Valdez v. State
Valdez v. State
Opinion of the Court
OPINION
Gerardo Valdez was tried by a jury and convicted of First Degree Malice Aforethought Murder in violation of 21 O.S.Supp. 1982, § 701.7(A), in the District Court of Grady County, Case No. CRF-89-139. The jury found the existence of the following three aggravating circumstances: that Valdez posed a continuing threat to society; that the death was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel; and, that in perpetrating the homicide, Valdez created a great risk of death to more than one person. In accordance with the jury’s recommendation, the Honorable James R. Winchester sentenced Valdez to death. We affirm.
The murder in question occurred in April of 1989. One evening, Valdez, and the victim, Juan Barron, met through mutual friends in a bar. Barron was a homosexual who apparently showed an interest in Valdez. Testimony revealed that throughout the evening, Barron and Valdez talked and occasionally embraced. While Valdez consumed approximately ten, 3.2 beers during the course of the evening, he and other witnesses testified that he did not become drunk.
When the bar closed, Valdez took his friend, Martin Orduna, and Barron to his house. Orduna testified he was reluctant to enter because he thought Valdez and Barron were going to have sex. Orduna did, however, go inside Valdez’s house with Valdez and Barron. The following is Orduna’s account of what occurred there on that evening: Valdez obtained a gun shortly after the three men went into his house; Valdez told Barron he was going to kill him and began slapping Barron; Valdez showed Barron a Bible and told him that according to it, homosexuals do not deserve to five; Valdez asked Barron if he wanted Valdez to castrate or kill him; Valdez made Barron remove his clothes and then began hitting and slapping Barron; Barron eventually got angry and started fighting back; Valdez then shot Barron twice in the forehead, but Barron continued fighting; Valdez hit Barron in the side of the head with the gun; while Barron lay on the couch, Valdez retrieved a kitchen knife and slit Barron’s throat; Barron shook and then died. Valdez and Orduna carried Barron, the couch and surrounding rug to Valdez’s backyard and burned them. Barron’s scant remains were discovered there about three months later.
Valdez’s trial strategy was to admit guilt but raise an insanity defense. His testimony about the events preceding, including and following the murder was consistent with Orduna’s. Valdez testified that homosexuality is a sin according to the Bible, and he wanted to help Barron understand the error of his ways. Valdez said he became angry and killed Barron when Barron refused to listen to the Bible’s message.
PRETRIAL AND JURY SELECTION ISSUES
Valdez argues in his first proposition that the Oklahoma statutory definition of competence found at 22 O.S.Supp.1991, § 1175.1, is unconstitutional because it does not reflect the United States Supreme Court’s definition of competence set forth in Dusky v. United States.
We recently rejected this attack on the constitutionality of section 1175.1 in Lambert v. State,
Valdez next argues that the trial court’s determination that he was competent violated due process. He begins his argument by claiming that the trial court and competency evaluator Dr. John Quinn failed to adequately consider whether he had a rational and factual understanding of the proceedings, and instead focused simply on whether he understood the nature of the proceedings. Valdez concludes his argument with an overall attack upon the sufficiency of the trial court’s final competency determination, citing an affidavit from Roger Enfield, Ph.D., which states that Dr. Quinn failed to sufficiently analyze Valdez’s competence. In his affidavit, Dr. Enfield states that Dr. Quinn’s analysis did not meet Standard 7-3.7 of the ABA Criminal Justice Mental Health Standards (1989). Valdez failed to object to Dr. Quinn’s competency evaluation or to the trial court’s competency determination. Accordingly, this review is for plain error only.
We have determined that the section 1175.1 definition of competence, which requires that an accused understand the nature of the proceedings, meets Supreme Court standards. Accordingly, both Dr. Quinn during his evaluation and the judge during the subsequent post-examination competency hearing applied the constitutionally appropriate definition of competence in reaching their respective conclusions that Valdez was fit to stand trial. Dr. Quinn’s written evaluation also met the requirements set forth in 22 O.S.1981, § 1175.3, and was thus sufficient. While the evaluation was largely conclusory, section 1175.3 does not require that such a report provide the sort of details set forth in ABA Standard 7-3.7.
Further, the trial court’s finding of competence did not constitute an abuse of discretion.
Valdez claims in his eleventh proposition that the trial court erred in refusing to grant his motion for individual voir dire. He presented two grounds in support of his motion: that jurors who had been exposed to pretrial publicity about the case could give others prejudicial information; and that jurors would respond more honestly to questions concerning bias, prejudice and death penalty attitudes if they were questioned separately.
Valdez acknowledges there is no right to individual voir dire.
