Court Opinion

ID: 9709876
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 03:56:39.777131+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:22:52.296178
License: Public Domain

PIVARNIK, Justice,
concurring and dissenting.
I concur with the majority wherein it affirms the convictions of the defendant for both of these murders. However, I dissent to the judgment of the majority in setting aside the death penalty sentence by the trial court. As a matter of fact, I am at a total loss in attempting to discern on what grounds the majority finds that the death sentence should be set aside. Their findings in this regard are not supported by the decisions of the United States Supreme Court or the many decisions on this subject by this Court. To the contrary, the decisions of the United States Supreme Court and this Court clearly support the findings and judgment of the trial court.
The trial court's reasons for imposing the death sentence are overwhelmingly supported by the evidence. The trial court made detailed findings proving without any doubt Defendant committed both murders intentionally and in perpetration of a robbery and burglary. The trial court found this to be true beyond a reasonable doubt.
As the majority points out, it is well established that the trial court need not accept the recommendation of the jury and may impose the death sentence regardless of the jury's recommendation. The United States Supreme Court so provided in Spaziano v. Florida (1984) 468 U.S. 447, 104 S.Ct. 3154, 82 L.Ed.2d 340, and this Court held so in Schiro v. State, (1983), Ind., 451 N.E.2d 1047, cert. denied, 464 U.S. 1003, 104 S.Ct. 510, 78 L.Ed.2d 699. The reasoning in these cases was that the jury decision on a death sentence is merely a recommendation and the trial court may impose the death sentence even if the jury recommends against it. Ind.Code § 35-50-2-9(e) expressly provides that the trial court is to set the sentence and is not bound by the jury's recommendation. Furthermore, it has been held permissible for the State to charge but one aggravating circumstance at the time of filing the charging instrument but then to prove additional aggravating circumstances during the sentencing hearing. Zant v. Stephens (1983), 462 U.S. 862, 103 S.Ct. 2733, 77 L.Ed.2d 235; Davis v. State (1985), Ind., 477 N.E.2d 889, cert. denied, - U.S. -, 106 S.Ct. 546, 88 L.Ed.2d 475. In Davis, the State charged that two murders were committed by defendant Davis while committing child molesting and while by lying in wait. The State did not charge the aggravating circumstance of having committed another murder. During the sentencing stage, the trial court specifically found that an additional aggravating circumstance of having committed another murder was proved by the State and recounted this factor in reaching its judgment of imposing the death penalty. Furthermore, this Court found that the evidence did not support the aggravating circumstance of lying in wait. Nonetheless, we held in Davis that even though the trial court had used the aggravating circumstance, of lying in wait, that was not supported by the evidence, the death penalty imposition was still supported and properly entered. We based our holding on the fact the court found at least one aggravating circumstance which in fact was clearly supported by the evidence and which existed beyond a reasonable doubt: namely, that the murder was committed in the perpetration of child molesting. This Court further found the trial court properly used the additional aggravating circumstance of a multiple killing *280even though this had not been charged by the State. We found in Davis, Ind., 477 N.E.2d at 893:
"We find no error in the Court's finding of the additional circumstance in this case since defendant did have specific notice of the two aggravating cireum-stances the State had alleged and the state's burden to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the existence of these two aggravating cireumstances did not change. During the sentencing phase of the proceeding, the trial court was properly to consider the specific cireumstanc-es of the instant offenses and the nature of the defendant. The court had before it defendant's guilty pleas to the commission of the two murders and the two attempted murders. Therefore, it could properly consider the conviction of the first murder count as an aggravating circumstance in deciding to recommend the death penalty on the other murder count. See Judy v. State (1981), 275 Ind. 145, 416 N.E.2d 95.
Defendant did have notice of the specific reasons for the filing of the death penalty information and obviously was aware that the court would consider all the facts surrounding the crimes during the sentencing hearing. There was no error in the court's finding of the additional aggravating circumstance of the commission of another murder under the circumstances of this case."
The majority fails to give any reasons for rejecting the trial court's imposition of the death penalty in view of the fact that it was based on the aggravating circumstance of commission of murder in the perpetration of burglary and robbery. Rather, it goes into a lengthy discussion on the specific meanings of Ind.Code § 35-50-2-9(7) and (8). The problem, according to the majority, is the trial court used the language "convicted" as stated in (7) rather than "had committed" as recited in (8). In view of the court's findings here, this is only a question of semantics and has no effect whatever on the findings of the trial court to support its judgment. In State v. McCormick (1979), 272 Ind. 272, 397 N.E.2d 276, this Court held that (8) was unconstitutionally applied when it referred to a prior murder that had not been reduced to a conviction. In view of that, there is very little use for (8) and very little difference between (8) and (7). It has clearly been established, that an aggravating circumstance is properly applied when multiple murders are committed by the defendant. Wallace v. State (1985), Ind., 486 N.E.2d 445; Lowery v. State (1985), Ind., 478 N.E.2d 1214, cert. denied, - U.S. -, 106 S.Ct. 1500, 89 L.Ed.2d 900 (1986); Davis, supra; Judy, supra.
I fully agree with the majority that when reviewing a death sentence we follow meticulous procedural obedience, however, I cannot discern a problem in this area. The evidence clearly and unquestionably supports the trial court's findings that the defendant here did purposely and intentionally murder the two elderly people here in their own home while in the perpetration of a burglary and a robbery. It is further our duty as the judiciary to recognize and apply the law as we find it. It is within the province of the Legislature and not this Court to fix the terms of punishment for crimes. This includes fixing the death penalty for murder when circumstances such as those found in this case exist. The executive branch of government, through the office of the Governor, has the authority to commute sentences or give pardons. This Court does not. This defendant was properly found to have committed these crimes and was sentenced by the trial judge to suffer the death penalty. I would affirm that judgment.
GIVAN, C.J., concurs.