Opinion ID: 1059489
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Evidence Adduced During Penalty Phase

Text: During the penalty phase of the trial, the Commonwealth presented evidence regarding the defendant's future dangerousness and the vileness of his crime. The Commonwealth introduced the defendant's prior convictions for possession of a firearm after being convicted of a felony and breaking and entering. The Commonwealth also relied upon evidence that it presented in the guilt phase of the trial. The defendant offered evidence in mitigation of his offense. Martin Rogozinski, a psychologist employed at the Augusta Correctional Center, testified that he spoke with the defendant soon after Parker was murdered and that it was Rogozinski's opinion that the defendant had murdered Parker based solely on a religious conviction. The defendant testified during the penalty phase. He stated that he was a practicing member of the Asatru religion. According to the defendant, several inmates had approached him and asked him to construct an Asatru group, but his efforts to do so were thwarted by Parker. The defendant testified that on the evening of the murder, he planned to perform an Asatru ceremony in the meeting room. The defendant recited poetic literature and then asked Parker to approach an altar. The defendant testified that I called [Parker] up to the altar and I asked  and I said to him, `It's been a long, hard path between us.' And [Parker] said, `Yes, it is.' And I pulled the knife out of my pocket. And I said, `Are you trying to take it to the next step?' Arid he said, `Yes, I am.' And so I stabbed him. The defendant admitted that he did not like Parker, that he had planned to kill Parker that day, and that he had threatened others in the meeting room with the knife. The defendant presented the testimony of Gary Lee Bass, the Chief of Operations at the Virginia Department of Corrections and Jerry Wayne Armentrout, the Assistant Warden of Operations at the Red Onion State Prison. Bass and Armentrout testified about prison life and the security conditions that the defendant would encounter at a Virginia maximum security correctional facility if he were sentenced to life imprisonment. Two officers assigned to the Augusta Correctional Center testified that the defendant had never given them any problems while he was under their supervision. Patricia Daley Lenz, the defendant's mother, testified about his childhood and family interaction. She stated that the defendant's biological father was absent during much of the defendant's early childhood and that the defendant's adoptive father was very strict and favored his biological child.