Opinion ID: 2382857
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 15

Heading: Precedent-Seeking Approach

Text: We turn now to the precedent-seeking comparison of defendant's death sentence with those imposed in similar cases, considering both the crime and the defendant. N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3e. In his well-reasoned brief, the Public Defender has challenged the Master's conclusion that in terms of moral blameworthiness Marshall exceeds that found in the three other 4e cases, and as far as we can determine, all other cases in our universe of New Jersey cases. Marshall Report, supra, at 12. In particular, the Public Defender questions the Master's reliance on what he perceives to be a subjective evaluation that because adultery is so morally blameworthy, Marshall's crime is viewed as more reprehensible than, for example, the killing of a wife and a child solely for insurance proceeds when another woman is not involved. He challenges, as well, the Master's reliance on Robert Marshall's double life  plotting [his wife's] death and sleeping with his paramour while living and sleeping with his wife and pretending that all was well as giving an additional aggravating edge to the case. Id. at 1314 & n. 13. In addition, he questions the reliance on a total lack of remorse for his crime, id. at 14, as inconsistent with defendant's right to assert his innocence. We share some of the Public Defender's concerns. In this section we evaluate Marshall's case on the basis of objective characteristics by comparing cases that appear to be found within familiar sentencing patterns. For purposes of analysis, we proceed along the lines set forth in the Public Defender's brief and identify the cases and characteristics that bear on Marshall's relative blameworthiness. We use primarily the Public Defender's factual description of the cases; some of those are more fully set forth in the appendices to the Final Report. At least one of the cases is on appeal before us so we give no stamp of approval to those factual versions but give to defendant the benefit of his view of the facts. 1. First-time murderers of spouses. The Public Defender asserts that among comparable first-time offenders who murdered their wives and who cannot plead excuse for lack of education and intelligence, only Robert Marshall received a death sentence. We consider each of those cases.