 L.Ed.2d 142 (1995). No such evidence was offered, and the judge did not err in concluding that Hedlund's family background was not sufficiently mitigating to require a life sentence. Additionally, there was little evidence corroborating Hedlund's allegation that alcohol impaired his judgment, his ability to tell right from wrong, or his ability to control his behavior. Given the substantial conflicting evidence and nothing other than Hedlund's self-report to one of the psychiatric experts regarding his intoxication at the time of the murders, the judge did not err in rejecting alcoholic impairment as a mitigating circumstance. See State v. Bible, 175 Ariz. 549, 605-06, 858 P.2d 1152, 1208-09 (1993), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 114 S.Ct. 1578, 128 L.Ed.2d 221 (1994). Hedlund also claims minor participation in the murder, but there is ample evidence pointing to Hedlund as the one who killed Jim McClain. Hedlund's finger and palmprints were on McClain's briefcase, which had been rifled during the burglary and then left behind; his fingerprints were on the magazine of the rifle he had sawed off; the bullet that killed McClain could have come from his rifle; he had modified his rifle to conceal it; he concealed the rifle after the murder; he tried to convince Morris to get rid of the rifle before the police found it; and he expressed remorse after his arrest. Many facts also indicate Hedlund's major degree of participation in both murders. He knew McKinney had threatened to kill anyone who was at the scene of a burglary; Hedlund had threatened to beat in the head anyone encountered at the scene of a burglary; he was responsible for hiding the pistol used by McKinney to kill Christene Mertens; and he participated in the attempt to conceal property stolen from McClain and in the sale of the guns stolen from McClain's house. 3. Use of second degree murder conviction as an aggravator under A.R.S. § 13-703(F)(2)
Hedlund's jury returned its verdict on all counts on November 12, 1992. Hedlund claims the jury verdict convicting him of the second degree murder of Christene Mertens cannot be a prior conviction for purposes of A.R.S. § 13-703(F)(2) [4] because it was rendered simultaneously with the capital offense verdict. We disagree. A conviction occurs when the jury renders its verdict. See State v. Walden, 183 Ariz. 595, 616, 905 P.2d 974, 995 (1995), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 116 S.Ct. 1444, 134 L.Ed.2d 564; see also State v. Green, 174 Ariz. 586, 587, 852 P.2d 401, 402 (1993); State v. Gretzler, 135 Ariz. 42, 57 n. 2, 659 P.2d 1, 16 n. 2, cert. denied, 461 U.S. 971, 103 S.Ct. 2444, 77 L.Ed.2d 1327 (1983) (convictions entered prior to the sentencing hearing may be considered regardless of the order in which the underlying crimes occurred or the order in which the convictions were entered); State v. Richmond, 136 Ariz. 312, 318-19, 666 P.2d 57, 63-64, cert. denied, 464 U.S. 986, 104 S.Ct. 435, 78 L.Ed.2d 367 (1983). These cases all dealt with A.R.S. § 13-703(F)(1). [5] The guiding principle in all these cases has been that the purpose of a sentencing hearing is to determine the character and propensities of the defendant and impose a sentence that fits the offender. These same principles apply to the (F)(2) factor present in this case. Walden, 183 Ariz. at 615-16, 905 P.2d at 994-95. Thus, for purposes of § 13-702(F)(2), Hedlund's second degree murder conviction occurred when the jury returned its verdict and was prior to his capital sentencing hearing.
The legislature, not this court, has imposed the duty to independently review the trial court's findings of aggravation and mitigation and the propriety of the death sentence. A.R.S. § 13-703.01(A). Therefore, despite the dissenting justice's objection to our doing so, we must fulfill our duty under this statute and determine whether Hedlund's conviction for second degree murder qualifies as an aggravating circumstance under § 13-703(F)(2). Was it a conviction for a felony involving the use or threat of violence on another person? In determining whether a prior conviction was for a crime of violence, we are bound by the statutory elements of the crime for which the person was convicted and cannot look behind the conviction to determine the true facts of the case. Walden, 183 Ariz. at 616, 905 P.2d at 995; State v. Romanosky, 162 Ariz. 217, 228, 782 P.2d 693, 704 (1989); State v. Gillies, 135 Ariz. 500, 511, 662 P.2d 1007, 1018 (1983). In State v. Arnett , we defined violence as the exertion of physical force so as to injure or abuse. 119 Ariz. 38, 51, 579 P.2d 542, 555 (1978). In State v. Lopez, we held that a prior conviction for resisting arrest did not death qualify the defendant because conduct that only created a substantial risk of physical injury to an officer was not conduct involving the use or threat of violence. 