Opinion ID: 1798829
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 13

Heading: this court should make a comparative review of the appellant's death sentence with the eighth amendment to the united states constitution.

Text: The appellant insists that Richard Phillip Anderson, in a subsequent trial, received a life sentence upon conviction of first degree murder and therefore the appellant's sentence of death by electrocution should be reduced. We agree with the appellant that we have agreed to review each sentence and compare it with other similar situations. Collins v. State, 261 Ark. 195, 548 S.W.2d 106 (1977). In Collins we stated that we were bound by the decision in Furman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238, 92 S.Ct. 2726, 33 L.Ed.2d 346 (1972), to prevent any arbitrary or freakish use of the death penalty. We have compared the sentences of different appellants. Sumlin v. State, 273 Ark. 185, 617 S.W.2d 372 (1981). One reason we cannot compare appellant's case with that of Anderson is that Anderson's case has not been considered by this court. Another reason is that we compare death sentences with death sentences. Swindler v. State, 267 Ark. 418, 592 S.W.2d 91 (1979), or death sentences with life without parole sentences, Swindler . Upon comparison of both the sentence and the facts, we do not feel appellant's sentence should be reduced.