Court Opinion

ID: 9633628
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 11:54:51.201754+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:08:38.835541
License: Public Domain

ERICKSON, Justice,
specially concurring:
I concur with the opinion written by Justice Kirshbaum, but specially concur because of the two separate dissents which address the constitutionality of the death penalty. The record of the guilt phase contains numerous errors, none of which individually or collectively constitute reversible error. The death penalty phase of the case, however, does require reversal because of errors committed during that phase of the trial. Accordingly, under the facts of this case, I cannot uphold the sentence of death.
In my view, People v. Durre, 690 P.2d 165 (Colo.1984), requires reversal of the death penalty. I agree with the Durre analysis set forth in the majority opinion, but write separately to express my view that section 16-11-103, 8A C.R.S. (1986), does not suffer from the same infirmities that caused us to declare the predecessor death penalty statute to be unconstitutional in People v. District Court, 196 Colo. 401, 586 P.2d 31 (1978). In People v. District Court, we pointed out the infirmities in the death penalty statute, which the General Assembly corrected by enacting section 16-11-103. I agree with Justice Vollack’s analysis of the present statute and his conclusion that the statute is constitutional. I cannot, however, join Justice Vollack’s dissent because of our decision in Durre.