Opinion ID: 1148850
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the court erred in refusing to grant instruction d-3.

Text: ¶ 58. During the sentencing phase of Underwood's trial, he submitted Instruction D-3, which read, Regardless of the balance of aggravating and mitigating circumstances, you may afford Justin Underwood mercy in this proceeding. The trial court denied this instruction. The trial court also denied Underwood's Instruction D-10, which had exactly the same wording as Instruction D-3. Underwood argues that the jury should have been instructed on mercy, because it better explains the jury's discretion in sentencing. He cites Wiley v. State, 484 So.2d 339 (Miss. 1986), vacated on other grounds by Wiley v. State, 635 So.2d 802 (Miss. 1993), overruled on other grounds by Willie v. State, 585 So.2d 660 (Miss. 1991), in support of his argument. In Wiley, this Court stated in dicta, Although this Court has held that no reversible error is committed in refusing a mercy instruction, the granting of such would further refine and direct the jury's discretion in sentencing between those cases in which the death penalty is given and those in which it is not. Wiley, 484 So.2d at 349. However, we went on to hold again that the trial court committed no error in refusing to instruct the jury on mercy. Id. ¶ 59. We have repeatedly held that capital defendants are not entitled to a mercy instruction. Hansen, 592 So.2d at 150; Williams, 544 So.2d at 788; Lester v. State, 692 So.2d 755, 798 (Miss. 1997); Jackson v. State, 684 So.2d 1213, 1239 (Miss. 1996); Carr v. State, 655 So.2d 824, 850 (Miss. 1995); Foster v. State, 639 So.2d 1263, 1299-1301 (Miss. 1994); Jenkins v. State, 607 So.2d 1171, 1181 (Miss. 1992); Nixon v. State, 533 So.2d 1078, 1100 (Miss. 1987). The United States Supreme Court has held that giving a jury instruction allowing consideration of sympathy or mercy could induce a trial jury to base its sentencing decision upon emotion, whim, and caprice instead of upon the evidence presented at trial. Saffle v. Parks, 494 U.S. 484, 492-95, 110 S.Ct. 1257, 1262-64, 108 L.Ed.2d 415 (1990). This assignment of error is plainly unpersuasive. The trial court did not commit reversible error in refusing to grant Underwood a mercy instruction.