Opinion ID: 1945963
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Indictments and Guilt-Phase Proceeding

Text: A Sussex County grand jury indicted defendant, charging him with second-degree conspiracy to commit murder, first-degree robbery, and second-degree burglary (count one); purposeful or knowing murder of Giordano by his own conduct (counts two through five); purposeful or knowing murder of Gallara as an accomplice (counts six through nine); first-degree armed robbery (count ten); second-degree burglary (count eleven); felony murder of Giordano (count twelve); felony murder of Gallara (count thirteen); second-degree possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose (count fourteen); third-degree unlawful possession of a handgun (count fifteen); and third-degree hindering apprehension or prosecution (count sixteen). In a separate indictment related to the crimes allegedly committed at the sporting goods store, the grand jury charged defendant with third-degree burglary (count one), and third-degree theft by unlawful taking (count two). In seeking the death penalty, the State informed defendant that it would establish that the murder of Giordano was outrageously or wantonly vile, horrible, or inhumane in that it involved depravity of mind, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3c(4)(c) (the depravity-of-mind aggravating factor), and that the murder was committed while defendant was engaged in the commission of a murder or robbery, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3c(4)(g)(the felony-murder aggravating factor). In accordance with N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3c, defendant was not eligible for the death penalty for the Gallara murder because he did not commit the homicidal act by his own conduct. (As revealed by the forensic evidence, Vreeland fired the fatal shot that caused Gallara's death.) Defendant pleaded not guilty to all charges. The guilt phase of defendant's trial was conducted from April 5, 1999, to April 23, 1999. The State presented overwhelming evidence of defendant's guilt. Jason Kelly, a friend of defendant, testified that prior to the commission of the homicides, he gave defendant bullets for a .45 caliber pistol at defendant's request. Christine Slater also testified. She informed the jury about her conversation with defendant in which defendant had stated that he wanted to join the Mafia and be a hitman, that he thought it would be easier to get into the mob if he killed someone, and that he wanted to be a Navy S.E.A.L. Defendant shared with Slater his plan to kill a pizza delivery person by having a pizza delivered to a remote area, which would allow defendant to kill the delivery person and steal that person's vehicle. Defendant also admitted to Slater that he had burglarized the sporting goods store. Michael Conklin testified about the Adventure Sports burglary in addition to defendant's plan to rob and shoot a delivery person. (Defendant had apparently asked Conklin to participate in the robbery and shooting along with Vreeland.) Conklin also stated that following the killings, defendant bragged that he and Vreeland ordered a pizza for delivery to Scott Road and murdered the victims. Conklin also testified that after shaking defendant's hand, defendant asked him, [H]ow does it feel to shake the hand of a killer[?] That testimony was consistent with the State's theory that defendant committed the crimes to experience the thrill of killing. The State also presented Scott Road resident Stephen Madden as a witness. Madden testified that on the evening of April 19, 1997, the date of the killings, sometime before 10:00 p.m., he observed a blue Chevrolet Cavalier with a loud muffler drive past his home. Madden also testified that he saw the same automobile drive past his home a second time about fifteen to twenty minutes later. The State presented the testimony of two other Scott Road residents who described seeing an automobile with a loud muffler and one headlight on Scott Road the night of the murders. Several individuals who were present at Dunkin' Donuts on April 19, 1997, identified defendant as one of two young men they saw using the pay phone that evening. A telephone company representative testified that on that date, between 9:58 p.m. and 10:06 p.m., calls were placed from the Dunkin' Donuts pay phone to Tony's Pizza and other restaurants. The witness testified that a second call was placed to Tony's Pizza from the same phone. As corroborating witnesses, employees from Tony's Pizza and other restaurants testified about delivery orders that they had received that evening. An employee from one pizzeria testified that after he told the caller that he was unsure if his restaurant delivered to Scott Road, the caller became very persistent in trying to convince him to make the delivery (for example, the caller promised to give an extra tip for a completed delivery). A patrolman from the Franklin Borough Police Department, the first officer to arrive on the scene, described finding Giordano's automobile as well as the two bodies lying on the ground and a large amount of blood outside and inside the automobile. A detective from the State Police testified about finding six spent .45 caliber shell casings on the road in front of the abandoned house, and one spent shell casing in the front passenger seat of the automobile. Dr. Michael Dunne, the Sussex County Medical Examiner, conducted autopsies of the victims and testified about their injuries. Dr. Dunne described two wounds from the bullets that entered the right side of Giordano's neck and exited the left side, explaining that those bullets killed Giordano instantly. Dr. Dunne also found two entry wounds in Giordano's left knee and recovered two .45 caliber bullets from the knee. Because the wounds in Giordano's neck and knee were similar, Dr. Dunne concluded that Giordano had been struck in both locations with .45 caliber bullets. Gallara suffered five gunshot wounds, including a graze wound across his nose, two wounds on his right elbow, and a wound on the right side of his face made by a large caliber bullet. Dr. Dunne concluded that a .22 caliber bullet that entered the back of Gallara's head was the fatal shot. The State also presented evidence recovered from defendant's home during the early morning hours of April 21, 1997. The police found five strips of paper taped to the wall above a coat hook in defendant's bedroom. Those papers contained these handwritten words: Weapon's spot. Anyone else, we all kill you. Joe's spot. Anybody else, he kill you too. Tom's spot. Anybody else, he kill you too. Jason's spot, anybody else, I kill you. Cocoa Puff's spot, I'll kill you. The police also seized two empty .22 caliber cartridge boxes, a gym photo identification card of Gallara, fourteen gun magazines, a price list for crime-related items (such as fake I.D. cards and literature promoting credit card fraud), and violent writings that appeared to be song lyrics. A detective from the prosecutor's office read the lyrics to the jury: About killing, people, you can kill by [illegible]. On by guns, one night you break in, somebody home. And you take their money and kill by drive [illegible] down the road and shout, and shouting. By the big heads. The Best. Outside the house, near the front porch, the police recovered a bag that contained the .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol, the.22 caliber revolver, and blood-stained khaki pants. The police also recovered other bags that contained clothes, paperwork, an empty wallet later identified as Gallara's, and a pair of black gloves. The State presented a DNA expert who testified that she found a match between Giordano's blood and the blood on the khaki pants seized from outside defendant's home. The expert further explained that she found a match between blood located on defendant's coat, which he was wearing when arrested, and the blood of Giordano and Gallara. The expert also testified that Gallara was the dominant contributor to blood found on the black gloves. The State also produced evidence recovered from a stream near Scott Road, including a shirt, receipts from Tony's Pizza, a guest check, an identification card with Gallara's name on it, and Gallara's driver's license. Detective Repsha testified regarding defendant's statement that chronicled his actions. The jury also heard the audio tape of that statement, in which defendant confessed his role in the killings. Defense counsel presented the testimony of several witnesses, including Jason Kelly, defendant's friend, who testified that the strips of paper taken from defendant's bedroom were a joke based on the movie Stripes. Florence Morgan, Conklin's mother, testified that she saw defendant at approximately 8:00 p.m. on April 19, 1997, the night of the murders, and that he seemed anxious and nervous. Kimberly Prestidge, defendant's girlfriend, testified that when defendant and Vreeland returned to defendant's home at approximately 11:30 p.m. on April 19, 1997, they were wrecked and falling all over the place. Prestidge also testified that after defendant and Vreeland returned to defendant's home, she found a five dollar bill in Vreeland's wallet, that there had not been any bills in his wallet earlier in the day, and that the next morning she saw that Vreeland had $170. Defendant himself did not testify. The defense also presented the testimony of Dr. Frederick Rotgers, an expert in clinical psychology with particular expertise in substance abuse. Dr. Rotgers found no evidence that defendant had any severe mental illness, psychosis, or depression. However, Dr. Rotgers detailed defendant's history of drug and alcohol abuse, especially defendant's use of Fiorcet. The expert concluded that defendant had a substance-abuse disorder, that at the time of the offenses he was under the influence of Fiorcet, and that, based on defendant's use of that drug, his capacity to commit the offenses knowingly and purposely was significantly diminished. In rebuttal, the State called Dr. Azariah Eshkenazi, an expert in forensic psychiatry, to testify. Dr. Eshkenazi disagreed with Dr. Rotgers's conclusion, noting that defendant's memory of the events was excellent. Dr. Eshkenazi concluded that defendant's ability to act with knowledge and purpose was not affected by his use of Fiorcet. The jury found defendant guilty of purposeful or knowing murder of Giordano, felony murder of Giordano, purposeful or knowing murder of Gallara, felony murder of Gallara, first-degree robbery, and possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose. The jury also convicted defendant on the burglary and theft charges related to the crimes committed at the sporting goods store. Jayson Vreeland was tried separately. The State did not seek the death penalty against Vreeland because he was a juvenile at the time of the murders. N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3g.