Opinion ID: 1058342
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: History of Abuse and Neglect Mitigating Circumstance Instruction

Text: The defendant complains that the trial court erred in failing to instruct the jury on the non-statutory mitigating circumstance of a history of abuse and neglect. The defendant argued at trial that the rejection and abandonment by his parents amounted to abuse and neglect and requested that the jury be instructed on this non-statutory mitigating circumstance. Concluding that there was no evidence the defendant had suffered abuse and neglect during his childhood, the trial court refused to give a specific jury instruction as to this mitigating circumstance. The trial court did, however, allow the defense to argue a history of abuse and neglect as a mitigating circumstance under the catchall provision of Tennessee Code Annotated section 39-13-204(j)(9) (1997). The trial court instructed the jury that, in addition to other specific mitigating circumstances, it should consider any other mitigating factor which is raised by the evidence produced by either the prosecution or defense at either the guilt or sentencing hearing, that is, you shall consider any aspect of the defendant's character or record, or any aspect of the circumstances of the offense favorable to the defendant which is supported by the evidence. We begin by noting that this Court has previously held that jury instructions on specific non-statutory mitigating circumstances are not constitutionally mandated. State v. Odom, 928 S.W.2d 18, 30 (Tenn. 1996); State v. Hutchison, 898 S.W.2d 161, 174 (Tenn.1994). Therefore, the right to such instructions, as well as the form and content of the instructions, derives solely from the statute, which provides: [T]he trial judge shall also include in the instructions for the jury to weigh and consider any mitigating circumstances raised by the evidence at either the guilt or sentencing hearing, or both, which shall include, but not be limited to, those circumstances set forth in subsection (j). Tenn.Code Ann. § 39-13-204(e)(1) (1997). This statute further provides that: a reviewing court shall not set aside a sentence of death or of imprisonment for life without the possibility of parole on the ground that the trial court did not specifically instruct the jury as to a requested mitigating factor that is not enumerated in subsection (j). Id. In Odom, we interpreted this statute to require jury instructions on any circumstances raised by the evidence and proffered by a defendant as having mitigating value. 928 S.W.2d at 30. The instructions on non-statutory mitigating circumstances must not be fact-specific but must instead be drafted so that when they are considered by the jury, the statutory mitigating circumstances are indistinguishable from the non-statutory mitigating circumstances. Id. at 32. Generally, in determining whether instructions are erroneous, this Court must review the charge in its entirety and read it as a whole. See State v. Hodges, 944 S.W.2d 346, 352 (Tenn.1997). A charge should be considered prejudicially erroneous if it fails to fairly submit the legal issues or if it misleads the jury as to the applicable law. Id. The defendant presented evidence that his father did not interact with him and sent him and his siblings to live with their grandparents. However, there is no evidence of physical, sexual, or mental abuse or neglect. In fact, the defendant's aunt testified that the defendant had a good relationship with his grandfather. The trial court determined that the fact that the defendant suffered from a history of abuse and neglect was not fairly raised by the evidence. We agree. Furthermore, any potential error in this respect was rendered harmless by the catchall instruction.