GUILT/INNOCENCE ISSUES
In proposition two, Valdez claims that his July 25, 1989 confession should not have been admitted against him because he gave this statement without knowingly and intelligently waiving his Miranda rights. Valdez does not dispute the fact that police properly administered the Miranda warning. He argues that his inability to sufficiently speak and understand English, his lack of prior experience with the criminal justice system, and his low intelligence rendered him incapable of validly waiving his Miranda rights. Defense counsel neither filed a motion to suppress this statement nor objected to its admission on the grounds that it was not voluntarily made.
On the evening of July 24, 1989, several months after Barron’s murder, Deputy Terry Cunningham, Investigator Dan Benson and Detective Susan Hart executed a search warrant at Valdez’s residence. Deputy Cunningham gave Valdez the Miranda warning upon entering his home. Cunningham testified that Valdez conversed with him in English and appeared to understand his rights.
When asked if he had any firearms, Valdez produced a .22 revolver. The police then looked for Barron’s remains which they believed were located in the backyard barbecue pit. They found what appeared to be a bone fragment.
The officers then asked Valdez to accompany them to the local police station, and he agreed. Investigator Benson administered another Miranda warning upon their arrival. Again, Valdez spoke in English without the aid of an interpreter. Throughout the interrogation, Valdez denied any involvement in Barron’s death.
While driving back to Valdez’s home, Cunningham told Valdez he would feel better if he told them the truth. Benson then asked Valdez if he would show them what he had done with the body. When they returned to Valdez’s home during the early morning hours of July 25, 1989, Valdez showed them where he had burned Barron’s body. Deputy Cunningham then read the Miranda warning a third time, and asked Valdez if he understood his rights. Valdez said he did. When Cunningham asked Valdez to sign the waiver of rights form, Valdez asked to read it first. Valdez then signed the waiver and
Valdez clearly was in custody at the time of his confession and therefore entitled to the Miranda warning. A reasonable man in Valdez’s position would not have felt free to leave the company of two police officers to whom he had admitted killing someone.
Valdez argues that because of his low intelligence quotient and his inability to fully comprehend the English language, he was incapable of understanding either the nature of his rights or the consequences of abandoning them.
The taped interview clearly shows that Valdez does not speak perfect English. However, Valdez’s answers to many of Benson’s questions suggest that he fully comprehended what was being said to and asked of him. For example, Valdez correctly and clearly answered questions about the proper spelling of his name, his date of birth, his social security number, his address, and the caliber of gun he had used to shoot Barron. While many of the questions concerning the circumstances surrounding Barron’s murder required only a “yes” or “no” answer, many of the questions also elicited more substantive responses. Valdez was able to understand that he was being asked who had left the bar with him on the night in question (“Alfonso, Martin, Barron”); what those individuals’ last names were (“Alfonso Borjas. Martin, I don’t know”); where he had taken Alfonso (“I take him to the work. He work for Daniel’s Dairy in Pocasset”); what he told Barron he would do to him (“I want to castrate”); what Barron said in response to that (“No he said he don’t want to”); whether he shot Barron (‘Tea a couple of times”); whether Barron immediately died of his wounds (“No, he did not die”); what he did then (“I take my pocket knife and cut him in the throat”); and, whether he burned the body (“I put in the couch, put in the carpet and put a lot of firewood and burned it”).
During trial, defense counsel did not attempt to impeach this testimony. In fact, none of the witnesses
In his third proposition, Valdez claims his July 26th, 1989 confession to Agent A.J. Irwin violated his Fifth and Sixth Amendment rights to counsel and should have been suppressed. The facts preceding this statement were as follows. After confessing to police during the early morning hours of July 25th, 1989, Valdez was arrested, taken to the police station and formally charged.
Also on the 26th at approximately 10:00 a.m.,
After speaking with witnesses Orduna and Borjas, Irwin interviewed Valdez “in regards to his alienage and legal immigration status in the United States.”
■ Valdez initially described his immigration status. He then told Irwin “that he wanted to converse with a Spanish speaking law enforcement official concerning the matter for which he was incarcerated.”
At trial, the prosecutor did not ask Irwin to describe Valdez’s story. Rather, he asked Irwin to tell the jury what Valdez had told Irwin, which was that “he [Valdez] was not insane and ... did not intend to use an insanity plea or defense.”
Valdez bases his Fifth Amendment claim on the theory that at the end of his initial July 25th confession,
Once an accused in custody “ex-pressfes] his desire to deal with the police only through counsel, [he] is not subject to further interrogation by the authorities until counsel has been made available to him, unless the accused himself initiates further communication, exchanges, or conversations with the police.”
Clearly, Irwin initiated the July 26th interrogation. Although he did so purportedly to ask Valdez about his immigration status and not about the homicide, this questioning would have been constitutionally prohibited if Valdez had — at the close of the July 25th statement — invoked his Fifth Amendment right to have counsel present. We now turn to that issue.
