Opinion ID: 619152
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Ex parte Stephens

Text: In 2006, the Alabama Supreme Court held the discussion in Kyzer regarding the aggravating circumstances in sentencing was dicta and completely irrelevant to our decision. Ex parte Stephens, 982 So.2d at 1152-53. The Alabama Supreme Court rejected the conclusion that the jury and the trial judge could find the charge averred in the indictment as the aggravating circumstance even though the charge is not listed in § 13-11-6 [6] as an aggravating circumstance. Id. at 1153. The Court stated  Kyzer did not `hold' anything with respect to sentencing, and its discussion of aggravating circumstances was premature and should not be persuasive. Id. The Court reasoned: [T]he dicta in Kyzer conflicts with the plain language of the Alabama Criminal Code (as the Kyzer Court itself acknowledged). Section [13-11-6] states that [a]ggravating circumstances shall be the following. The language shall beas opposed to shall includeindicates that the list is intended to be exclusive. . . . Our dicta to the contrary in Kyzer was incorrect. Id. (emphasis added).