Opinion ID: 1288191
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Double Counting the Victim's Age

Text: Defendant argues that the trial judge found the age of the victim to be an aggravating factor under section 13-703(F)(9) and then also considered the victim's age under section 13-703(F)(6) (especially heinous, cruel, or depraved). Although defendant claims that the trial court stated that it had considered the victim's age twice, the record does not support this claim. In support of his argument, defendant offers only that the judge used the word child to refer to the victim in five of the seven factors upon which he relied in finding the section 13-703(F)(6) aggravating circumstance. [6] Even if the victim's age was used to establish both the (F)(6) and (F)(9) aggravating circumstances, such use is proper provided the sentencing court, in balancing the aggravating and mitigating factors, does not weigh the age of the victim twice. State v. Styers, 177 Ariz. 104, 116, 865 P.2d 765, 777 (1993), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 115 S.Ct. 159, 130 L.Ed.2d 97 (1994); State v. Milke, 177 Ariz. 118, 127, 865 P.2d 779, 788 (1993), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 114 S.Ct. 2726, 129 L.Ed.2d 849 (1994); State v. Scott, 177 Ariz. 131, 144, 865 P.2d 792, 805 (1993), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 115 S.Ct. 129, 130 L.Ed.2d 73 (1994). We do not believe, however, that the trial judge used the victim's age to support both factors; and, even if he did, we find nothing in the record to indicate that he weighed the age twice. Defendant simply reads too much into the trial court's use of the word child. From the trial court's choice of words, we cannot infer that it misapplied the law. In fact, the only one of the seven factors that depends at all on the victim's age for explanation is the finding of defenselessness.