The Supreme Court recently held in Davis v. United States
In this case, Valdez gave a complete confession to the police before making the confusing statement he now contends invoked his right to counsel. He made that statement at the close of the interrogation and in response to Benson having asked him whether he had willingly signed the waiver of rights form and talked to the police. Considering the fact that Valdez had given a complete and uncounseled confession prior to making the statement, the interrogating officers could not have reasonably construed that statement to be a clear expression of a desire for the assistance of an attorney at all subsequent interrogations.
At most, Valdez’s statement, read in context and in its entirety, was an ambiguous request for counsel. An ambiguous invocation of the Fifth Amendment right to counsel “do[es] not require the cessation of questioning.”
Valdez also argues that because he had been appointed counsel prior to Irwin’s interrogation, Irwin violated his Sixth Amendment rights by initiating further conversation with Valdez without counsel present. Valdez’s Sixth Amendment right to counsel attached when the Information was filed, which occurred the day before Irwin’s interrogation.
The next question is whether the State remained within constitutional boundaries when it called Irwin to testify concern-
The rule set forth in Edwards v. Arizona is “designed to prevent police from badgering a defendant into waiving his previously asserted Miranda rights....”
Irwin did not badger Valdez into talking about the killing. While Irwin arguably presented Valdez with a comfortable environment in which to talk about that crime, he did not question Valdez about that crime. Irwin was not constitutionally prohibited from questioning Valdez about Valdez’s immigration status, and he did not attempt to interrogate him about the murder charges. Rather, Valdez initiated the exchange about the murder charges and thus waived his attached Sixth Amendment right to counsel when he made spontaneous and unsolicited remarks about the killing. These remarks were thus properly admitted at trial through Irwin’s testimony. The arguments raised in this proposition are denied.
Valdez argues in his fourth proposition that the State presented insufficient evidence to prove him sane beyond a reasonable doubt. His theory is simply that his evidence of insanity was stronger and more believable than the State’s evidence of sanity. Defense witness Dr. Phillip J. Murphy testified that Valdez did not know right from wrong at the time of the killing. Valdez claims Dr. Murphy spent a long time interviewing him, read all available police reports and spent time talking with other witnesses before reaching his conclusion. State witnesses Drs. Cecil F. Mynatt and Fernando Romero testified that Valdez knew right from wrong at the time he killed Barron. Valdez claims their conclusions were less credible because they were based upon cursory sanity evaluations. This argument is meritless.
Defendants facing criminal trials are presumed sane and must, therefore, bear the initial burden of placing their sanity in reasonable doubt.
The issue before us is whether the State presented sufficient evidence to meet this burden. Once the trial court makes the legal determination that the defendant has raised a reasonable doubt as to his or her sanity, the sanity issue becomes “a question of fact for the sole determination of the jury, ... [which] must consider all of the evidence presented, not merely the testimony of the expert witnesses....”
The evidence presented in this case supported the jury’s conclusion that Valdez was sane when he killed Juan Barron. During its case in chief, the State elicited testimony from several witnesses who were with Valdez in the bar for several hours preceding the murder. One of these witnesses, Martin Or-duna, actually observed the lolling. All but Orduna testified that Valdez did not seem angry with Barron and appeared to be accepting and reciprocating Barron’s homosexual advances. None of the witnesses, including Orduna, testified that Valdez was mentally unstable.
Valdez’s first two witnesses were Drs. My-natt and Romero. After examining Valdez for one hour, Dr. Mynatt, a psychiatrist, concluded that Valdez was not insane under the M’Naghten test. Valdez told him that he did not lose control on the night of the murder, but only wanted to show Barron the error of his ways. Valdez also told Dr. My-natt that it was worse to be a homosexual than to kill one. Dr. Romero, a Mexican psychiatrist assisting Dr. Mynatt, described his interview with Valdez but did not at that time tell the jury whether he concluded Valdez was sane or insane at the time of the murder. According to Dr. Romero, Valdez was calm and lucid during the interview. Valdez told Dr. Romero he might kill again if faced with the same circumstances.
Valdez then called his examining psychologist, Dr. Murphy. Dr. Murphy testified that he interviewed Valdez for almost five hours. After administering four tests, Dr. Murphy concluded that at the time of the killing Valdez was acting under the delusion that God was commanding him to reform Barron. At the time of the homicide, therefore, Valdez was unable to distinguish right from wrong or appreciate the nature and consequences of his acts. Dr. Murphy also characterized Valdez’s illness as schizophrenia.
The State called Drs. Mynatt and Romero during rebuttal. Dr. Mynatt testified that the four tests used by Dr. Murphy in evaluating Valdez could not have assessed Valdez’s mental condition as it had been twelve months earlier. He concluded Valdez was not schizophrenic, but testified that even if he were, he could still appreciate the difference between right and wrong. Dr. Mynatt testified he was uncomfortable giving an opinion on the issue of whether Valdez knew right from wrong on the night of the murder. However, Dr. Mynatt stated that based upon the available information, he would conclude that Valdez did know the difference between right and wrong and could appreciate the nature and consequences of his acts on that occasion. Dr. Romero testified Valdez knew right from wrong and appreciated the consequences of his acts on the night of the murder.
