Opinion ID: 1096608
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 17

Heading: Admission of Evidence and Prosecutorial Arguments Regarding Collateral Crimes

Text: In the second of two subparts to Conde's tenth claim, he argues that even if the admission of the Williams rule evidence in his guilt phase did not require reversal, it does require new sentencing. Conde urges that the only likely impact on the penalty phase of the evidence and prosecutorial arguments regarding the other five murders was its inherent tendency to improperly suggest a recommendation of death based on bad character or propensity to commit murder. We reject this argument and hold, for the same reasons as discussed above, that the similar crimes evidence was relevant not only to the issues of identity and premeditation in the guilt phase but also to proving calculation and heightened premeditation as part of the aggravating circumstance of CCP and to counter claims of statutory mental mitigation in the penalty phase. Additionally, we note that the trial court expressly instructed the jury that the prior five homicides could not be applied as an aggravating circumstance.