Opinion ID: 1464740
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: Ill Rev. Stat. (1983) ch. 38, par. 9-1(d).

Text: In People v. Wolfbrandt, 127 Ill. App.3d 836, 82 Ill.Dec. 771, 469 N.E.2d 305 (1984), the defendant sought to prevent death qualification of the jury by waiving, before trial, his right to be sentenced by a jury. The Appellate Court of Illinois held that the statute, by its language, rendered the waiver untimely. Id. 82 Ill.Dec. at 777-78, 469 N.E.2d at 311-12 (the entire section speaks only in post-conviction terms). Less than two years later, however, the Supreme Court of Illinois disavowed that portion of Wolfbrandt. Daley v. Hett, 113 Ill.2d 75, 99 Ill.Dec. 132, 135, 495 N.E.2d 513, 516 (1986). The court there stated that the provision pertaining to waiver is clear and unambiguous. It added: It neither limits the right nor designates at what stage of the proceedings the defendant may exercise such right. Under its express language, therefore, we find that a defendant charged in a capital punishment case is accorded the right to waive [before trial] the jury for the separate sentencing proceeding. Id. 99 Ill.Dec. at 135, 495 N.E.2d at 516. The court concluded that the waivers before it were voluntary and knowing and thus could properly be accepted. The analogous provision in the Maryland statute is virtually identical to that construed in Daley and Wolfbrandt. We are not, however, constrained to follow the law of Illinois. We think that in order to properly resolve this issue, we must examine and balance two aspects of death penalty cases: death qualification of jurors and waiver of the right to be sentenced by a jury. Death qualification consists of questioning prospective jurors about their attitudes towards capital punishment. If a juror opposes the death penalty so strongly that it will prevent or substantially impair the performance of the juror's duties, the juror may be struck for cause. Lockhart v. McCree, 476 U.S. 162, 106 S.Ct. 1758, 90 L.Ed.2d 137 (1986); Wainwright v. Witt, 469 U.S. 412, 105 S.Ct. 844, 83 L.Ed.2d 841 (1985); Witherspoon v. Illinois, 391 U.S. 510, 88 S.Ct. 1770, 20 L.Ed.2d 776 (1968); State v. Calhoun, 306 Md. 692, 511 A.2d 461 (1986); Foster v. State, 304 Md. 439, 499 A.2d 1236 (1985), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 106 S.Ct. 3310, 92 L.Ed.2d 723 (1986); Evans v. State, 304 Md. 487, 499 A.2d 1261 (1985), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 106 S.Ct. 3310, 92 L.Ed.2d 722 (1986). The purpose, of course, is to obtain an impartial jury  one which will conscientiously apply the law and find the facts. Lockhart v. McCree, supra, 106 S.Ct. at 1767; Wainwright v. Witt, supra, 469 U.S. at 423, 105 S.Ct. at 852. Both the Supreme Court and this Court have recently rejected arguments that death qualifying a jury prior to the guilt phase of a bifurcated capital case yields an unconstitutionally conviction-prone jury. In Lockhart v. McCree , which originated in Arkansas, the defense relied upon several social science studies in an attempt to establish that jurors who do not oppose the death penalty tend to favor the prosecution, especially during the guilt-innocence phase. 106 S.Ct. at 1762. The Court rejected the studies, identifying a number of methodological flaws. In order to reach the constitutional issues, however, the Court assumed that the studies had some reliability. Id. at 1764. Even in that context, the Court held that death qualification during pretrial voir dire does not violate the constitutional right to a jury drawn from a representative cross-section of the community and to an impartial jury. Id. at 1766, 1770. McCree stressed that impartiality means nothing more than an ability to conscientiously apply the law to the facts. A juror having personal qualms about capital punishment may not be excluded on that basis alone: the misgivings must be of at least such magnitude as to substantially impair the juror in performing his or her duties. On the other hand, the Court recognized that the State has a strong, entirely proper interest in having a single jury decide both phases of a capital murder trial. Id. at 1768 (citing Gregg v. Georgia, 428 U.S. 153, 96 S.Ct. 2909, 49 L.Ed.2d 859 (1976)). The court noted, id. at 1768-69, that the Arkansas Supreme Court has specified two interests served by that State's requirement of a unitary jury. First, in a capital case, the questions of guilt and punishment are necessarily interwoven. Rector v. State, 280 Ark. 385, 659 S.W.2d 168, 173 (1983), cert. denied, 466 U.S. 988, 104 S.Ct. 2370, 80 L.Ed.2d 842 (1984). Second, much of the evidence will have a bearing on both phases of the trial. That evidence will have to be presented twice if two juries are involved, yet [s]uch repetitive trials could not be consistently fair to the State and perhaps not even to the accused. 