Opinion ID: 2344370
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Precedent-seeking review Case comparisons.

Text: The final component of precedent-seeking review compares defendant's case to those of other people convicted of capital murder in his salient factor group. Our search is not for identical outcomes in all the comparison cases; to the contrary, we expect that juries may decide similar cases differently. Disparity alone does not demonstrate disproportionality. State v. Bey (IV), supra, 137 N.J. at 386, 645 A. 2d 685. As we explained in State v. Marshall (II), supra, 130 N.J. at 181, 613 A. 2d 1059, [o]ur search should be for some impermissible or invidious factor or pattern that has been broken. That the [other defendants] were spared their lives does not establish a pattern of life-sentencing for such killings. We select comparison cases from the same salient-factor group used in the salient-factors comparison, State v. Harris (II), supra, 165 N.J. at 326, 757 A. 2d 221, to ensure[ ] that the two analyses are complementary and can confirm each other. State v. Chew (II), supra, 159 N.J. at 214, 731 A. 2d 1070. Which cases should be included in the case comparisons is a matter in dispute. Defendant suggests a group of twenty-one comparison cases, drawn primarily, but not exclusively from the statistically limited E1/aggravated multiple-victims murders category. He submits that his case is appropriately compared to cases in which multiple homicides occurred in conjunction with other crimes, and force beyond that necessary to cause death was used. The State counters that eighteen cases are appropriate for comparison, based on the following characteristics: 1) the victims were killed in their home; 2) defendant used multiple means of attack and extreme brutality; 3) the victims were particularly vulnerable because of their ages; 4) defendant desecrated the victims' bodies post-mortem; 5) defendant committed the murders to escape detection or apprehension within the meaning of aggravating favor (4)(f); 6) defendant committed the murders within the course of committing multiple felonies of a non-sexual nature within the meaning of aggravating factor (4)(g); and 7) a stranger upon stranger crime. Although the State's proposed criteria are broader than those suggested by defendant, we do not require that a case satisfy all of the above characteristics to be considered for inclusion. That, of course, would provide far too limited a universe. The parties recommend cases for comparison purposes. The ultimate decision concerning which cases will be considered for comparison, however, rests squarely with this Court. In Re Proportionality Review Project (I), 161 N.J. 71, 91, 735 A. 2d 528 (1999). Cases within the E1 subcategory are presumptively included in defendant's comparison group; conversely, cases outside the E1 subcategory are presumptively excluded. State v. Timmendequas (II), supra, 168 N.J. at 52, 773 A. 2d 18 (citing State v. Morton (II), 165 N.J. at 256-57, 757 A. 2d 184). The relevant cases are categorized as follows: [23] (1) cases agreed to by the parties [Bobby Lee Brown (T1, V1), Bobby Lee Brown (T1, V2), Bobby Lee Brown (T2, V1, V2), Louis Crumpton, Felix Díaz, Walter Johnson (T1, V1), Walter Johnson (T1, V2), Walter Johnson (T2, V2), Frank Masini [24] (M2), Ronald Mazique, Anthony McDougald (T1, V1), Anthony McDougald (T1, V2), Anthony McDougald (T2, V1), Peter Regan, and Roy Watson]; (2) cases proposed only by defendant [William Menter, Clarence Reeves, George Booker (V1) [B1) George Booker (V2)[B1], and Josh Pompey [D1]]; (3) cases proposed only by the State [Thomas Koskovich (T1), and Thomas Koskovich (T2)]; and (4) cases withdrawn by both parties [David Cullen [25] [E2]]. In addition, the AOC lists several other cases that, although suggested by the parties, ultimately were not relied on by them. These are: Richard Farrow, Gerald Klatzkin, Angel Melendez, Maria Montalvo (V1), Maria Montalvo (V2), Thomas Patterson, Reginald Scott III, Adonis Thomas, Joseph Harris (M2, V1)[B1], Joseph Harris (M2, V2)[B1], Joseph Harris (M2, V3)[B1], Joseph Harris (M2, V4)[B1], Daron Josephs (T1, V1)[B1], Daron Josephs (T1, V2)[B1], Daron Josephs (T2, V1 and V2)[B1], John Lee Allen [E2], David Hester [E2], James Lawrence Lopez [E2], Donald Naples [E2], and Darryl Pitts [E2]. We, therefore, do not include them for comparison purposes. There remain, then, seven cases on which the parties do not agree: Booker (V1), Booker (V2), Koskovich (T1), Koskovich (T2), Menter, Pompey, and Reaves. Of those, only Koskovich, Menter, and Reeves were categorized as E1, and are thus presumptively comparable to defendant. Each one, however, is marked by characteristics that may substantially differentiate it from defendant. Neither Menter nor Reeves was a stranger-upon-stranger killing; in both cases, the killings were spurred by defendants' rejection by a woman. Although both cases involved brutal multiple murders, neither shares several defining characteristics with defendant's case and, therefore, both are excluded from the case-comparison portion of precedent seeking review. Koskovich (T1 and T2) was a stranger-on-stranger robbery/murder. However, his