Opinion ID: 1058506
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Instruction to Jury Regarding Mitigating Factors

Text: The defendant complains of the following instruction regarding consideration of mitigating evidence: Any other mitigating factor which is raised by the evidence produced by either the prosecution or defense at either the guilt or sentencing hearing; that is, you shall consider any aspect of the circumstances of the offense favorable to the defendant which is supported by the evidence. The defendant asserts that by failing to instruct the jury that it may also consider any aspect of the defendant's character or record, this instruction erroneously limited the jury to mitigating evidence related to the circumstances of the offense, and, in effect, the jury was instructed not to consider any evidence related to the defendant's character or record. The language suggested by the defendant is in the pattern jury instruction but was inadvertently omitted by the trial court. See T.P.I. CRIM. 7.04(c) (4th ed.1995); see also id. (7th ed.2002). A jury instruction on mitigating circumstances may be found prejudicially erroneous only if `it fails to fairly submit the legal issues or if it misleads the jury as to the applicable law.' State v. Reid, 91 S.W.3d 247, app. at 308 (Tenn.2002) (quoting State v. Hodges, 944 S.W.2d 346, 352 (Tenn.), cert. denied, 522 U.S. 999, 118 S.Ct. 567, 139 L.Ed.2d 407 (1997)). In the instant case, we conclude that the instructions provided by the trial court when viewed in their entirety fairly submitted to the jury the legal issues. Accordingly, the omission in the trial court's instruction did not prejudice the defendant.