Court Opinion

ID: 9728895
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 14:18:37.462986+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:20:51.924969
License: Public Domain

FLAHERTY, Justice,
concurring.
At first blush one could be inclined to view what was printed on the verdict slip as a typographical or grammatical error and thus a “technicality” as it were, but further thought demonstrates quite to the contrary. True, the jury was orally instructed properly, but, as it deliberated whether the defendant should be put to death by the state, what was in hand was, in a material way, contrary to those instructions and clearly in error. True again, the jury need not have found favorably to the defendant on both of the mitigating circumstances asserted, but how is it to be said the error had no bearing on the deliberations? The error was indeed prejudicial and counsel should have caught it and registered an objection. I join the majority.