crimes also had so many unique characteristics that his case defies comparison with defendant's case. Koskovich was only guilty of own-conduct murder as to one of the two victims. As such, although Koskovich's cases are coded in the E1 subcategory, they differ, at their core, from many multiple-victim murders. More importantly, Koskovich's case appears to be a thrill-killing, which was its essential characteristic. While admittedly a very close question, Koskovich's cases are not included for comparison with defendant's case. Booker and Pompey were both coded outside the E1 subcategory, and are therefore presumptively not comparable to defendant. Pompey, like Menter and Reeves, was a case of unrequited love gone horribly wrong: Pompey killed his victims because one of them refused to reconcile with him. Pompey does not share enough essential characteristics with defendant to overcome the presumption that it is not comparable. See State v. Morton (II), supra, 165 N.J. at 256-57, 757 A. 2d 184. George Booker, who had a prior murder conviction, raped and killed two women as part of a crime-spree. The crime-spree, sexual assault, and prior murder all make this case sufficiently distinct from defendant's and, thus, is excluded from comparison. In sum, we have determined to engage in case comparisons only in respect of the agreed upon cases: an aggregate of sixteen cases involving nine unique defendants. A very brief summary of each, followed by a comparison analysis, follows.
Summary : Brown, who has been honorably discharged from the armed forces, and his girlfriend followed through on a plan to rob her eighty-two-year-old great aunt and her sixty-four-year-old great uncle. The great aunt was shot to death and the great uncle was shot and stabbed over ten times with a pair of scissors. The jury found aggravating factors 4(f), escape detection, (as to the female victim) and 4(g), robbery murder, (as to both victims). The jury also found mitigating factors 5(c), defendant's age, and 5(h), the catch-all factor. The jury sentenced Brown to death for the murder of the great aunt and, because the jury could not unanimously agree on a sentence for the killing of the great uncle, Brown also received a life sentence. On appeal of the death sentence, we reversed for flaws in the instruction on the option of a non-unanimous vote on own conduct. The conviction was affirmed, but would be vacated if the State again sought the death penalty. State v. Brown, 138 N.J. 481, 651 A. 2d 19 (1994). The State opted not to seek the death penalty a second time. Brown received two life sentences, with a sixty-year period of parole ineligibility. Comparison: Defendant acknowledges that the victimization in his case was greater than that of the great aunt and likely greater than that of the great uncle. But, defendant suggests that the differences are vitiated by the planning apparent in Brown's crime and Brown's lack of psychiatric history, lack of suggestion of drug influence, and maturity, as evidenced by his successful military service. Defendant also points out that, although originally sentenced to death, Brown ultimately received a life sentence. The State suggests that Brown and defendant are equally blameworthy, insofar as both selected elderly defendants whom they knew to be vulnerable. The State stresses that the jury in defendant's case rejected any psychological mitigating factors. Also, the State sees Brown's military service as evidence of his rehabilitative potential. The State also points to the increased victimization in defendant's case. Although defendant's case in mitigation may have been slightly more compelling than Brown's, the difference is not meaningful enough to suggest that defendant's death sentence is disproportional, particularly in light of the increased victimization in defendant's case. We conclude that defendant's criminal culpability is equal to or greater than Brown's.
Summary: Crumpton, a thirty-six year old man living with AIDS, broke into a home to steal items. He was surprised by the victims, aged eighty-six and eighty-one. He beat the victims over the face, most likely with a blunt object. One victim was found dead and the other died four months later. After the State served its notice of aggravating factors, he pled guilty to two counts of felony murder and was sentenced to two consecutive life terms, with more than sixty-three years of parole ineligibility on each count. Comparison: Defendant suggests that Crumpton's life sentences indicate that defendant's sentence is disproportionately harsh. Defendant points out that the victims in Crumpton's case were older, and therefore more vulnerable. Defendant further suggests that there was no indication that Crumpton, while ill with AIDS, suffered any psychiatric disease. The State points out that Crumpton did not know his victims would be home, and that Crumpton suffered from AIDS and drug addiction. Defendant's entry into the Hazards' home knowing someone was home increases his moral blameworthiness sufficiently to justify the difference in result between Crumpton and defendant, a distinction further highlighted by the fact that Crumpton suffered from AIDS and drug addiction.