163 Ariz. 108, 114, 786 P.2d 959, 965 (1990). In other words, under the resisting arrest statute, Lopez could have been convicted for acting recklessly  conduct that disregards the substantial and unjustifiable risk of harm. See A.R.S. § 13-105(c). The same year that we decided Lopez, we held in State v. Fierro that the defendant's Texas robbery conviction was not a crime of violence. 166 Ariz. 539, 549, 804 P.2d 72, 82 (1990). We reached this conclusion after pointing out that according to the Texas robbery statute underlying Fierro's conviction, violence is not necessary, and a person commits robbery if, in the course of committing theft, he intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly causes bodily injury to another. Id. (quoting Texas Penal Code Ann. § 19.02 and 1972 Texas Practice Commentary) (emphasis added). The reason for holdings such as Lopez and Fierro, rejecting prior convictions based on conduct that is less than knowing or intentional, is straightforward: The legislature intended that the aggravating circumstances contained in § 13-703 be used to narrow the class of death-eligible defendants. Brewer, 170 Ariz. at 500, 826 P.2d at 797. Thus, the statutory factors are interpreted and applied in a manner that narrows the class of those who are most deserving of that ultimate sanction. Id. We further that purpose by defining the crimes of violence that qualify as an aggravating circumstances under § 13-703(F)(2) to exclude those committed with a mental state that was merely reckless or negligent. This principle, of course, was recognized just last year by today's dissenter in Walden, in which he stated that violence requires an intent to injure or abuse. 183 Ariz. at 617, 905 P.2d at 996. In Walden, this court held that a conviction that could have been obtained for merely reckless conduct did not qualify as a prior under the (F)(2) factor. Id. The dissent characterizes Fierro as engrafting a culpable mental state onto § 13-703(F)(2). Dissent at 588, 917 P.2d at 1235. But it did not. To assert, as the dissent does, that the legislature did not limit the application of A.R.S. § 13-703(F)(2) to crimes with any particular culpable mental state presupposes that violence encompasses any and all crimes that result in injury or abuse, even those resulting from reckless or negligent conduct. See dissent at 588, 917 P.2d at 1235. It does not. The legislature used the more narrow phrase we find in § 13-703(F)(2), not the phrase crime causing or risking physical injury. Other authorities have recognized not only the distinction between violence and non-intentional, non-knowing acts resulting in harm, but also the inherently intentional or knowing element of violence. In Morris & Co. v. Industrial Board, 284 Ill. 67, 119 N.E. 944, 946 (1918), the court construed a statute that empowered the coroner's jury to investigate when the deceased is supposed to have come to his or her death by violence, casualty, or any undue means. The Morris court noted that casualty was defined as chance, accident, contingency; also that which comes without design [(not intended)] or without being foreseen [(not knowing)], and pointed out that there must be a distinction between casualty and violence, otherwise the term casualty would not have been needed in the statute. Id. (emphasis added). More on point, in construing a riot statute, the Illinois Supreme Court stated that the words force and violence do not contemplate merely the manual force necessary to commit the act, but were intended to be construed in the light of the common law, under which force or violence meant a concerted intent of the perpetrators to assist one another against those who would resist them. Walter v. Northern Ins. Co., 370 Ill. 283, 18 N.E.2d 906, 908 (1938). The Georgia Supreme Court has also recognized a distinction between death caused by violence and that caused by accident. Jackson v. State, 210 Ga. 303, 79 S.E.2d 812, 816 (1954). In Landry v. Daley, the court stated that the use of force or violence carries with it sub silentio a destructive or threatening intent. 