Valdez himself undermined Dr. Murphy’s delusion theory when he testified that God did not command him to kill Barron, and that God did not command him to kill homosexuals. Valdez stated that certain passages of the Bible teach that homosexuals do not deserve to live. He testified he did not really know why he killed Barron, but that he did so when Barron refused to listen to Valdez’s “sermon” denouncing homosexuality. Valdez
The jury heard testimony from witnesses who were with Valdez at the time of the crime, from the doctors who later evaluated Valdez’s mental condition, and from Valdez himself. The jury concluded that the State had proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Valdez was sane when he committed the killing. After reviewing this evidence, we find that it supports the jury’s conclusion. This proposition is denied.
In his fifth proposition, Valdez attacks the first degree heat of passion manslaughter instructions administered to the jury. He acknowledges that the trial court’s instructions mirrored the uniform ones, but urges this Court to alter the definition of “adequate provocation” contained in those instructions.
any improper conduct of the deceased toward the defendant which naturally or reasonably would have the effect of arousing a sudden heat of passion within a reasonable person in the position of the defen-dant_ In determining whether the deceased’s conduct was adequate provocation, the conduct is judged as a person of reasonable intelligence and disposition would respond to it.57
Valdez argues the instruction should be modified to allow a jury to consider a particular defendant’s subjective state of mind when making the determination whether adequate provocation existed. We disagree.
Valdez claims that employing the subjective test of reasonableness would have allowed his jury to consider his alleged mental infirmities in determining whether he was adequately provoked and thus guilty of first degree manslaughter rather than murder. He claims the jury in this case could not have found under the administered objective standard that he was adequately provoked and thus guilty of manslaughter rather than murder. Because the trial judge failed to also give a second degree murder instruction, he argues, the jury was left with no choice but to convict him of first degree murder. Valdez did not object to the instructions given and has thus waived all but plain error.
We have suggested that the “adequate provocation” necessary to reduce murder to manslaughter is “provocation which would cause a reasonable man to lose his normal self-control.”
Valdez asserts as his only real basis for altering the instruction that in Bechtel v. State,
This Court did not, as Valdez claims, recognize inherent problems in using a reasonable person standard in all self-defense cases. Rather, we recognized that to give full effect to battered woman syndrome evidence in self-defense cases, instructions must require the jury to specifically consider how a battered woman would have reacted under the circumstances. In all other self-defense eases, OUJI-CR 743 is to be administered in its original form.
“The principle extenuating circumstance [in voluntary manslaughter cases] is the fact that the defendant, when he killed the victim, was in a state of passion engendered in him by an adequate provocation (i.e., a provocation which would cause a reasonable man to lose his normal self-control).”
For his sixth proposition, Valdez claims the trial court’s failure to administer second degree murder and voluntary intoxication instructions denied him a fair trial. We note in response to Valdez’s second degree murder instruction claim that a defendant is entitled to a lesser included offense instruction only when there is reasonable evidence to justify it.
The elements of second degree depraved mind murder are: 1) death of a human; 2) caused by conduct which was imminently dangerous to another person(s); 3) the conduct was that of the defendant; 4) the conduct evinced a depraved mind in extreme disregard of human life; 5) the conduct is not done with the intention of taking the life of or harming any particular individual.
Valdez also claims that by failing to instruct the jury on second degree murder, the trial court failed to provide the jury with the option of convicting him of a non-capital offense as required by Beck v. Alabama.
Neither Beck v. Alabama nor Schad v. Arizona require that a jury in a capital case be given a third, non-capital option where the evidence absolutely does not support that option. The evidence in this case did not support a second degree murder instruction and the jury was thus properly precluded from considering that particular non-capital option. On the other hand, the evidence reasonably supported an instruction on the non-capital offense of first degree heat of passion manslaughter, and it was properly administered. Despite Valdez’s attack on the standard by which that instruction measures the adequacy of provocation, there is no indication that this portion of the instruction absolutely prevented Valdez’s jury from concluding that his act of killing constituted first degree heat of passion manslaughter rather than first degree malice aforethought murder. The jury in this case was free to find that a reasonable man in Valdez’s position could have reacted the way he did. Accordingly, the jury in this case was not faced with the all-or-nothing, capital murder or innocence choice condemned in Beck v. Alabama.
We next turn to Valdez’s claim that the jury should have been instructed on the defense of voluntary intoxication, which could have shown a lack of criminal intent sufficient to reduce his murder conviction to manslaughter.
Valdez failed to present evidence of intoxication sufficient to raise a reasonable doubt as to his ability to form a premeditated intent to kill Barron and was thus not entitled to an instruction on the defense of voluntary intoxication. Valdez did testify that he was “feeling drunk” at the time of the killing. He had at that time consumed approximately ten, 3.2 beers.
