Opinion ID: 1684614
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: reversal required to ensure fair penalty determination

Text: Despite the marginal relevance of the remark to any material issue and its tremendous potential for unfair prejudice and confusion of issues, I conclude that the error is harmless beyond a reasonable doubt as to the guilt phase. I reach this conclusion not just because of the testimony of Butterfield, Brittingham, and Tuttle which strongly pointed to Smith as the shooter, but also because the remark was isolated and was not relied upon by the State in closing argument. However, I do not believe that this error can be considered harmless as to the jury's advisory sentence or the judge's decision to impose death. After hearing the guilt phase-testimony by Butterfield that Smith boasted of the victims in this case being the thirteenth or fourteenth people he had shot and finding him guilty as charged, the jury recommended death by an eight-to-four vote. The suggestion that Smith was an incorrigible killer, or fashioned himself one, would of course be a prime focus in the jury's determination of whether he should live or die. A shift of two votes would have resulted in a life recommendation, to which the trial judge would have been required to give great weight. See Tedder v. State, 322 So.2d 908, 910 (Fla. 1975) (a jury's recommendation of life should be given great weight and should be followed unless the facts suggesting a sentence of death are so clear and convincing that virtually no reasonable person could differ). Therefore, the error in denying a mistrial based on Butterfield's testimony necessitates a new penalty phase, and not merely reconsideration of the trial judge's erroneous finding in a new sentencing order. See Lawrence v. State, 614 So.2d 1092, 1097 (Fla.1993) (erroneous admission of collateral crime evidence in the guilt phase was not harmless beyond a reasonable doubt in the penalty phase); Castro v. State, 547 So.2d 111, 115-16 (Fla.1989) (same). For these reasons, I respectfully dissent from the decision not to order a new penalty phase before a jury. ANSTEAD, C.J., concurs.