280 F. Supp. 938, 955 (N.D.Ill. 1968), rev'd on other grounds, 401 U.S. 77, 91 S.Ct. 758, 27 L.Ed.2d 696 (1971). More recently, and in a context more closely resembling Fierro, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals had occasion to construe the word violence in a statute prohibiting the possession of firearms by persons convicted of a felony involving an act of violence or threatened violence.... Hamilton v. State, 676 S.W.2d 120, 121 (Tex.Cr.App. 1984). The court concluded that violence inheres, not in the result, but in the intent and the act. Id. (emphasis added). The same court later elaborated on the definition, stating: in determining if an act of violence has occurred, the focus must be on the intent of the actor and the concurrence between that mental state and the act which creates the injury. The clear holding of Hamilton requires that any crime which involves an act of violence is by definition one which requires a culpable mental state on the part of the offender. Ware v. State, 749 S.W.2d 852, 854 (Tex.Cr. App. 1988). Thus, Fierro did nothing more than articulate the inherent culpable mental state of violence that other courts have long recognized. We turn then to decide whether Hedlund's prior conviction for second degree murder is an aggravating circumstance under § 13-703(F)(2). Hedlund was charged with first degree murder, but the jury was instructed on second degree murder as a lesser included offense. The jury instructions on this offense contained language setting forth all the statutory elements and degrees of the crime, which include the following: A. A person commits second degree murder if without premeditation: 1. [Such person intentionally causes another's death]; or 2. [Engages in conduct knowing it will cause another's death or serious injury and in fact causes another's death]; or 3. Under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life, such person recklessly engages in conduct which creates a grave risk of death and thereby causes the death of another person. A.R.S. § 13-1104(A) (emphasis added). Hedlund's jury returned a general verdict. Thus, under the charge to the jury and its verdict, it is possible that Hedlund was convicted under the third subsection, a statutory element that permits a finding of guilt when the defendant engages in reckless conduct. Because Hedlund's prior conviction was for a crime that, on the face of the statute, might have been committed recklessly, it does not qualify as a crime of violence. [6] In A.R.S. § 13-703(D)(2), the legislature used the term violence, not the phrase conviction for a crime which resulted in or threatened physical injury. Accordingly, Hedlund's second degree murder conviction cannot be an aggravating circumstance for purposes of former § 13-703(F)(2). Because the dissent mischaracterizes our holding, we must emphasize that we did not hold in Fierro, Lopez, and Walden, and do not hold today, that prior convictions for first degree murder under A.R.S. § 13-1105, second degree murder committed with an intentional or knowing mens rea under § 13-1104(A), manslaughter committed with a mens rea of intentional or knowing under § 13-1103, assault committed with an intentional or knowing mens rea under § 13-1203, aggravated assault committed with an intentional or knowing mens rea under § 13-1204, sexual abuse under § 13-1404, or sexual assault under § 13-1406 cannot be an aggravating circumstance under former § 13-703(F)(2). [7] Hedlund's prior conviction is not disqualified merely because the statutory definition of the crime permits it to be committed with a reckless mental state. It is disqualified because the instructions and the non-specific form of verdict used in his case did not narrow the mental state of the charge; thus, it is possible that his conviction was based on a reckless mental state. Had Hedlund's instructions or form of verdict specified that the mental state for his second degree murder conviction was based on either an intentional or knowing mens rea, the conviction would have qualified, regardless of the fact that the crime's statutory definition allows for conviction under a lesser mental state. Walden, 183 Ariz. at 617, 905 P.2d at 996 (sufficiently specific jury instructions made kidnapping charge one that satisfied definition of violence). For reasons quite unclear, the dissent also insists on expanding our holding. To prevent confusion, we restate that holding. Under Gillies, Fierro, Lopez, and Walden, prior convictions obtained by a procedure such as was followed in this case, so that they could have been based on conduct that was merely reckless or negligent, do not qualify under § 13-703(F)(2) as prior crimes of violence. Convictions obtained under statutes criminalizing conduct that was intentional or knowing, and by a procedure establishing that the conviction was based on one of these levels of culpability, can qualify. Thus, defendants who committed prior crimes, including first and second degree murder, manslaughter, aggravated assault, robbery, and a host of others, while acting intentionally or knowingly, can be death eligible; those defendants who acted only recklessly or negligently are not. We neither expand on Fierro, Lopez, and Walden nor retreat from them. In this opinion there is only an independent review as required by statute and application of settled law; there is neither syllogism, major premise, nor minor premise. See dissent at 41-42. The state, aware of our duty of independent review and well aware of the Fierro/Walden rule, made no request in this proceeding that these cases be overruled. The dissent argues we should do so sua sponte. We refuse. As the dissent says, advocacy has its limits. Dissent at 589, 917 P.2d at 1236. One final point. The dissent accuses the court of opening the floodgates for Rule 32 petitions. We invite no petitions based on the dissent's construction of this opinion. As noted, we go no further than Fierro, decided six years ago. Any flood caused by that decision has failed to reach our court. 