Opinion ID: 1711117
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 12

Heading: Whether Counsel was Ineffective for Failure to Object to Form of the Verdict

Text: ¶ 26. Miss.Code Ann. § 99-19-101(3) (1994) provides that, in order for a jury to impose a death sentence, it must unanimously find in writing: (1) that the defendant actually killed, attempted to kill, or intended that a killing take place; (2) that the capital offense was committed during the commission of another enumerated felony; and (3) that there are insufficient mitigating circumstances to outweigh the aggravating circumstances. When the jury first returned from deliberations, the trial judge determined that their verdict was not in proper form and asked them to retire for the purpose of correcting the form of the verdict. The trial judge directed that they make the required statutory findings pursuant to the trial court's initial instructions. I'm going to ask you to retire and go over Instruction Number 2 as to the form of the verdict again. I don't believe this is exactly in the lawful form. I'm going to ask you to look at particularly the second paragraph. You're to make certain findings, and you did not make them. So. I'm going to ask you to go back in and take from number 2. Defense counsel made no objection at the time, and Brown now claims this to be ineffective assistance of counsel. This Court has previously held that a trial court's oral instruction to the jury to reform its verdict is not error. Taylor v. State, 672 So.2d 1246, 1274 (Miss.1996). In that case, the jury had not made a specific finding as to the presence or absence of aggravating factors, and the trial judge instructed in order make clear their findings. Defense counsel objected on grounds that the trial judge was instructing the jury to find aggravating circumstances. The objection was overruled, and the issue was rejected by this Court on direct appeal. ¶ 27. Further, Miss. Unif. R. Cir. Ct. Prac. 5.14 (as it existed at the time of trial) provided that if a verdict was so defective that the jury's intent could not be determined, then the court shall, with proper instructions, direct the jurors to reconsider the verdict. In the present case, the trial judge properly instructed the jury to return for the purpose of making the verdict comply with the statute. Trial counsel was not ineffective for failing to object to the instruction. This issue is without merit.