Opinion ID: 1780246
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: statutorily required issues

Text: ¶ 97. When a death penalty case comes before this Court on direct appeal, this Court must review other statutory issues, even if Bennett has not specifically raised them. These issues are set forth as follows in Mississippi Code Annotated Section 99-19-105: (3) With regard to the sentence, the court shall determine: (a) Whether the sentence of death was imposed under the influence of passion, prejudice or any other arbitrary factor; (b) Whether the evidence supports the jury's or judge's finding of a statutory aggravating circumstance as enumerated in Section 99-19-101; (c) Whether the sentence of death is excessive or disproportionate to the penalty imposed in similar cases, considering both the crime and the defendant; and (d) Should one or more of the aggravating circumstances be found invalid on appeal, the Mississippi Supreme Court shall determine whether the remaining aggravating circumstances are outweighed by the mitigating circumstances or whether the inclusion of any invalid circumstance was harmless error, or both. Miss.Code Ann. § 99-19-105(3) (1972). With regard to Section 99-19-105(3)(a), this question has already been addressed in Issues VII and VIII. With regard to Section 99-19-105(3)(b), the required analysis has been included in Issues X, XII, and XIV. With regard to Section 99-19-105(3)(c), this has been addressed in Issue XI. Finally, with regard to Section 99-19-105(3)(d), we do not find the aggravating circumstances to be invalid, and thus this issue is inapplicable. We have thoroughly discussed the aggravating circumstances in this case in Issues XII, XIII, XIV, and XV.