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H.B. 77

             1     

CRIMINAL SENTENCING - MITIGATION

             2     
AMENDMENTS

             3     
2002 GENERAL SESSION

             4     
STATE OF UTAH

             5     
Sponsor: David L. Hogue

             6      This act modifies the Criminal Code by including mental retardation as a mitigating factor
             7      to be considered when determining whether the death penalty shall be imposed for a capital
             8      felony offense.
             9      This act affects sections of Utah Code Annotated 1953 as follows:
             10      AMENDS:
             11          76-3-207, as last amended by Chapter 209, Laws of Utah 2001
             12      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             13          Section 1. Section 76-3-207 is amended to read:
             14           76-3-207. Capital felony -- Sentencing proceeding.
             15          (1) (a) When a defendant has pled guilty to or been found guilty of a capital felony, there
             16      shall be further proceedings before the court or jury on the issue of sentence.
             17          (b) In the case of a plea of guilty to a capital felony, the sentencing proceedings shall be
             18      conducted before a jury or, upon request of the defendant and with the approval of the court and
             19      the consent of the prosecution, by the court which accepted the plea.
             20          (c) (i) When a defendant has been found guilty of a capital felony, the proceedings shall
             21      be conducted before the court or jury which found the defendant guilty, provided the defendant
             22      may waive hearing before the jury with the approval of the court and the consent of the
             23      prosecution, in which event the hearing shall be before the court.
             24          (ii) If, however, circumstances make it impossible or impractical to reconvene the same
             25      jury for the sentencing proceedings, the court may dismiss that jury and convene a new jury for the
             26      proceedings.
             27          (d) If a retrial of the sentencing proceedings is necessary as a consequence of a remand


             28      from an appellate court, the sentencing authority shall be determined as provided in Subsection
             29      [(5)] (6).
             30          (2) (a) In capital sentencing proceedings, evidence may be presented on:
             31          (i) the nature and circumstances of the crime;
             32          (ii) the defendant's character, background, history, mental and physical condition;
             33          (iii) the victim and the impact of the crime on the victim's family and community without
             34      comparison to other persons or victims; and
             35          (iv) any other facts in aggravation or mitigation of the penalty that the court considers
             36      relevant to the sentence.
             37          (b) Any evidence the court considers to have probative force may be received regardless
             38      of its admissibility under the exclusionary rules of evidence. The state's attorney and the defendant
             39      shall be permitted to present argument for or against the sentence of death.
             40          (3) Aggravating circumstances include those outlined in Section 76-5-202 .
             41          (4) Mitigating circumstances include:
             42          (a) the defendant has no significant history of prior criminal activity;
             43          (b) the homicide was committed while the defendant was under the influence of mental
             44      or emotional disturbance;
             45          (c) the defendant acted under duress or under the domination of another person;
             46          (d) (i) at the time of the homicide, the capacity of the defendant to appreciate the
             47      wrongfulness of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the requirement of law was impaired as
             48      a result of mental [disease] illness or mental retardation, intoxication, or influence of drugs; and
             49          (ii) as used in Subsection (4)(d)(i) h [ , ] :
             49a           (A) "MENTAL ILLNESS" HAS THE SAME DEFINITION AS IN SECTION 76-2-305; AND
             49b          (B) h "mental retardation" means a significant subaverage
             50      general intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior;
             51          (e) the youth of the defendant at the time of the crime;
             52          (f) the defendant was an accomplice in the homicide committed by another person and the
             53      defendant's participation was relatively minor; and
             54          (g) any other fact in mitigation of the penalty.
             55          [(4)] (5) (a) The court or jury, as the case may be, shall retire to consider the penalty.
             56      Except as provided in Subsection 76-3-207.5 (2), in all proceedings before a jury, under this
             57      section, it shall be instructed as to the punishment to be imposed upon a unanimous decision for
             58      death and that the penalty of either an indeterminate prison term of not less than 20 years and


             59      which may be for life or life in prison without parole, shall be imposed if a unanimous decision
             60      for death is not found.
             61          (b) The death penalty shall only be imposed if, after considering the totality of the
             62      aggravating and mitigating circumstances, the jury is persuaded beyond a reasonable doubt that
             63      total aggravation outweighs total mitigation, and is further persuaded, beyond a reasonable doubt,
             64      that the imposition of the death penalty is justified and appropriate in the circumstances. If the jury
             65      reports unanimous agreement to impose the sentence of death, the court shall discharge the jury
             66      and shall impose the sentence of death.
             67          (c) If the jury is unable to reach a unanimous decision imposing the sentence of death or
             68      the state is not seeking the death penalty, the jury shall then determine whether the penalty of life
             69      in prison without parole shall be imposed, except as provided in Subsection 76-3-207.5 (2). The
             70      penalty of life in prison without parole shall only be imposed if the jury determines that the
             71      sentence of life in prison without parole is appropriate. If the jury reports agreement by ten jurors
             72      or more to impose the sentence of life in prison without parole, the court shall discharge the jury
             73      and shall impose the sentence of life in prison without parole. If ten jurors or more do not agree
             74      upon a sentence of life in prison without parole, the court shall discharge the jury and impose an
             75      indeterminate prison term of not less than 20 years and which may be for life.
             76          (d) If the defendant waives hearing before the jury as to sentencing, with the approval of
             77      the court and the consent of the prosecution, the court shall determine the appropriate penalty
             78      according to the standards of [this Subsection (4)(d)] Subsections (5)(b) and (c).
             79          [(5)] (6) Upon any appeal by the defendant where the sentence is of death, the appellate
             80      court, if it finds prejudicial error in the sentencing proceeding only, may set aside the sentence of
             81      death and remand the case to the trial court for new sentencing proceedings to the extent necessary
             82      to correct the error or errors. No error in the sentencing proceedings shall result in the reversal of
             83      the conviction of a capital felony. In cases of remand for new sentencing proceedings, all exhibits
             84      and a transcript of all testimony and other evidence properly admitted in the prior trial and
             85      sentencing proceedings shall be admissible in the new sentencing proceedings, and if the
             86      sentencing proceeding was before a:
             87          (a) jury, a new jury shall be impaneled for the new sentencing proceeding unless the
             88      defendant waives the hearing before the jury with the approval of the court and the consent of the
             89      prosecution, in which case the proceeding shall be held according to Subsection [(5)] (6)(b) or (c),


             90      as applicable;
             91          (b) judge, the original trial judge shall conduct the new sentencing proceeding; or
             92          (c) judge, and the original trial judge is unable or unavailable to conduct a new sentencing
             93      proceeding, then another judge shall be designated to conduct the new sentencing proceeding, and
             94      the new proceeding will be before a jury unless the defendant waives the hearing before the jury
             95      with the approval of the court and the consent of the prosecution.
             96          [(6)] (7) In the event the death penalty is held to be unconstitutional by the Utah Supreme
             97      Court or the United States Supreme Court, the court having jurisdiction over a person previously
             98      sentenced to death for a capital felony shall cause the person to be brought before the court, and
             99      the court shall sentence the person to an indeterminate prison term of not less than 20 years and
             100      which may be for life, if the death penalty is held unconstitutional prior to April 27, 1992, or life
             101      in prison without parole if the death penalty is held unconstitutional on or after April 27, 1992, and
             102      any person who is thereafter convicted of a capital felony shall be sentenced to an indeterminate
             103      prison term of not less than 20 years and which may be for life or life in prison without parole.




Legislative Review Note
    as of 11-29-01 1:16 PM


A limited legal review of this legislation raises no obvious constitutional or statutory concerns.

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel


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