Opinion ID: 1220368
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Whether the sentence of death was imposed under the influence of passion, prejudice, or any other arbitrary factor.

Text: Lankford argues that the death penalty was imposed under the influence of passion, prejudice and other arbitrary factors. The basis for Lankford's claim is his assertion that the community where the defendant was tried was outraged by the crime and that it is reasonable to believe that the district court was affected by the community's mood and that this environment led to the arbitrary imposition of the death penalty. Contrary to Lankford's assertions, there is nothing in the record that indicates that the sentence of death was due to the influence of passion, prejudice or any other arbitrary factors. To the contrary, we find the trial was conducted in an error-free manner by a district court judge who sought every opportunity to provide Lankford with a fair trial. The jury instructions clearly informed the jury of the applicable law and the evidence presented at trial supports the jury's finding of two counts of first degree murder. The district court, after studying the presentence report and conducting an involved sentencing hearing in which the defendant produced witnesses and information favorable to his cause, made findings both in mitigation and in aggravation. In addition, the Court found numerous statutory aggravating circumstances as delineated under I.C. § 19-2515(g). [13] After laying the findings in mitigation and aggravation, the district court set forth extensive rationale for why the death penalty was imposed. This Court can find no error in the procedure followed by the district court in making its findings.