Court Opinion

ID: 9767441
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 05:19:52.040569+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:30:31.192459
License: Public Domain

ON PETITION TO REHEAR
Defendant has filed a respectful Petition to Rehear to which the State has responded by the Court’s direction.
Defendant insists T.C.A. § 39-2-203(i)(5) is unconstitutionally vague under the ruling of the United States Supreme Court in Maynard v. Cartwright, 486 U.S. 356, 108 S.Ct. 1853, 100 L.Ed.2d 372 (1988) and that the limiting instructions delivered to the jury by the Court were inadequate.
This Court has addressed a similar argument in State v. Gregory Thompson, 768 S.W.2d 239 (Tenn.1989) and found the statute to be constitutionally sound. In conjunction with the definitions adopted in State v. Williams, 690 S.W.2d 517 (Tenn. 1985), the Court held that the instructions in Thompson gave the jury sufficient guidance to prevent arbitrary sentencing. We are satisfied that the jury instructions in this case meet the same standards.
The petition to rehear is denied.