Opinion ID: 867372
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Scope of rebuttal

Text: ¶ 41 Pandeli argues that the trial court erred by allowing the State to introduce irrelevant and prejudicial dump-truck aggravation in rebuttal to the defense mitigation case. [3] We review for abuse of discretion evidentiary rulings to which an objection was made. McGill, 213 Ariz. at 156, ¶ 40, 140 P.3d at 939. ¶ 42 The penalty phase relevance analysis differs from a normal relevance analysis because the Rules of Evidence do not apply in the penalty phase of a capital case. A.R.S. § 13-703(C) (Supp.2006). Instead, A.R.S. § 13-703.01(G) sets forth the scope of rebuttal evidence: [T]he state may present any evidence that demonstrates that the defendant should not be shown leniency. ¶ 43 The Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, however, places limitations on rebuttal evidence. Hampton, 213 Ariz. at 179, ¶ 48, 140 P.3d at 962 (citing Payne v. Tennessee, 501 U.S. 808, 825, 111 S.Ct. 2597, 115 L.Ed.2d 720 (1991) (holding that unfairly prejudicial evidence may be excluded if it renders the proceeding fundamentally unfair)). We have therefore cautioned trial courts to exercise discretion in admitting penalty phase evidence: Trial courts can and should exclude evidence that is either irrelevant to the thrust of the defendant's mitigation or otherwise unfairly prejudicial. Nothing in our death penalty statutes strips courts of their authority to exclude evidence in the penalty phase if any probative value is substantially outweighed by the prejudicial nature of the evidence. Trial courts should not allow the penalty phase to devolve into a limitless and standardless assault on the defendant's character and history. Rather, trial judges should exercise their broad discretion in evaluating the relevance of such bad acts evidence to any mitigation evidence offered. Id. at 180, ¶ 51, 140 P.3d at 963 (citing McGill, 213 Ariz. at 156-57, ¶ 40, 140 P.3d at 939-40). A judge's analysis in determining the relevance of rebuttal evidence involves fundamentally the same considerations as relevance and prejudice determinations under Arizona Rules of Evidence 401 and 403. McGill, 213 Ariz. at 157, ¶ 40, 140 P.3d at 940.
¶ 44 Pandeli argues that the trial court abused its discretion by admitting the testimony of two of his former girlfriends. Because he did not object below, we review for fundamental error. Henderson, 210 Ariz. at 567, ¶ 19, 115 P.3d at 607. Pandeli must show error going to the foundation of the case and resulting prejudice. Id. at ¶¶ 19-20, 115 P.3d 601. ¶ 45 Both women testified about Pandeli's aggressive sexual behavior and violent fantasies. The State offered the evidence to rebut testimony by Pandeli's mental health experts that he was impulsive as a result of mental impairment. Pandeli's former girlfriends' testimony rebutted his mental health mitigation because it tended to show that the murders were not committed impulsively, but were instead part of a pattern of escalating sexual violence. ¶ 46 Pandeli also introduced extensive testimony of his good behavior in prison and his lack of future dangerousness. The testimony of the girlfriends rebutted Pandeli's future dangerousness mitigation and tended to show that he should not be shown leniency. ¶ 47 We conclude that the evidence was relevant and that the prejudicial impact of the description of Pandeli's sexual behavior and violent fantasies did not outweigh the probative value of the evidence. There was no fundamental error.
¶ 48 Pandeli also claims that the trial court improperly allowed one former girlfriend to testify that Pandeli molested her daughter. Pandeli's counsel argued that this evidence was admissible; therefore, we must review for fundamental error. Id. at ¶ 19, 115 P.3d at 607. ¶ 49 The witness testified that one night, when Pandeli was drunk, he crawled into her four-year-old daughter's bed and molested her. She also testified about the impact of that abuse on her daughter's life. This testimony was damaging. ¶ 50 We conclude that there was no reversible error, however, because Pandeli invited the error. At trial, the court asked whether Pandeli's counsel objected to the child molestation testimony and he explicitly stated that he did not. He agreed that the testimony was admissible other act evidence. This court has long held that `a defendant who invited error at trial may not then assign the same as error on appeal.' Moody, 208 Ariz. at 453, ¶ 111, 94 P.3d at 1148 (quoting State v. Endreson, 109 Ariz. 117, 122, 506 P.2d 248, 253 (1973)). Pandeli therefore may not assert error on this point on appeal.