659 S.W.2d at 173. The Court in McCree pointed out one further interest: the possibility that, in at least some capital cases, the defendant might benefit at the sentencing phase of the trial from the jury's residual doubts about the evidence presented at the guilt phase. McCree, 106 S.Ct. at 1769 (citing Grigsby v. Mabry, 758 F.2d 226, 247-48 (8th Cir.1985) (Gibson, J., dissenting), rev'd sub nom. Lockhart v. McCree, supra, 106 S.Ct. at 1758). McCree thus concluded that the pretrial death qualification of jurors creates no cognizable constitutional prejudice, and advances the State's legitimate interest in the unitary jury system. We have also rejected the argument that pretrial death qualification results in unconstitutionally prosecution-prone juries. State v. Calhoun, supra, 306 Md. at 716, 511 A.2d 461 (and cases cited therein); State v. Tichnell, 306 Md. 428, 458, 509 A.2d 1179, cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 107 S.Ct. 598, 93 L.Ed.2d 598 (1986); Foster v. State, supra, 304 Md. at 453, 499 A.2d 1236. Consequently, any strategical advantage a defendant might obtain by preventing the death qualification of a jury is speculative at best. Maryland's death penalty sentencing procedure, as prescribed in Art. 27, § 413(a-b), provides: (a) Separate sentencing proceeding required.  If a person is found guilty of murder in the first degree, and if the State had given the notice required under § 412(b), a separate sentencing proceeding shall be conducted as soon as practicable after the trial has been completed to determine whether he shall be sentenced to death or imprisonment for life. (b) Before whom proceeding conducted.  This proceeding shall be conducted: (1) Before the jury that determined the defendant's guilt; or (2) Before a jury impaneled for the purpose of the proceeding if: (i) The defendant was convicted upon a plea of guilty; (ii) The defendant was convicted after a trial before the court sitting without a jury; (iii) The jury that determined the defendant's guilt has been discharged by the court for good cause; or (iv) Review of the original sentence of death by a court of competent jurisdiction has resulted in a remand for resentencing; or (3) Before the court alone, if a jury sentencing proceeding is waived by the defendant. Subsection (a) requires a separate sentencing proceeding; subsection (b) addresses before whom the hearing shall be conducted. A defendant may choose to be sentenced by either the judge or a jury. At the same time, the statute unambiguously provides that where a defendant elects to have a jury decide the entire case, the same jury, as a general rule, shall hear both phases. Id. § 413(b)(1-2). The General Assembly has thereby manifested the State's interest in having one jury decide all issues. As we have noted, this interest (along with other considerations) justifies death qualifying juries before the guilt or innocence phase. Subsection (b)(3) of § 413 permits a defendant to waive sentencing by a jury. It is silent, however, as to the appropriate time for the tendering and acceptance of the waiver. Jones maintains that nothing in the language precludes a pretrial waiver, and that in criminal practice, [e]arly waivers in exchange for present benefits are common.... The State counters with an observation that at the beginning of trial, the right to be sentenced by a jury is not absolute. Rather, it is contingent upon a finding of guilt as to first degree murder. The determinative consideration is whether the trial judge must accept a waiver of jury sentencing so far in advance, without regard to the impact of subsequently ensuing events upon the validity and enforceability of the waiver. The United States Constitution does not confer a right to