Opinion ID: 1882336
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: penalty phase hearing

Text: In the most recent penalty phase, the State presented evidence through the medical examiner, Dr. Abdullah Fatteh, relating to the time, cause and manner of the victim's death. He testified that despite the decomposed state of the victim's body, he was able to determine that she died of severe head injuries. The external injuries included a fracture at the base of her skull and cerebral hemorrhage. The nature of the hemorrhage indicated that the blows were sustained while she was still alive. He also testified that the injuries to the back of the head were caused by the side or blunt end of a hammer or possibly by the kicking of the victim's head by an adult wearing shoes. Dr. Fatteh initially testified that death likely occurred within minutes to no longer than an hour after the injuries. However, on cross-examination he stated that she probably died within four to eight minutes. Sergeant Dennis Walker, one of the first to arrive at the bowling alley in response to the missing person call, testified that he encountered Rose and could smell alcohol about Rose's body and that Rose appeared to be under some influence, but [he] wouldn't say drunk, as he was cooperative and polite. Retired Detective Arthur McLellan, who got there at approximately the same time as Sergeant Walker, testified that he did not smell alcohol about Rose's person and felt that Rose was sober. Detective Edward, who interviewed Rose on October 23, 1976, the day after the killing, testified that Rose told him that he momentarily left the bowling alley to get a drink at a local bar and then left the bar after getting the drink. The bartender on duty, however, testified that she did not see Rose at the bar that night. Rose's former probation officer, Charles Dickun, testified that Rose and everyone he interviewed who knew Rose indicated that Rose had an alcohol problem. Dickun's testimony, however, did not pertain to the night of the killing. Rose presented four witnesses in mitigation. Three testified about his personality and good nature. Judy Greear had known Rose for twenty-four years and had lived with him in 1975. She testified that he was a good man and good to her two children. She added that although Rose was jealous, she had never observed any act of violence on his part. Floyd Templeton, whom Rose worked for as a painter, testified that Rose was honest, trustworthy, and his best worker. Floyd and Mrs. Templeton testified that they trusted Rose with their grandchildren as he used to always play with them when he came over to their home. The last witness for Rose, Dr. Jethrow Toomer, a mental health expert, presented extensive testimony regarding Rose's troubled history and mental problems. He testified that Rose was born out-of-wed-lock and never knew his biological father, who apparently abandoned him a few months after birth. Rose's subsequent relationship with a stepfather was not supportive or nurturing, but was in fact hostile and lacking of any emotional support. Dr. Toomer performed several mental tests upon Rose and testified that the results suggested the likelihood of some organic impairment or brain damage, due in part to two head injuries Rose had suffered from falls, including one from a ladder. He pointed out that Rose had always been a slow learner as evinced by the fact that he was retained in fourth, fifth, and seventh grades of school and then dropped out of school entirely. Rose had scored an eighty-nine on an IQ test and Toomer concluded that Rose suffered the effects of a borderline personality disorder. On cross-examination, the State undermined many of the points made by Dr. Toomer regarding Rose's mental and emotional state before, during, and after the commission of the murder. The State brought up the fact that a more recent IQ test administered to Rose while in prison produced a score of ninety-nine. The State also presented Dr. Toomer with psychological reports performed in the 1970's by other doctors. Two of the reports, performed in 1971 and 1976, concluded that Rose was a sociopath, while another done in 1973 concluded there was no evidence of psychosis or acute emotional distress. Other findings in the reports indicated that Rose's memory was intact, he was an outgoing person, and he was of average intelligence. The State also suggested in its questioning that Dr. Toomer failed to consider important information in arriving at his findings. For instance, Dr. Toomer conceded he never talked to any of the doctors who performed the earlier examinations of Rose. The State also established the doctor's failure to talk to individuals who were close to Rose to get insights on his personal relationships. Subsequent to the penalty phase trial and the jury's recommendation of death, the court held a Spencer hearing wherein victim impact evidence was presented by the State. Ms. Margaret Szabo, the victim's grandmother, testified about the hardship involved in having to relive this experience and wondered what the victim could have become with her intelligence, compassion and personality. The other witness, Ms. Berry, the victim's mother, testified about her perpetual pain and grief in having to continually go through this process. She also echoed the testimony regarding the victim's intelligence, love, and leadership at such a young age. After the hearing, the trial court sentenced Rose to death.