The witnesses who observed Valdez on the night of the killing also testified that he was not drunk. Miguel Rodriguez, who spent time with Valdez in the bar prior to the
Valdez claims in proposition seven that the admission of improper other crimes evidence rendered his trial unfair. Orduna, the witness who saw Valdez kill Barron, testified that Valdez had told him Barron was not his first murder victim. Or-duna testified that as a result of Valdez’s statement, he thought “I guess I’m going to be the third [victim].”
At trial, Orduna spontaneously made the remarks at issue during his narrative-style testimony. The State did not elicit them. While defense counsel immediately and successfully objected, the trial court did not grant Valdez’s motion for mistrial or admonish the jury to disregard the remarks.
The evidence at issue was not, as the State argues, part of the res gestae of the murder. It was improper other crimes evidence and was clearly more prejudicial than probative. The question, therefore, is whether its admission warranted a mistrial. This error was preserved through defense counsel’s timely objection and motion for mistrial. The burden is thus on the State to show that the admission error did not “result[ ] in a miscarriage of justice, or constitute! ] a substantial violation of a constitutional or statutory right....”
The State and defense presented conclusive evidence that Valdez killed Barron. Or-duna’s potentially prejudicial remark was not repeated, either through another witness’s testimony or the State’s closing argument. This improper testimony thus clearly did not contribute to the verdict.
In his ninth proposition, Valdez claims the trial court’s improper admission of a photo of the victim as he appeared in life requires reversal. During trial the State showed a picture of the victim to Barron’s younger brother, Sammy, and asked him to identify it. After Sammy identified Barron’s photo, defense counsel unsuccessfully object
Photographs of homicide victims taken during life should be admitted to the jury only under very limited circumstances:
Photographs of [homicide] victims [taken while alive] are inadmissible unless they are relevant to some material issue and their relevancy outweighs the danger of prejudice to the defendant.... [W]here there is no purpose in introducing such pictures into evidence, such admission invokes the sympathy of the jury and constitutes error.83
Barron’s photograph was not relevant to any issue in the case against Valdez. While Barron’s remains had been burned beyond recognition, no one questioned whether he was in fact Valdez’s homicide victim. That the victim’s identity was not an issue was evidenced by the fact that the prosecutor asked neither Valdez himself nor any of the witnesses to identify Barron’s photograph. The trial court thus abused its discretion in admitting the photo of Juan Barron.
SENTENCING STAGE ISSUES
Valdez argues in proposition thirteen that his death sentence must be vacated because it was based upon unconstitutionally vague instructions defining the heinous, atrocious or cruel aggravator.
In his fourteenth proposition, Valdez argues that the continuing threat aggravator
Valdez does not claim that the evidence presented in his case was insufficient to establish the jury’s finding of the continuing threat aggravator. He simply argues that as a matter of law the circumstances of the murder alone should not be capable of supporting this aggravator. This Court has consistently rejected Valdez’s argument.
Valdez claims in his twelfth proposition that his death sentence should be vacated because the great risk of death aggravator
We do, however, agree that the evidence in this case was insufficient to support the jury’s conclusion that Valdez knowingly created a great risk of death to more than one person when he killed Barron. When reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence supporting an aggravator, this Court considers the evidence in the light most favorable to the State and asks whether it was competent to support the aggravator alleged.
To prove the great risk of death aggravator in this case, the State argued in the Bill of Particulars that Valdez threatened to kill Orduna if [Orduna] interfered with the killing of Barron or refused to help him dispose of the body. At trial, Orduna testified that when he tried to stop Valdez from cutting Barron with the knife, Valdez asked Orduna if he wanted to die as well. Orduna testified that after Valdez had slit Barron’s throat, he became seared. Valdez ordered Orduna to clean up the blood. Valdez also intimidated and scared Orduna by telling him that he (Valdez) had killed before. Orduna wanted to run to his car and leave, but testified he thought Valdez would shoot him if he tried to escape. To emphasize his desire that the killing be kept secret, Valdez also asked Or-duna whether he wanted the same thing that happened to Barron [to] happen to him. During closing, the State reiterated Orduna’s claim that Valdez threatened to kill him if he told anyone about the killing.
Of the published cases to date in which this Court has found sufficient evidence to support the great risk of death aggravator, only four involved facts similar to those here— where the person found to have been at risk was not also injured.
Having concluded that the evidence was insufficient to support the great risk of death aggravator, we must reweigh the remaining two valid aggravating circumstances against the mitigating evidence to determine whether Valdez’s death sentence can stand.