4. Pecuniary gain Simply receiving profit as the result of a murder is not enough to satisfy the requirements of § 13-703(F)(5), but killing for the purpose of financial gain is sufficient. See State v. White, 168 Ariz. 500, 511, 815 P.2d 869, 880 (1991), cert. denied, 502 U.S. 1105, 112 S.Ct. 1199, 117 L.Ed.2d 439 (1992). Both of these murders were committed in the course of an ongoing burglary spree. The purpose of the burglaries was to find cash or property to fence. Items stolen from the McClain residence were in fact sold. Clearly, the evidence of pecuniary gain as the primary, if not sole, purpose of the murders is overwhelming and inescapable. Thus, we affirm the finding that Hedlund murdered for pecuniary gain. 5. Reweighing We have concluded that the trial judge erred in finding Hedlund had a prior conviction for a felony involving violence and agree with the finding of the (F)(5) aggravating circumstance. Therefore, we reweigh the aggravating and mitigating circumstances. See Bible, 175 Ariz. at 606-09, 858 P.2d at 1209-12. Because the judge did not improperly exclude mitigating evidence at sentencing and the mitigating evidence is not of great weight, this case is appropriate for reweighing by this court rather than remanding to the trial court. State v. King, 180 Ariz. 268, 288, 883 P.2d 1024, 1044 (1994), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 116 S.Ct. 215, 133 L.Ed.2d 146 (1995). In our reweighing, we must decide whether the sole aggravator  pecuniary gain  outweighs the mitigating circumstances discussed above or whether those mitigators are sufficiently substantial to call for leniency. In comparison to the mitigating circumstances here, the quality of the aggravating circumstance is great. To apply a recent analogy, this is not the case of a convenience store robbery gone bad but, rather, one in which pecuniary gain was the catalyst for the entire chain of events leading to the murders. The possibility of murder was discussed and recognized as being a fully acceptable contingency. See State v. Spears, 184 Ariz. 277, 908 P.2d 1062 (1996) (affirming death sentence where pecuniary gain was only aggravator, and military service and lack of significant prior criminal record were only mitigators). [8] As in Spears, this is a case in which Defendants deliberately and unnecessarily killed to accomplish the burglary. We have encountered pecuniary gain as the sole aggravator in other cases [9] in which the death penalty was not imposed, but the quality of Hedlund's conduct in this case certainly gives great weight to the aggravating circumstance. We therefore believe that the aggravating circumstance of pecuniary gain clearly outweighs the minimal mitigating evidence. 6. The special verdict Hedlund claims that the trial judge's failure to issue a written special verdict, separate from the special verdict read into the record at the time of sentencing, violates A.R.S. § 13-703(D) and requires resentencing. We disagree. This court has stated that the better practice is for the trial court to place the special verdict on the record, which the judge in this case did by reading it in open court, on the record. State v. Hill, 174 Ariz. 313, 330, 848 P.2d 1375, 1392, cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 114 S.Ct. 268, 126 L.Ed.2d 219 (1993); State v. Wallace, 160 Ariz. 424, 427, 773 P.2d 983, 986 (1989), cert. denied, 494 U.S. 1047, 110 S.Ct. 1513, 108 L.Ed.2d 649 (1990). State v. Beaty, 158 Ariz. 232, 246, 762 P.2d 519, 533 (1988), cert. denied, 491 U.S. 910, 109 S.Ct. 3200, 105 L.Ed.2d 708 (1989); There is no allegation that the transcript is inaccurate or that any prejudice resulted from the verdict being read into the record rather than filed separately. Neither the text of A.R.S. § 13-703(D) nor the cases construing it require a separately filed, written special verdict. State v. McKinney CLAIMS OF TRIAL ERROR A. The courtroom layout McKinney claims that the courtroom layout, with Defendants facing the jurors, was intimidating and resulted in fundamental error requiring reversal. McKinney has not demonstrated any prejudice and provides no authority for his argument