Opinion ID: 1938175
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: whether the errors and omissions of the trial judge at sentencing denied byrom of fundamental constitutional rights as guaranteed under the united states and mississippi constitutions.

Text: ¶ 40. Michelle Byrom next argues she was improperly sentenced by the trial judge to death, as Miss.Code Ann. Section 99-19-101 (Rev.2000) provides for sentencing only by a jury in capital cases. Section 99-19-101(1) states: Upon conviction or adjudication of guilt of a defendant of capital murder or other capital offense, the court shall conduct a separate sentencing proceeding to determine whether the defendant should be sentenced to death, life imprisonment without eligibility for parole, or life imprisonment. The proceeding shall be conducted by the trial judge before the trial jury as soon as practicable. If, through impossibility or inability, the trial jury is unable to reconvene for a hearing on the issue of penalty, having determined the guilt of the accused, the trial judge may summon a jury to determine the issue of the imposition of the penalty. If the trial jury has been waived, or if the defendant pleaded guilty, the sentencing proceeding shall be conducted before a jury impaneled for that purpose or may be conducted before the trial judge sitting without a jury if both the State of Mississippi and the defendant agree thereto in writing. In the proceeding, evidence may be presented as to any matter that the court deems relevant to sentence, and shall include matters relating to any of the aggravating or mitigating circumstances. However, this subsection shall not be construed to authorize the introduction of any evidence secured in violation of the Constitutions of the United States or of the State of Mississippi. The state and the defendant and/or his counsel shall be permitted to present arguments for or against the sentence of death. (Emphasis added). In Bishop v. State, 812 So.2d 934 (Miss.2002), this Court found the statutory requirement of a jury for sentencing in capital cases could be waived, even though the defendant exercised the right to a jury trial during the guilt phase. The State, in addition to citing Bishop, argues that Byrom did not raise this issue on direct appeal, and it is procedurally barred under Miss.Code Ann. Section 99-39-21(1). The State is correct. However, while Byrom is indeed procedurally barred from raising this issue in her PCR petition, procedural bar notwithstanding, we address the merits of this issue and state that our decision in Bishop clearly lays to rest the issue of whether a defendant being tried under our statutory sentencing scheme may waive a jury and defer to the trial judge as to the appropriate sentence upon a jury's finding of guilt as to capital murder. Clearly, a jury may be waived by a defendant upon a finding by the trial judge that the defendant's waiver is knowingly and intelligently made. Thus, Byrom's argument that the capital sentencing statute does not permit a waiver of a jury for sentencing purposes is without merit. ¶ 41. Byrom next argues that even if a waiver were possible in this situation, her waiver of a sentencing jury was not knowingly and intelligently made and therefore was not valid. She argues that the trial judge failed to advise her of the necessary proof and constitutional rights that would be affected prior to signing the waiver. Byrom argues she had a right to be informed of the constitutional rights she was waiving, the minimum and maximum sentences that could be given for the particular crime, and the elements of the charge against her, citing Spry v. State, 796 So.2d 229 (Miss.2001); Ward v. State, 708 So.2d 11 (Miss.1998); Washington v. State, 620 So.2d 966 (Miss.1993); and Horton v. State, 584 So.2d 764 (Miss.1991). Each of these cases involved a situation where the defendant entered a plea of guilty. ¶ 42. A review of the Petition for Sentencing Without a Jury, dated November 18, 2000, and signed by Byrom, her attorneys and trial judge, the Certificate of Counsel, and the colloquy between Byrom and the trial judge, unquestionably reveals that Byrom was informed she had the right to a sentencing hearing and that she could be sentenced to death, life without parole, or life imprisonment. She was informed that she had been convicted of capital murder by the jury; that the jury would have to unanimously find, beyond a reasonable doubt, the existence of any aggravating circumstances in order to sentence her to death, but that mitigating factors would not have to be found unanimously or beyond a reasonable doubt; and, that the jury would have to find that the mitigating circumstances did not outweigh the aggravating circumstances before the jury could impose the death penalty. The State had filed a Notice of Aggravating Circumstances on October 24, 2000. ¶ 43. Byrom was told the trial judge would perform the same analysis as a jury, but it would be solely within his discretion as to whether to impose the death sentence. Byrom was asked if she felt she had the benefit of a complete and adequate discussion with her attorneys concerning her waiver of a jury as to sentencing, and Byrom stated she had. Byrom's attorneys stated that they explained the maximum and minimum penalties for capital murder and considered her competent to understand the charges against her and the effect of her petition to waive sentencing by a jury. [1] Byrom's attorneys stated they felt she was mentally and physically competent and had no reason to believe Byrom was under the influence of any drugs which would affect her understanding of the proceedings. ¶ 44. Byrom argues she was given erroneous information as to potential sentences. She states she was told she could receive life imprisonment with the possibility of parole but it was actually not an option at the time of her sentencing. Byrom cites no authority in support of this