The two remaining valid aggravators are 1) that the murder was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel and 2) that Valdez will pose a continuing threat to society. The evidence of extreme cruelty or serious physical abuse supporting the heinous, atrocious or cruel aggravator came from eyewitness testimony describing Barron’s final hours of life, as well as from Valdez’s own testimony. Orduna testified that Valdez forced Barron to strip and began beating him with his fists. Valdez then shot Barron twice in the forehead. Barron did not immediately die, but kept struggling with Valdez and repeating “Oh my God.” Valdez then struck Barron on the side of the head with his gun. Valdez testified he noticed that Barron was still breathing, so he retrieved a knife and cut Barron’s throat. According to Orduna, Barron shook and then died.
The State argued in support of the continuing threat aggravator that the murder of Barron was senseless and callous, and that Valdez had shown no remorse for what he had done. Some of the additional evidence supporting the continuing threat aggravator came from Valdez’s own testimony. Valdez testified that Barron got what was coming to him, and that he might repeat his acts if again faced with the same circumstances.
First stage mitigating evidence included testimony that Valdez suffered from mental problems and that he was under a delusion when he killed Barron. The defense presented two mitigation witnesses during the second stage of trial. Delfena Valdez, Valdez’s mother, testified that her son had never been a fighter, but had been a peace loving person. Maria, Valdez’s wife of thirteen years, testified that the couple had three children, that she had never known her husband to be a violent person, and that she did not want the State to put him to death. Second stage jury instruction No. 7 informed the jury that evidence had been presented to support the following mitigating circumstances: that as both a child and an adult, Valdez might have suffered from physical and mental problems; that he had cooperated with law enforcement officials; that he had consumed alcohol before committing the killing; that he was religious; that he had a wife and three children; that he had no prior history of violence; that he had a steady job; that he was not a drifter or transient; that he was a family man; and, that he had been truthful.
The evidence presented in support of the heinous, atrocious or cruel and continuing threat aggravators was compelling. Conversely, the record’s potential mitigating evidence was insubstantial. After carefully and
Valdez argues in proposition fifteen that because the jury was precluded from considering first stage evidence during the second stage of trial, the evidence was insufficient to prove the three alleged aggrava-tors. At the beginning of the sentencing phase, the State moved to incorporate the first stage evidence into the second stage of trial. The trial judge granted this motion and orally advised the jury that it would be “allowed to consider the testimony that was previously given at the guilt or determination of guilt phase of the trial ... just completed.”
Valdez claims the jury could have interpreted these allegedly contradictory instructions to mean that it could not consider any of the first stage evidence when making its determination regarding the existence of the three aggravators. He then claims that because of these confusing instructions, none of the first stage evidence necessary to prove the three aggravators ever made it into the second stage of the trial — thus rendering the evidence insufficient to support those aggra-vators. Valdez failed to object to the trial court’s instruction and thus waived all but plain error.
We addressed this same contention in Long v. State,
Valdez argues in proposition sixteen that the first stage anti-sympathy instruction incorporated into the sentencing phase prevented the jury from fully and effectively considering his mitigation evidence. We have consistently rejected this argument.
In proposition seventeen, Valdez claims the second stage instructions administered in this case were constitutionally flawed because they faded to make clear to the jurors that they did not have to unanimously agree on the existence of mitigating evidence before they could consider it. This Court has consistently rejected this argument, concluding that current instructions meet Supreme Court standards because they do not unconstitutionally prevent the jury from considering a defendant’s mitigating evidence.
For his eighteenth proposition, Valdez claims the trial court erred in failing to tell the jury it had the option of returning a life sentence regardless of its findings on aggravating and mitigating evidence. We have consistently held that defendants are not entitled to an instruction on “jury nullification.”
In his eighth proposition, Valdez claims that numerous instances of prosecuto-rial misconduct rendered his trial unfair. We disagree. Valdez first claims the prosecutor introduced inadmissible “other crimes” evidence. He initially attacks the admission of Orduna’s statement concerning a prior murder which Valdez may have committed. We addressed this error in proposition seven and concluded that it did not contribute to the verdict. Valdez next attacks the prosecutor’s elicitation of testimony showing that Valdez may have taken the victim’s social security card before burning the body. It appears the prosecutor elicited this testimony in order to refute Valdez’s insanity defense and not to show that Valdez had committed a theft. In light of the overwhelming evidence of guilt in this case, any possible effect this evidence may have had on the jury was inconsequential.
Secondly, Valdez claims the prosecutor exceeded the bounds of proper conduct when he showed Valdez the murder weapons (gun and knife) and asked him to demonstrate how he had used them to kill Juan Barron. Defense counsel did object, albeit unsuccessfully, when the prosecutor asked Valdez to look at the gun, stating ‘We don’t want him having the gun in his hand.”
The prosecutor acted improperly in requesting that Valdez reenact the murder for which he was on trial. Even if such a reenactment were remotely relevant, the potentially prejudicial effect this might have had on the jury should have precluded its admission.