Summary: Díaz and his co-defendant went to the home of the co-defendant's ex-lover seeking money for drugs. Díaz and the co-defendant beat, shot, and stabbed two members of the ex-lover's family, including his eight-year-old niece. The defendants then waited for the ex-lover to return home and also killed him. That victim's body was burned and a pet dog also was killed. The jury found the escape detection and felony murder aggravating factors. The jury also found Díaz's age (twenty-seven), lack of significant prior criminal history, and assistance to the State, in addition to the catch-all factor, to be mitigating. Díaz received consecutive life sentences; after the non-capital charges were added, his total term of parole ineligibility was more than one hundred years. Comparison: Defendant suggests that Díaz's case is simply a more aggravated version of his, save that Díaz received a life sentence. Defendant points out that the victimization in Díaz's case was about the same as in his own, except Díaz killed three people and, as to the last victim, Díaz lay in wait. Defendant concedes that Díaz was mildly retarded, but notes that defendant scored an eighty-one on a full-scale IQ test. Unlike Díaz, defendant suffered from bipolar disorder and had an abusive childhood. Defendant suggests that Díaz's case presents more criminal culpability than his, but in no event presents sufficiently less to justify Díaz's life sentence as opposed to defendant's death sentence. In contrast, the State points out that Díaz's jury found four mitigating factors: his age, his lack of significant criminal history, his assistance to the State, and the catch-all factor. This comparison is closely poised. Díaz's crime, with its additional victim and the fact that they waited for the final victim to return home, is more blameworthy than defendant's, but Díaz's character shows fewer indicia of culpability. The similarities in the cases are not dispositive of the issue of proportionality. We expect that juries may decide similar cases differently. Disparity alone does not demonstrate disproportionality. State v. Bey (IV), supra, 137 N.J. at 386, 645 A. 2d 685. Here, while there are disparate results in potentially similar cases, those differences, standing alone, are insufficient to suggest that defendant was unfairly singled-out for death.
Summary: Johnson had done some carpentry work for a married couple. He went to their home and asked to use the phone. After the female victim caught Johnson stealing jewelry, he shot the male victim and beat the female victim to death with a poker. The jury found the murder involved extreme suffering, was committed to escape detection, and occurred contemporaneous to other felonies. As to the male victim the jury found only the catch-all mitigating factor; as to the female victim the jury found that Johnson was under extreme mental or emotional disturbance. Although Johnson received a death sentence for the killing of the female victim, the jury determined that the aggravating factors did not outweigh the mitigating factor for the male victim. We reversed Johnson's convictions after determining that his confession had been illegally obtained. State v. Johnson, 120 N.J. 263, 576 A. 2d 834 (1990). He ultimately pled guilty to two counts of non-capital murder and was sentenced to consecutive life terms. Comparison: Defendant concedes that his case may present slightly more culpability than Johnson, but contends that any difference is sufficient to justify the fact that Johnson, after a reversed death sentence, ultimately received a life sentence. The State points out that a jury determined that Johnson, unlike defendant, was affected by mental defect or disturbance. Johnson's initial death sentence, despite the jury's determination that he suffered from a mental defect or disturbance, is an indicator that defendant's death sentence is not disproportionate to Johnson's sentence. Other than that finding, these cases have similar degrees of moral blameworthiness, victimization, and character.