argument, and the State does not respond to it. There is no question that Section 99-19-101 provides that [u]pon conviction or adjudication of guilt of a defendant of capital murder or other capital offense, the court shall conduct a separate sentencing proceeding to determine whether the defendant should be sentenced to death, life imprisonment without eligibility for parole, or life imprisonment. Miss.Code Ann. § 99-19-101(1)(Rev.2000). Indeed, the petition signed by Byrom, her attorneys, and the trial judge states that Byrom understood she could be sentenced in the discretion of the trial judge to the death penalty, to life without parole, or to life imprisonment. The waiver signed by the prosecutor contained similar language as to the available sentencing options. The certificate of counsel signed by Byrom's trial attorneys stated, inter alia, the had explained to Byrom the maximum and minimum penalties for capital murder. ¶ 45. There can be no doubt that, pursuant to our capital sentencing statute, Section 99-19-101, Byrom was advised as to the sentencing options available to a jury, or a judge sitting without a jury, after a capital murder conviction. However, our parole statutes have admittedly eliminated the practical effect of a life imprisonment sentence imposed under the provisions of Section 99-19-101, insofar as the possibility of parole. See Miss.Code Ann. § 47-7-3(1)(f). ¶ 46. In Branch v. State, 882 So.2d 36 (Miss.2004), the defendant claimed the trial judge erred in not giving the jury the third sentencing option of life with the possibility of parole which, according to Branch, would have possibly caused the jury to take the middle ground of life without parole, instead of imposing the more harsh sentence of death, or the more lenient sentence of life with the possibility of parole. In referring to Miss.Code Ann. Sections 97-3-21, 99-19-101(1), and 47-7-3(1)(f) and our decision in Pham v. State, 716 So.2d 1100, 1103 (Miss.1998), we stated: We again revisited the sentencing options afforded a capital murder defendant in Flowers v. State, 842 So.2d 531 (Miss.2003), and noted that § 47-7-3(1)(f) denies parole eligibility to any person charged, tried, convicted, and sentenced to life imprisonment under the provisions of Section 99-19-101. Flowers, 842 So.2d at 540. Branch, 882 So.2d at 79. ¶ 47. Thus, while our capital sentencing statute still provides for life imprisonment, our parole statutes clearly do not. We reaffirmed this fact in Pham, and later in Flowers. The stark reality of all of this is that while Byrom's trial judge did, as a matter of clear statutory law, have three sentencing options, including life imprisonment, the executive branch of state government via the Mississippi Department of Corrections, pursuant to Section 47-7-3(1)(f), would have administratively converted a life imprisonment sentence to a sentence of life imprisonment without parole eligibility. All of this having been said, so that we are crystal clear on this point, notwithstanding the provisions of Section 99-19-101(1), consistent with the legislative intent expressed via Section 47-7-3(1)(f) and this Court's decisions in Pham, Flowers and their progeny, the sentencer (jury or judge) in a capital case tried pursuant to Section 99-19-101, has in reality only two sentencing options  death, or life imprisonment without parole eligibility. ¶ 48. Byrom fails in her argument on this point however, because she has shown no actual prejudice in being informed that one of the possible sentences to be considered by the trial judge was that of life imprisonment. We do not interpret her claim to be that she understood that by waiving a jury, the trial judge somehow became uniquely empowered with this third sentencing option of life imprisonment which would not have been available to the sentencing jury. We further do not interpret Byrom's claim to be that she waived the jury at sentencing only because she was informed that the trial judge had this third sentencing option of life imprisonment. In the end, Byrom had every opportunity to raise this issue on direct appeal, but she failed to do so; therefore, pursuant to statute, she is procedurally barred from attacking the death sentence which was imposed by the trial judge, as opposed to the jury. Miss.Code Ann. Section 99-39-21(1) (Supp.2005) states: Failure by a prisoner to raise objections, defenses, claims, questions, issues or errors either in fact or law which were capable of determination at trial and/or on direct appeal, regardless of whether such are based on the laws and the Constitution of the state of Mississippi or of the United States, shall constitute a waiver thereof and shall be procedurally barred, but the court may upon a showing of cause and actual prejudice grant relief from the waiver. Thus, while the statute permits this Court to apply a procedural bar due to a waiver, we have the discretion to grant relief from the waiver upon a showing of cause and actual prejudice. Section 99-39-21(4) states that the term cause is defined and limited to those cases where the legal foundation upon which the claim for relief is based could not have been discovered with reasonable diligence at the time of trial or direct appeal. Section 99-39-21(5) states that the term actual prejudice is defined and limited to those errors which would have actually adversely affected the ultimate outcome of the conviction or sentence. ¶ 49. Therefore, for the reasons stated, in considering Byrom's assertions and reviewing the record before us, we conclude, without question, that Byrom has failed to show cause and actual prejudice by being informed of the trial judge's three sentencing options en route to making a decision to waive a jury determination of the appropriate sentence and placing this decision in the hands of the trial judge. Thus, this issue is procedurally barred pursuant to Miss.Code Ann. Section 99-39-21(1) (Supp.2005).