Third, Valdez claims the prosecutor misstated the evidence and argued facts that were not supported by the evidence. He first points to the prosecutor’s statement, during first stage closing, that Valdez had beaten Barron with a rope and had taken two hours to kill him. Because defense counsel did not object to this portion of the prosecutor’s argument, we will review this claim for plain error only.
The evidence did not support the prosecutor’s conclusion that Valdez had beaten Barron with a rope. Given the overwhelming evidence of guilt, however, this minor misinterpretation error was harmless. Further, the prosecutor told the jurors at the beginning of his statement that if any discrepancy existed between the facts he argued and the facts as they remembered them to be, they should rely on their memory.
Concerning the prosecutor’s statement that Valdez took “about an hour and probably two”
As part of his factual misrepresentation argument, Valdez claims that the Bill of Particulars — read to the jury during second stage — made it sound as if Barron had been alive when Valdez burned him. In the paragraph describing the evidence supporting the heinous, atrocious or cruel aggravator, the bill describes the shooting and throat slitting and then states that Valdez subsequently incinerated the victim’s body into ash. This is not a misstatement, since it clearly explains that the burning was not of Barron but of his body. Further, while evidence of the post-mortem body burning did not support the heinous, atrocious or cruel aggravator, the record reflects that the prosecutor did not attempt to use this evidence to bolster this aggravator.
Fourth, Valdez claims the prosecutor badgered and denigrated him during cross-examination. Defense counsel failed to object to these allegedly denigrating comments, thus waiving all but plain error review. We find no plain error.
Lastly, Valdez claims the prosecutor used tactics during both stages of trial that were intended to elicit sympathy for the victim. Once again, there was no contemporaneous objection to these alleged tactics, and we do not find that they constituted plain error. None of the preserved or unpreserved instances of alleged prosecutorial misconduct in this case were so flagrant that they deprived Valdez of his right to a fair trial.
INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL ISSUES
In his tenth proposition, Valdez claims his trial counsel was so ineffective that his performance undermined the reliability of Valdez’s conviction and sentence. “Appellate review of an ineffective assistance of counsel claim begins with a presumption of competence, and the burden is upon the defendant to demonstrate both a deficient performance and resulting prejudice.”
Valdez first claims his trial counsel was ineffective because he failed to challenge the State expert’s finding of competency. He provides a list of many questions defense counsel failed to ask State’s expert Dr. Quinn regarding his determination that Valdez was competent to stand trial. It is clear defense counsel was not required to follow any particular checklist when questioning Dr. Quinn about his evaluation of Valdez. Even absent Valdez’s suggested questions, the record contained sufficient evidence from which the trial court and this Court could determine that Valdez possessed sufficient present ability to consult with his lawyer and a rational as well as factual understanding of the proceedings against him. We determined in proposition one that the trial court did not abuse its
Secondly, Valdez claims defense counsel was ineffective because he failed to file a motion to suppress Valdez’s confessions, failed to request a Jackson-Denno hearing on the voluntariness of the confessions, and failed to request instructions explaining admissions standards for extra-judicial confessions. We concluded in propositions two and three that Valdez’s extra-judicial confessions were properly obtained. Accordingly, defense counsel’s failure to file a motion to suppress them did not prejudice Valdez. Defense counsel’s failure to subsequently request a Jackson-Denno hearing did not constitute ineffectiveness, because the evidence did not present a question of whether Valdez voluntarily confessed. Finally, defense counsel was not ineffective in failing to request that the jury be given the “voluntary custodial confession” instruction: because there was no issue as to whether Valdez’s confessions had been voluntary, the jury was rightly precluded from considering this matter.
Thirdly, Valdez claims defense counsel was ineffective because he failed to request instructions on second degree murder and voluntary intoxication. We concluded in proposition six that the evidence did not support either of these instructions. Defense counsel’s failure to request them did not, therefore, constitute ineffective assistance.
Fourthly, Valdez claims defense counsel was ineffective because he failed to investigate and present testimony to rebut the State’s evidence supporting the three alleged aggravators. The fact that a defense attorney could have investigated an issue more thoroughly does not, in and of itself, constitute ineffective assistance.
Fifth and finally, Valdez claims defense counsel was ineffective because he failed to object to numerous instances of prosecutorial misconduct. In proposition eight, we reviewed the alleged instances of prosecutorial misconduct and determined that none of the arguably improper tactics were so flagrant that they deprived Valdez of his right to a fair trial. Defense counsel’s failure to object to improper but nonprejudicial prosecutorial trial tactics did not constitute ineffective assistance.
Defense counsel’s performance in this ease did not “so undermine[ ] the proper functioning of the adversarial process that the trial cannot be relied on as having produced a just result.”
MANDATORY SENTENCE REVIEW
In accordance with our statutory duty, we must now determine (1) whether the death sentence was imposed under the influence of passion, prejudice, or any other arbitrary factor, and (2) whether the evidence supports the jury’s finding of the alleged statutory aggravating circumstances.
