Opinion ID: 1235400
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Alleged Double Counting of Victim's Age

Text: Defendant complains that the trial court gave the victim's age double weight by using the victim's age in support of two aggravating factors  A.R.S. § 13-703(F)(6) (heinousness or depravity) and (F)(9) (age of victim). Defendant's complaint is meritless. The use of one fact to establish two aggravating circumstances is proper, provided the court, in balancing the aggravating and mitigating factors does not weigh the young age of the victim twice. Because it is but one fact, it cannot be weighed twice, even though it satisfies two separate aggravating factors. See Schad, 163 Ariz. at 419, 788 P.2d at 1170; State v. Tittle, 147 Ariz. 339, 345, 710 P.2d 449, 455 (1985). The trial court followed the law precisely, stating: The Court concludes that it is not precluded from finding more than one aggravating circumstance based on the victim's young age and helplessness as long as those circumstances are considered only one time in the weighing process.  (Emphasis added.)