¶ 51 Pandeli next argues that the trial court abused its discretion when it allowed the State to introduce the underlying facts of the Humphreys murder, because such evidence was irrelevant, prejudicial, and cumulative. Evidence regarding the Humphreys murder was presented through the testimony of Dr. Keen, the county medical examiner, and Detectives Gregory and Rea, to demonstrate that Pandeli did not deserve to be shown leniency. ¶ 52 All of the testimony presented by the State was relevant. The facts of Humphreys' brutal murder demonstrated that Pandeli was not entitled to leniency. See A.R.S. § 13-703.01(G). Furthermore, the fact that Pandeli murdered two women in a similar, savage fashion rebutted his mental health mitigation by tending to show that he did not act impulsively. Moreover, one of Pandeli's experts, Dr. Cunningham, relied on the facts of the Humphreys murder to support his opinion of Pandeli's mental health. Cf. Johnson, 212 Ariz. at 435-36, ¶¶ 36-40, 133 P.3d at 745-46 (holding that trial court did not abuse its discretion in allowing into evidence videotape that assisted jury in determining the credibility and accuracy of an expert's diagnosis). Finally, none of the evidence was cumulative because each witness provided different information about the murder. ¶ 53 The fact that the evidence was relevant does not end our analysis; we must also determine whether the evidence was unfairly prejudicial. Smith, 215 Ariz. at ___, ¶ 54, 159 P.3d at 542 (citing Hampton, 213 Ariz. at 179, ¶ 48, 140 P.3d at 962). Although damaging to Pandeli, none of the testimony was unduly prejudicial. The witnesses simply provided details of the crime scene and described Humphreys' injuries. The trial court therefore did not abuse its discretion in admitting this testimony.
¶ 54 Pandeli argues that photographs relating to the Humphreys murder were improperly admitted because he did not contest any of the facts of the murder, and thus the photographs were irrelevant and unduly prejudicial. [4] Pandeli objects to exhibits 218-246, 248-250, and several photographs that were never admitted into evidence. We do not address the photographs that were not admitted. The photographs that were admitted into evidence show where Humphreys' body was found, her body at the crime scene, the severe defensive wounds to her hands, her slit throat, a moon-shaped knife wound on her chest, a different wound on her chest, wounds on her back, and a photograph of the folder in which the photographs were kept by the police. ¶ 55 The photographs shown to the jury were relevant to corroborate the testimony of the detectives and the medical examiner concerning the Humphreys murder. See Hampton, 213 Ariz. at 173, ¶ 20, 140 P.3d at 956 (stating that photos demonstrating the nature and the placement of the victims' injuries were relevant to corroborate the testimony of the State's witnesses). They were also relevant because they rebutted Pandeli's mitigation evidence. The photographs allowed the jury to see the similarities between the two murders, and they assisted the jurors in deciding whether Pandeli was entitled to a sentence more lenient than death. Additionally, they tended to show that Pandeli did not commit the Iler murder impulsively and that he might pose a future danger to others if not sentenced to death. ¶ 56 The photographs were not so prejudicial as to render Pandeli's trial fundamentally unfair. Exhibits 218-219, 232-234, and 246 do not show Humphreys' body. And although the photos of Humphreys' body are somewhat gruesome, the jurors likely were not unduly shocked in light of the detectives' and medical examiner's testimony regarding Humphreys' injuries and the fact that the jurors had seen the photographs of Holly Iler's body during the aggravation phase. See McGill, 213 Ariz. at 155, ¶ 32, 140 P.3d at 938. Moreover, the trial court carefully examined the photographs and excluded photos that were cumulative or unduly prejudicial. The trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting the Humphreys murder photographs.
¶ 57 Pandeli also claims that the trial court abused its discretion when it allowed Lavora Humphreys, Teresa Humphreys' sister, to testify because her testimony was cumulative, irrelevant, and improper victim impact testimony. Lavora Humphreys testified about the clothing Teresa was wearing the last time Lavora saw her, that Teresa never carried a knife, that she did not know how to drive, and that she had no major injuries before she was killed. Lavora also described the position of Teresa's body at the crime scene and stated that we didn't want Teresa to leave and she left, and a couple occurrences happened before she was walking out the door. ¶ 58 With the exception of the statement that she didn't want [Teresa] to leave, none of Lavora's testimony was victim impact testimony. The single improper statement was interrupted by defense counsel's objection, and Lavora was not allowed to describe the occurrences that she mentioned. Lavora's testimony was also not cumulative because the information she provided was not previously given by Detectives Gregory or Rea or by Dr. Keen. Her testimony was, however, mostly irrelevant and did not provide any important facts of the crime. ¶ 59 Although minimally probative, the trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting Lavora's testimony because it was also minimally prejudicial. See Cañez, 202 Ariz. at 154, ¶ 67, 42 P.3d at 585 (finding no abuse of discretion where evidence was both minimally probative and minimally prejudicial). We conclude that there was no error with regard to Lavora Humphreys' testimony.
¶ 60 Pandeli also argues that the trial court abused its discretion by allowing the State to admit a pamphlet entitled Battered Relationships. This document, however, was neither admitted into evidence nor discussed in front of the jury. Consequently, no error occurred.