Finding no error warranting reversal or modification, the Judgment and Sentence of the trial court is AFFIRMED.
. 362 U.S. 402, 402, 80 S.Ct. 788, 789, 4 L.Ed.2d 824 (1960).
. We note that “[wjhether a defendant is competent to stand trial is a question of federal constitutional law.” White v. Estelle, 459 U.S. 1118, 1121, 103 S.Ct. 757, 758, 74 L.Ed.2d 973 (1983) (Marshall, J., dissenting).
. 888 P.2d 494 (Okl.Cr. 1994).
. 420 U.S. 162, 171, 95 S.Ct. 896, 903, 43 L.Ed.2d 103 (1975).
. Id. See also Godinez v. Moran, - U.S. -, -, 113 S.Ct. 2680, 2685, 125 L.Ed.2d 321 (1993) (citing both Drope and Dusky as examples of the federal competency standard).
. Plain errors are errors which counsel failed to preserve through a trial objection but which, upon appellate review, are clear from the record and affect substantial rights. See United States v. Olano, 507 U.S. -, -, 113 S.Ct. 1770, 1777-78, 123 L.Ed.2d 508 (1993).
. See also Siah v. State, 837 P.2d 485, 487 (Okl.Cr. 1992) (concluding that "[t]his Court has never imposed a static analysis for the lower court to apply in all post-examination competency hearings-”).
. Id. at 487.
. See 22 O.S.1981, § 1175.4(B).
. See Miller v. State, 751 P.2d 733, 738 (Okl.Cr.1988).
. See Fontenot v. State, 881 P.2d 69, 75 (Okl.Cr. 1994); Malone v. State, 876 P.2d 707, 711 (Okl.Cr. 1994).
. Trice v. State, 853 P.2d 203, 209 (Okl.Cr. 1993), cert. denied, - U.S. -, 114 S.Ct. 638, 126 L.Ed.2d 597 (1993).
.Defense counsel also declined the judge’s offer to hold a hearing under Jackson v. Denno, 378 U.S. 368, 84 S.Ct. 1774, 12 L.Ed.2d 908 (1964), to determine whether Valdez gave the confession voluntarily.
. See Berkemer v. McCarty, 468 U.S. 420, 442, 104 S.Ct. 3138, 3151, 82 L.Ed.2d 317 (1984).
. Tague v. Louisiana, 444 U.S. 469, 100 S.Ct. 652, 62 L.Ed.2d 622 (1980). To be valid, such a waiver must also have been voluntary. Colorado v. Connelly, 479 U.S. 157, 167, 107 S.Ct. 515, 522, 93 L.Ed.2d 473 (1986); Moran v. Burbine, 475 U.S. 412, 421, 106 S.Ct. 1135, 1141, 89 L.Ed.2d 410 (1986). Our waiver analysis does not address this issue because Valdez does not claim that his waiver was involuntary.
. Moran v. Burbine, 475 U.S. at 421, 106 S.Ct. at 1141.
. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has recognized that "language dif-Acuities may impair the ability of a person in custody to waive [their Miranda rights] in a free and aware manner.” U.S. v. Heredia-Fernandez, 756 F.2d 1412, 1415 (9th Cir. 1985). See also U.S. v. Short, 790 F.2d 464, 469 (6th Cir. 1986) (holding that accused’s waiver of Miranda rights was unknowing and unintelligent where accused spoke broken English, had a deficient understanding of the English language and knew nothing about the American criminal justice system). But see U.S. v. Bautista-Avila, 6 F.3d 1360, 1365-66 (9th Cir. 1993) (concluding that an accused who received Miranda warnings in Spanish and who then stated that he understood those rights knowingly and intelligently waived them).
. Those witnesses included Valdez, two psychiatrists and a psychologist.
. According to Dr. Cecil Mynatt, the State psychiatrist who examined Valdez, Valdez understood some English. Mynatt testified there were some things about which he and Valdez could converse in English. Defense psychologist Dr. Phillip J. Murphy also testified that Valdez “is in the average range of intellectual functioning.” He also testified that some of the written tests administered to Valdez were in English.
. Valdez argues it is significant that he was provided an interpreter in all proceedings which occurred after his interrogation. However, Valdez testified at trial in English, only occasionally asking the interpreter for assistance.
. The State in its brief claims that counsel was appointed for Valdez on the 25th.
. Irwin's report reflects that his contact with Valdez occurred on July 25th. At trial, however, Irwin testified that he believed he had erred in his report and that the meeting actually took place on July 26th.
. Appellant's brief, Exhibit 3 at 1 (Irwin’s Memorandum of Investigation).
. Id.
. Tr. IV, pp. 70-71.
. Appellant's brief, Exhibit 3 at 8.
. Id.
. Id.
. Id. at 10.
. