Opinion ID: 1058307
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Sufficiency Of The Evidence To Show Vileness

Text: Morva argues that the circuit court erred in denying his motion to strike vileness as an aggravating factor for the imposition of the death penalty. Morva contends that the facts in this case are insufficient to establish vileness as an aggravating factor because both victims were killed with a single gunshot wound and the offense did not include physical or psychological torture, attempts to disguise the crime, or a particularly brutal manner of killing. The Commonwealth argues that Morva's gratuitous killings of persons who posed no threat to him, solely to escape lawful custody and to avoid facing trial for other crimes, were outrageously or wantonly vile in that they involved depravity of mind demonstrated by moral turpitude and psychical debasement far beyond ordinary malice and premeditation. Code § 19.2-264.4(C) states as follows: The penalty of death shall not be imposed unless the Commonwealth shall prove beyond a reasonable doubt that there is a probability based upon evidence of the prior history of the defendant or of the circumstances surrounding the commission of the offense of which he is accused that he would commit criminal acts of violence that would constitute a continuing serious threat to society, or that his conduct in committing the offense was outrageously or wantonly vile, horrible or inhuman, in that it involved torture, depravity of mind or aggravated battery to the victim. (Emphasis added). The Commonwealth may prove vileness by proving that the crime involved torture, depravity of mind, or aggravated battery to the victim. Id. Proof of any one factor is sufficient to support a finding of vileness and a sentence of death. Hedrick v. Commonwealth, 257 Va. 328, 339-40, 513 S.E.2d 634, 640, cert. denied, 528 U.S. 952, 120 S.Ct. 376, 145 L.Ed.2d 294 (1999). In this case, the Commonwealth focused on proving that Morva's conduct in committing the offenses involved depravity of mind. Depravity of mind is defined as a degree of moral turpitude and psychical debasement surpassing that inherent in the definition of ordinary legal malice and premeditation. Smith v. Commonwealth, 219 Va. 455, 478, 248 S.E.2d 135, 149 (1978), cert. denied, 441 U.S. 967, 99 S.Ct. 2419, 60 L.Ed.2d 1074 (1979). Although a single gunshot wound, causing instantaneous death, does not constitute an aggravated battery, such an offense may involve depravity of mind. See Hedrick, 257 Va. at 338-39, 513 S.E.2d at 640; Thomas v. Commonwealth, 244 Va. 1, 24-25, 419 S.E.2d 606, 619 (1992). This Court has upheld a circuit court's finding of vileness based on depravity of mind for a murder involving execution-style killings where the defendant failed to show any remorse or regret for his actions, Thomas, 244 Va. at 24-25, 419 S.E.2d at 619-20, and for a murder involving a killing that was unprovoked. Green, 266 Va. at 106, 580 S.E.2d at 848-49. The evidence must be reviewed in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth in determining whether there was sufficient evidence to support a finding that Morva's conduct involved depravity of mind. See Gray, 274 Va. at 295, 645 S.E.2d at 452. Morva's words contained in a letter written from jail to his mother described his pre-planned intent to kill guards. Such planning is evidence of Morva's depravity of mind. See Teleguz v. Commonwealth, 273 Va. 458, 482-83, 643 S.E.2d 708, 723-24 (2007), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 128 S.Ct. 1228, 170 L.Ed.2d 78 (2008); Lewis v. Commonwealth, 267 Va. 302, 315-16, 593 S.E.2d 220, 227-28 (2004); Thomas, 244 Va. at 25 n. 10, 419 S.E.2d at 620 n. 10. Morva viciously attacked a guard who had taken Morva to receive medical treatment, fracturing the guard's face with a metal toilet paper holder that Morva had removed from the wall. Neither of the men killed by Morva posed a physical threat to him. Morva shot McFarland, who was passive and unarmed, in the face at point-blank range; he shot Corporal Sutphin in the back of the head while Sutphin's gun was still holstered. Additionally, Morva had several hours from the time he shot McFarland to consider the consequences of his actions before he shot Corporal Sutphin. This fact indicates a lack of remorse or regret for his actions. Thus, we hold that the evidence was sufficient to support a finding that Morva's conduct involved depravity of mind in that he acted with a degree of moral turpitude and psychical debasement surpassing that inherent in the definition of ordinary legal malice and premeditation. A finding of depravity of mind is sufficient by itself to support a finding of vileness under Code § 19.2-264.2; therefore, the circuit court did not err in denying Morva's motion to strike vileness as an aggravating factor for the imposition of the death penalty.