Summary: Masini killed an elderly couple that employed him as a handyman. He stabbed the male victim in the neck with a letter opener. When the female victim responded to the commotion, Masini also stabbed her to death. Both victims had defensive wounds on their hands. The female victim was nude from the waist down. Masini was also linked to the murder of his elderly aunt and another woman, both of whom were stabbed in the neck and found partially nude. Masini claimed to have had detachments from reality in the months leading up to the other murders. He pled guilty to the four murders and was sentenced to two consecutive terms of life imprisonment and a concurrent term of life imprisonment, with a thirty-year parole bar. Comparison: Defendant points out that, while there may have been slightly less victimization in Masini's cases, his victims were older and more numerous, and there may have been sexual assaults involved. According to defendant, although Masini claimed to have experienced a detachment from reality, there was no evidence that he ever sought treatment, and, while he may have been drinking heavily that night, there was no evidence of a sustained substance abuse problem. The State suggests that Masini's culpability is reduced by his intoxication on the night of the murders. This comparison, again, poses a close question. There are aspects of Masini's case that make it more aggravated than defendant's  most importantly, that he killed four people in three separate incidents  and aspects that make it less so, that is, the fact that he was drinking heavily. Both defendant and Masini exhibited a high level of blameworthiness, a large amount of victimization, and their characters are not universally mitigating.
Summary: Mazique went to the forty-one-year old female victim's house to obtain money; purportedly he intended to steal her income tax refund. He killed the victim and her six-year-old grandson by striking them over thirty times each with a hammer. In an effort to cover up the crime, Mazique turned on the gas in an attempt to explode the apartment. Mazique was also a suspect in a double homicide in his home-state of South Carolina. Mazique was convicted of a number of crimes, including capital murder. The jury found that the murder involved an aggravated assault of the victim, was committed to escape detection, and was committed in the course of a robbery. The jury also determined that eight of the ten catch-all mitigating factors presented by Mazique were present, including factors related to childhood abuse. The jury could not reach a unanimous decision on sentencing. As a result, Mazique received consecutive life sentences for the murders and additional terms of imprisonment for other crimes. Comparison: Defendant suggests that his case and Mazique's case present roughly equal degrees of culpability. Defendant points out that although Mazique suffered sexual abuse as a child, he had no documented psychiatric history. Defendant also notes that Mazique was a suspect in two South Carolina homicides. The State, however, asserts that the level of brutality of defendant's crime exceeded that of Mazique. The State further differentiates between these cases by noting that Mazique was a drug and alcohol addict, who had been physically and sexually abused by his father. Whether Mazique was suspected of other killings does not enter into our calculus. For example, in State v. Martini (II), supra, 139 N.J. at 75-76, 651 A. 2d 949, the defendant had pleaded guilty to a double homicide in Arizona, was awaiting trial for murder in Pennsylvania, and was a suspect in four other killings. Nonetheless, we did not consider that information in assessing the defendant's character because the jury had heard neither of his prior record nor evidence of unrelated acts of violence. Id. at 76, 651 A. 2d 949. Here, too, we consider only that evidence heard by the jury in comparing the cases. The jury in Mazique's case accepted eight catch-all mitigating factors related to his traumatic upbringing. Although defendant, too, suffered a troubled childhood, the jury did not credit that evidence to any appreciable extent. Although the cases are quite similar, that distinction likely and rationally explains the difference between defendant's death sentence and Mazique's life sentence.
Summary: McDougald and a thirteen-year-old accomplice killed the parents of another thirteen-year-old, with whom he had been having sex. He attacked the parents in their bedroom, cutting the man's throat, stabbing him, and hitting him with a baseball bat. When the co-defendant proved unable to kill the woman quickly enough, McDougald hit the woman with a cinderblock, hit her with the bat, and then cut her throat. He then pulled off her underpants and violated her with the bat. For each victim, the jury found aggravating factors 4(c), [intent to cause suffering], 4(f), [escape detection (to cover up his statutory rape of their daughter)], and 4(g) [murder within the course of burglary]. The jury also found that McDougald acted under extreme mental or emotional disturbance and the catch-all mitigating factor. Because the jury determined that the aggravating factors outweighed the mitigating factors, he was sentenced to death. We overturned the death sentences because the instruction on the 4(c) intent to cause suffering aggravating factor was flawed. State v. McDougald, 120 N.J. 523, 577 A. 2d 419 (1990). In the penalty phase re-trial, the jury found that, as to the male victim, the murder was committed to escape detection; and, as to the female victim, that the murder was committed to escape detection and that the murder involved an aggravated battery and depravity of mind. The jury also found that McDougald was under extreme mental or emotional disturbance, suffered from mental disease, defect or intoxication, and had established some catch-all mitigating factors. The jury also found that while in the Marines, McDougald spent time in a Japanese prison and that he had sought help before the offense. The jury could not decide whether the aggravating factors outweighed the mitigating factors. Accordingly, McDougald was sentenced to consecutive life terms, with sixty years of parole ineligibility, to run consecutive to his sentences on the non-capital crimes. Comparison: Defendant contends that McDougald's case, although characterized by rage and lacking robbery as a motive, is similar to his case, except with more victimization. According to defendant, there is no rational reason McDougald ultimately received a life sentence while defendant remains on death row. The State freely acknowledges that the brutality in McDougald's case was equal to that of defendant's. However, the State argues that defendant is more blameworthy for having intentionally selected older  and, hence, more vulnerable  victims. The State also argues that because McDougald's murders were essentially motivated by rage, jealousy, and passion[,] he is less blameworthy, although the jury's finding that McDougald committed the murders to escape detection belies the State's claim in this regard. The State further points out that the jury found two mitigating factors in McDougald's case that were not found in defendant's case: extreme mental or emotional disturbance and mental disease, defect, or intoxication. McDougald's crime was horrifying. But, because McDougald was initially sentenced to death and because the jury found the existence of two important mitigating factors that defendant's jury rejected, it cannot be said that McDougald's ultimate life sentence indicates that defendant was unfairly singled out for capital punishment.