that there is a constitutional right to a standard American courtroom arrangement, and we decline to invent such a right. B. Denial of impeachment McKinney next claims that the trial judge erred in refusing to allow Lemon to be impeached with a prior felony conviction. This claim and the supporting argument duplicate Hedlund's claim regarding Lemon's juvenile record. The only difference is that McKinney attempts to characterize it as a prior felony conviction. We reject McKinney's argument on this issue for the same reasons we did in Hedlund's case. C. The expert status of witnesses The state called several witnesses with expertise in areas such as fingerprinting, forensic pathology, and other specialized fields. After counsel established a proper foundation, the witnesses were submitted to the court as experts. [10] There was no objection to this submission at trial, but on appeal McKinney contends that the judge conferred expert status on the witnesses, thus making an improper comment on the evidence. McKinney argues that the judge has no business telling jurors who he believes should be considered an expert [because] [t]hat decision is the jury's. As we have previously stated, the primary concern in admitting so-called expert testimony is whether the subject matter of the testimony is beyond the common experience of people of ordinary education, so that the opinions of experts would assist the trier of fact. State v. Dixon, 153 Ariz. 151, 155, 735 P.2d 761, 765 (1987). Whether a witness is competent to testify as an expert is a matter primarily for the trial court and largely within its discretion. Id. Here, the witnesses' credentials and qualifications to give such testimony were established, the prosecutor submitted the witnesses as experts, and after defense counsel stated they had no objection, the judge allowed them to give factual and opinion testimony in their respective subject areas. The witnesses' testimony concerned technical and scientific subjects beyond the common experience of people of ordinary education. Thus, we find no abuse of discretion in the judge's admission of the witnesses' opinion testimony. We do not recommend, however, the process of submitting a witness as an expert. The trial judge does not decide whether the witness is actually an expert but only whether the witness is qualified as an expert by knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education ... [to] testify ... in the form of an opinion or otherwise. Ariz.R.Evid. 702. By submitting the witness as an expert in the presence of the jury, counsel may make it appear that he or she is seeking the judge's endorsement that the witness is to be considered an expert. The trial judge, of course, does not endorse the witness's status but only determines whether a sufficient foundation has been laid in terms of qualification for the witness to give opinion or technical testimony. See United States v. Bartley, 855 F.2d 547, 552 (8th Cir.1988) (Although it is for the court to determine whether a witness is qualified to testify as an expert, there is no requirement that the court specifically make that finding in open court upon proffer of the offering party). In our view, the trial judge should discourage procedures that may make it appear that the court endorses the expert status of the witness. The strategic value of the process is quite apparent but entirely improper. Suppose, as is frequently the case, there are two experts with conflicting opinions. Is the trial judge to endorse them both or only one? In our view, the answer is neither. The trial judge is only to determine whether one or the other or both are qualified to give opinion or technical evidence. Such an offer and finding [of expert status] by the Court might influence the jury in its evaluation of the expert and the better procedure is to avoid an acknowledgement of the witnesses' expertise by the Court. Id. Thus, we disapprove of the procedure followed in this case. However, no objection was made, and the issue falls far short of fundamental error. See State v. Gendron, 168 Ariz. 153, 154, 812 P.2d 626, 627 (1991). D. The verdict The gravamen of McKinney's argument on this point is that the failure to announce the verdict orally in his presence violated his right to a public and open trial under art. II, §§ 11 and 24 of the Arizona Constitution and the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The two juries were not sequestered, so it was possible that the deliberations of one could continue well past the verdict and discharge of the other. To ensure that the jury that deliberated longer would not be influenced by the first jury's verdict, the procedure for this dual jury trial worked as follows: When McKinney's jury returned its verdict, the form was taken by the