jury sentencing in a capital case. Spaziano v. Florida, 468 U.S. 447, 104 S.Ct. 3154, 82 L.Ed.2d 340 (1984). That right and the concomitant right to waive the jury are created by statute. Art. 27, § 413. Even though a constitutional right is not involved, however, we indicated in Harris v. State, 295 Md. 329, 339, n. 1, 455 A.2d 979 (1983), that to be effective, a waiver must be made knowingly and voluntarily. See also Tichnell v. State, 287 Md. 695, 743-44, 415 A.2d 830 (1980). Whether a defendant can knowingly waive his right to be sentenced by a jury prior to commencement of the guilt or innocence phase of the trial is fraught with uncertainty. At that stage, the defendant understandably might hope for acquittal or for conviction on lesser charges. Similarly, in a case involving multiple victims, the defendant might only be convicted on some, rather than all, of the first degree murder counts. Finally, as the trial judge below observed, the defendant cannot possibly know what will come out during trial. Among other things, the defendant is in no position to assess how damaging the State's evidence or how credible each side's witnesses will be. In short, the defendant's choice of sentencing authority is bound to be influenced by the course of the trial itself. It follows that the defendant will make a far more knowing waiver after the trial than before it. Even assuming that a pretrial waiver of the right to be sentenced by a jury can meet the knowing and voluntary standard, efforts to withdraw such waivers prior to the sentencing phase will doubtless occur, creating an additional problem: the statutory preference for a single jury will hamper the court's exercise of discretion in deciding whether to permit withdrawal. In Maryland, a defendant has no absolute right to withdraw his waiver of a jury trial. State v. Jones, 270 Md. 388, 312 A.2d 281 (1973); see also Mathias v. State, 284 Md. 22, 394 A.2d 292 (1978), cert. denied, 441 U.S. 906, 99 S.Ct. 1996, 60 L.Ed.2d 375 (1979); Maryland Rule 4-246. The disposition of a motion to withdraw lies within the sound discretion of the trial court. However, [i]t seems generally accepted that withdrawal of a waiver of the right to be tried by a jury should be permitted where it is shown that no unreasonable trial delay would result and that the course of justice would not be impeded. Jones, supra, 270 Md. at 393-94, 312 A.2d 281. The judge thus does not have unbridled discretion, but must exercise that discretion soundly, giving due regard to the rights of the defendant upon a showing of good cause. In both Jones and Mathias, we upheld denials of motions to withdraw waivers. However, in each instance, the motions came on the day of trial. Moreover, other circumstances existed from which it could be concluded that granting the motions would impede the course of justice. In the case of someone who has just been found guilty of first degree murder, by contrast, the motion to withdraw can be made days, if not weeks, in advance of sentencing. In addition, the inclination to grant such motions, considering all that the defendant has at stake, will in all likelihood be strong. Nonetheless, § 413 only permits a second jury to be impaneled where there is good cause. Balancing the interests involved, we conclude that defendants need not be permitted to waive, prior to trial, the right to choose between sentencing authorities, where the sole motive for the waiver is to prevent death qualification of the jury. Indeed, as earlier observed, the validity of the waiver may be influenced by post-waiver developments at trial. Death qualification of the impaneled jury would ensue, belatedly, and result in the dismissal of at least some of the jurors. Consequently, the jury hearing the sentencing phase would not be the same as that which found the defendant guilty. The general requirement of § 413(b)  that one jury decide all issues  would thereby be controverted. It is axiomatic that we cannot countenance a practice which will all but inevitably contravene the clear legislative intent. This is particularly so where the benefit the defendant will derive from preventing death qualification of the jury is marginal and speculative. We, therefore, conclude that the trial court did not err in declining to accept Jones's pretrial waiver.