Opinion ID: 1094888
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Prospective Juror Nance

Text: The record shows that the following colloquy occurred during voir dire examination of the panel of prospective jurors of which prospective juror Mr. Nance was a member: [COUNSEL FOR TAYLOR]: Let me go a little farther now and I'm going to get into the particular facts of this case.... The evidence in this case is going to be that Mr. and Mrs. Moore were killed. We anticipate the State of Alabama will introduce photographs in this case of the victims. Gruesome photographs. Going to be gory. Going to be bloody. They're going to be something like you might see in a horror movie. They're going to be as gory and gruesome and awful as you've ever seen in your life. The kind of photographs that might give some people nightmares. . . . . Okay. Let me tell you, ladies and gentlemen, what I think the facts are. I'm going to tell you what the facts are going to be in this case. The facts in this case are going to be, Mr. and Mrs. Moore, who lived up on the mountain, are a fine, old retired couple. Outstanding people. Got a fine son. Salt of the earth kind of people. They deserved to live their life, be left alone. They did not deserve what happened to them in any way whatsoever. On the other hand, we expect the evidence to show you that Michael Taylor is from a very good family. His mother and daddy are some of the finest people that have ever been in this county. His mother is the church secretary in the church they attend. Very devout, religious woman. They raised their son as well as they know how. Until this happened, Michael Taylor was just a normal, average kid. He played church basketball. He played basketball for Emma Sansom [High School] where he attended school. He played tennis on the tennis team at Emma Sansom. There will be people who will come who have known him most of his life as friends, school teachers, Sunday school teachers, who will tell you that as far as they know he's never even had a fight in his life, that there is absolutely no history of violence at all in his past, that there's no significant history of any prior criminal activity in his life. But the evidence is going to show you that in November of 1991 Michael Taylor went to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Moore. He knew these people. They had been his friends. He had cut their grass. He had with him a metal bar. And he took that metal bar and he beat them to death. He repeatedly raised his arm and struck them over and over, until Mr. Moore was dead. Mrs. Moore was mortally wounded, but she did not die. She lingered on for several days. The family became concerned and contacted a neighbor and asked that they go check on the Moores. At that point, a neighbor came to the house, found that Mr. Moore was dead, Mrs. Moore was still alive. She was taken to a local hospital where she died some several days later. The deaths are horrible. They're cruel. They're inexcusable. And there's nothing I'm going to say to you through the course of this trial that's going to try to justify what happened. Ladies and gentlemen, having heard the information that I have given to you, I want you to assume now for these questionsI want you to assume that all I told you is true and all that I told you will be introduced into evidence in this case. I'd like to ask you, based on that information, are there any of you on the jury now who will say that, well, if that's the evidence, then the only alternative for me as a punishment is death in the electric chair? . . . . [COUNSEL FOR TAYLOR]: Ladies and gentlemen, assume all the facts that I've just given you. Also assume that in the sentencing phase of this case there will be evidence introduced in what we call mitigation. There will be evidence that at the time of this crime, Michael Taylor was approximately nineteen years of age, that he has no prior significant history of criminal activity, that he has absolutely no prior history of any kind of violence, that he's from a very good family. As I told you, all that will be introduced into evidence in this case as mitigation. My question to you is, of all you on the jury here, can you tell me now that regardless of the mitigation information that I've just mentioned to you, that you already know now in your mind the only punishment that you think would be proper would be that Michael be sentenced to death in the electric chair? . . . . [COUNSEL FOR TAYLOR]: Mr. Nance, I'm going to ask you the same question. Could you even consider the mitigation evidence or the lack of prior criminal history, the age, the good family, no prior acts of violence? Could you even consider those as mitigation or is your mind made up that death is the only solution? [MR. NANCE]: No, sir. My mind is not made up until I hear all the testimony that's to be presented to us, but [COUNSEL FOR TAYLOR]: I'm asking you for the purposes of these questions, now, that that's all the evidence that's going to be. I want you to assume that he's guilty beyond any doubt at all. [MR. NANCE]: If it's a hundred percent? [COUNSEL FOR TAYLOR]: It's a thousand percent. [MR. NANCE]: It's a thousand percent that he's guilty? [COUNSEL FOR TAYLOR]: I'm telling you that as his lawyer, he is. [MR. NANCE]: I don't see to put him in jail and keep him the rest of his life. [COUNSEL FOR TAYLOR]: What you're saying is that your only vote could beyour only recommendation to the judge would be death? [MR. NANCE]: Be death. [COUNSEL FOR TAYLOR]: And you feel like you just could not consider his age? In other words, the factors of his age and lack of prior criminal activity and the good family, you just couldn't put any weight on those? [MR. NANCE]: No, sir, I couldn't. [COUNSEL FOR TAYLOR]: Okay. Well, again, Ithat's what we're trying to do, is find out if you [MR. NANCE]: I say, best of his interest, if he was put to death at his age, put in prison for the rest of his life, because there's no life in prison. So, for the benefit of the taxpayers and his, I'd say death. . . . . [PROSECUTOR]: Some of you have indicated to Mac, now, that based on what he said he thinks the evidence is going to show that you wouldn't consider mitigating. You told me earlier you would, at least, look at it. I don'tI'm not asking you how much weight you'll give it. I'm just asking you whether or not you'll do what the law requires you to do and you'll at least consider it. That's all you've got to do, is consider it. . . . . [PROSECUTOR]: Now, Mr. Nance, will you consider it? [MR. NANCE]: Yes, sir, I'll consider it and weigh it out. But like I said . . . . [PROSECUTOR]: The only thing I'm asking, if the judge charges you that if that evidence is presented, you've got to consider it. Now, you might give it a lot of weight, you might give it a little weight, you might give it no weight, but at least will you look at it and consider it? [MR. NANCE]: Yes, sir. . . . . [COUNSEL FOR TAYLOR]: I guess, Mr. Nance, the same thing again. The judge is going to tell you about mitigation and aggravating, but if in your mind you've already said to yourself, `Hey, I don't care what he says, those things don't mean anything to me, I'm not going to give them any weight. I'm not even going to consider them.' If that [MR. NANCE]: You said when you was up at the stand before that he's a thousand percent guilty. [COUNSEL FOR TAYLOR]: Yes, sir, he is. We're talking about what we're going to do with him. In other words, we've got him convicted [MR. NANCE]: I've done weighed it out, because you've said he was a thousand percent guilty. I have done weighed it out. I have done thought about it. [COUNSEL FOR TAYLOR]: Okay. [MR. NANCE]: And I said death penalty. [COUNSEL FOR TAYLOR]: Well, is that still your answer? When [the prosecutor] was up there you seemed to say to him, well, I'll consider this other stuff [MR. NANCE]: I have considered it when you said he was a thousand percent guilty. [COUNSEL FOR TAYLOR]: So, you're saying you have considered it and your answer now is death is the only alternative for you? [MR. NANCE]: I'd say yes.