bailiff to the clerk, who read it silently and recorded it. McKinney was present to observe this process, as were the attorneys for both defendants. After the attorneys were called to the bench to review the verdict, the bailiff gave the verdict forms to the jurors, who were polled in McKinney's presence to ensure that the returned verdict was that which they had voted for, but the actual verdict was not orally announced. McKinney's jury was then dismissed. When Hedlund's jury later reached its verdict, that verdict was announced in the normal course, following which the clerk read aloud the previously returned verdict for McKinney. While McKinney was present for the return of his verdict, he was then sent back to jail for security reasons; neither he nor his jury was present when his verdict was subsequently read aloud following the reading of Hedlund's verdict. McKinney argues that because he was not present when his jury's verdict was orally announced, his verdict was a secret verdict, denying his rights to due process, open justice, and a public trial in violation of an assortment of constitutional provisions and court rules. On appeal, McKinney asks this court to believe that despite the fact his attorney read the verdict and the jury was polled while he sat in court, his rights were violated because he did not know, and his lawyer did not tell him, that he had been convicted of first degree murder. We decline to indulge in such fantasy. McKinney also argues that the procedure outlined above did not constitute the return of an actual verdict. We disagree. Our rules require that verdicts shall be in writing, signed by the foreman, and returned to the judge in open court. Ariz.R.Crim.P. 23.1(a). McKinney had an open and public trial, as required by the Arizona and United States Constitutions. The verdict was in writing, signed by the foreman, and returned to the judge in open court, as required by our Rules of Criminal Procedure. McKinney was present at all times, including the return of the verdict and polling of the jury. This is all he is entitled to by law. Therefore, we reject McKinney's claim of error regarding the verdict procedure. SENTENCING ISSUES A. The special verdict This claim, and the supporting argument, duplicates Hedlund's claim regarding the absence of a written special verdict. As in Hedlund's sentencing, the judge read McKinney's special verdict in open court and it was made part of the record. We reject McKinney's claim of error on this point for the same reasons we rejected Hedlund's claim. B. The mitigating value of childhood abuse McKinney asserts that executing him would be cruel and unusual punishment because his childhood abuse caused him to commit murder. McKinney offered evidence from several witnesses that he, like Hedlund, endured a terrible childhood. The judge found as a fact that McKinney had an abusive childhood. Here again, the record shows that the judge gave full consideration to McKinney's childhood and the expert testimony regarding the effects of that childhood, specifically the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Assuming the diagnoses were correct, the judge found that none of the experts testified to, and none of the evidence showed, that such conditions in any way significantly impaired McKinney's ability to conform his conduct to the law. The judge noted that McKinney was competent enough to have engaged in extensive and detailed pre-planning of the crimes. McKinney's expert testified that persons with PTSD tended to avoid engaging in stressful situations, such as these burglaries and murders, which are likely to trigger symptoms of the syndrome. The judge observed that McKinney's conduct in engaging in the crimes was counter to the behavior McKinney's expert described as expected for people with PTSD. As we noted in discussing Hedlund's claim on this same issue, a difficult family background, including childhood abuse, does not necessarily have substantial mitigating weight absent a showing that it significantly affected or impacted the defendant's ability to perceive, comprehend, or control his actions. See State v. Ross, 180 Ariz. 598, 607, 886 P.2d 1354, 1363 (1994), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 116 S.Ct. 210, 133 L.Ed.2d 142 (1995). The record clearly shows that the judge considered McKinney's abusive childhood and its impact on his behavior and ability to conform his conduct and found it insufficiently mitigating to call for leniency. On this record there was no error. DISPOSITION Having considered all claims made by Defendants and concluding they are all without merit, and having independently reviewed the record in both cases for fundamental error and finding none, the convictions and sentences of Defendants are affirmed in all respects.