Summary: Regan left his girlfriend at a bar and went to her house to rob it. When a fifteen-year-old girl entered the home, Regan hit her five times with an aluminum baseball bat, killing her. When his girlfriend's twelve-year-old daughter entered the apartment, Regan hit her six times in the head and face with the bat, also killing her. Regan then removed the second victim's clothing so the incident would appear to be a rape. Regan had a prior record of assaults and a robbery, along with a history of drug and alcohol abuse. Regan pleaded guilty to two counts of purposeful, knowing murder and one count of robbery. He was sentenced to two concurrent life terms, with thirty years of parole ineligibility for the murder and a twenty-year term with a ten-year parole bar for the robbery. Comparison: Defendant concedes that Regan may be slightly less culpable than defendant, but suggests the difference is insufficient to justify Regan being allowed to plead guilty and avoid a penalty trial. In defendant's view, there was no evidence that Regan suffered abuse or had any mental impairment. Defendant also concedes that the victimization in Regan's case, though exacerbated by the undressing of one victim, was somewhat less than in his case, and that Regan may not have expected the house to be occupied. The State argues that the victimization in Regan's case was less than in defendant's case. The State further notes that Regan's moral blameworthiness is diminished because he did not know the victims would be there. Finally, the State argues that Regan had drug and alcohol problems, and was drinking on the night of the crime. The central differences between Regan and defendant are that defendant decided to commit his crime in a home he knew would be occupied by elderly victims, and that Regan's attack was not as prolonged as defendant's. In comparison, this reduces the victimization in Regan's case. As a result, Regan's case does not suggest that defendant's death sentence was disproportionate.
Summary: Armed with a pipe, Watson broke into the home of an elderly couple. He went into their bedroom and severely beat them both. He then drank scotch while they died. He stole jewelry, furs, and money. He had an extensive, violent criminal record. He had been admitted to a mental hospital after his acquittal of the scalding death of his sister. At the time of the murder, he was a fugitive from a New York assault charge. Watson was addicted to barbiturates and crack cocaine. After convicting him, a jury found that the murder was committed within the course of a burglary. The jury also found his age (he was forty-four and his attorneys argued that his age meant he would likely never leave prison) and his impaired capacity were mitigating factors. Because the jury deadlocked on whether to impose death, Watson received consecutive life sentences. Comparison: Defendant concedes that the victimization in Watson's case, while severe, may have been less than in his case. But, defendant notes, Watson presented no personal mitigation whatsoever. Defendant contends that Watson had no indication of addiction, as opposed to use, of substances[.] The State, on the other hand, notes that the degree of victimization in defendant's case was greater than Watson's. The State also suggests that Watson was surprised by his victims in the midst of his crimes. Finally, the State argues that Watson's culpability is diminished by the fact that he was a severe and chronic drug abuser who was addicted to barbiturates and crack cocaine, and he was using drugs and alcohol at the time of the crimes. This conclusion is supported by the jury's finding that Watson suffered from mental disease, defect, or intoxication. Both parties include information about Watson that is unsupported in the AOC summary. Contrary to defendant's claim, Watson was a drug addict. Likewise, contrary to the State's assertion, there is no support in the summary for the idea that Watson was surprised by his victims: he entered the house armed and went directly to their bedroom, where he killed them. Nevertheless, Watson's addiction and intoxication may account for the disparate sentences he and defendant received.