Opinion ID: 1770491
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 13

Heading: Capital Murder Statute is Unconstitutional

Text: For his last point, Mr. Isom claims that the capital murder statute is unconstitutional on its face and as applied, because there is no guidance provided in Ark.Code Ann. §§ 5-10-101 (capital murder) and -102 (first-degree murder) as to which statute applies in a homicide case. Accordingly, he maintains that the capital murder statute is void for vagueness and overlaps with the first-degree murder statute. Moreover, he argues that the statute wrongly places the decision of which charge to pursue in the hands of the prosecutor, which necessarily leads to inconsistent charges and convictions in different judicial districts based on the same facts. Thus, he maintains disparate treatment of defendants results, all of which is in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution. This argument was not made to the circuit judge and as a result does not qualify for this court's review. Nor does it qualify, in our judgment, under the Wicks exception as a matter integral to the jury's assessment of the death penalty. Furthermore, this issue has been raised and dismissed by this court numerous times. See, e.g., Hill v. State, 344 Ark. 216, 40 S.W.3d 751 (2001); Echols v. State, 326 Ark. 917, 936 S.W.2d 509 (1996), cert. denied, 520 U.S. 1244, 117 S.Ct. 1853, 137 L.Ed.2d 1055 (1997); Jones v. State, 328 Ark. 307, 942 S.W.2d 851 (1997). The record in this case has been reviewed for reversible error as required by Supreme Court Rule 4-3(h), Arkansas Code Annotated § 16-91-113(a)(1987), and Arkansas Rules of Appellate Procedure  Criminal, Rule 10, and none has been found. Affirmed. CORBIN, J., not participating.