Court Opinion

ID: 9676467
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 05:25:04.869618+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:16:48.754519
License: Public Domain

BILLINGS, Judge,
concurring in result.
I could join an opinion holding the defendant waived jury sentencing by his plea of guilty and affirm the judgment. However, for the reasons assigned in the principal opinion and in recognition that this capital murder case will be subjected to countless judicial reviews in years to come, I concur in the result reached by that opinion.
In response to the dissent of our Brother WELLIVER, I make the following observations: first, it is questionable whether a present majority of this Court would follow State v. McIlvoy in a proportionality review situation; second, the defendant has admitted that the killing was his idea and, acting alone, fired the fatal shots; lastly, prosecutors in this State have the authority to decide what charges to bring against which person in multiple defendant criminal acts and judicially approved plea bargaining is simply another facet of such authority. We should not use our statutory grant of proportionality review as a vehicle to circumvent the declared public policy of this State approving the death penalty in certain instances.