Opinion ID: 1129352
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 13

Heading: Witness Elimination/Avoid Arrest Aggravator

Text: First, Schoenwetter argues it was error for the trial court to consider and to instruct the jury that one of the aggravating circumstances it could consider relating to the murder of Ronald Friskey was that the murder was committed to avoid arrest. He asserts that the evidence does not support this aggravator. In Preston v. State, 607 So.2d 404 (Fla.1992), we held that in order to establish this aggravating factor, where the victim is not a law enforcement officer, the State must show that the sole or dominant motive for the murder was the elimination of the witness. Id. at 409. We additionally said that this factor may be proven by circumstantial evidence from which the motive for the murder may be inferred. Id. at 409 (citing Swafford v. State, 533 So.2d 270, 276 n. 6 (Fla.1988)). In Walls v. State, 641 So.2d 381, 390 (Fla.1994), we further held that a confession is direct evidence of motive and that a confession that witness elimination was the reason for the murder satisfies this aggravating circumstance. In this case, the State presented evidence and the trial court found that the defendant confessed to the crimes, and in particular to stabbing and killing Virginia because she knew him. In his confession, Schoenwetter indicated he knew Virginia recognized him because she said his name, Randy. He also said Virginia continued to shriek after he said he would not hurt her. Her shrieking brought the mother to the room. Therefore, knowing that he needed to escape and knowing Virginia was the only one who knew he was the intruder, he stabbed Virginia to conceal his identity. Thus, by his own words, Schoenwetter killed Virginia to eliminate her as a witness. Other statements made by Schoenwetter support the finding that the murder of the father, Ronald Friskey, was to avoid detection and arrest. During his confession, Schoenwetter stated he was fighting with Ronald and swinging away with the knife, trying to get Ronald off him. He said he was lashing out with the knife because he didn't want to get caught or anything like that. Once the defendant was discovered, his primary focus was to avoid capture and get away from the Friskey house. The trial court did not err in considering and allowing the jury to consider that the murder of Ronald Friskey was done to avoid arrest. The evidence amply suggests application of this aggravating circumstance to both the murders of Virginia and Ronald Friskey.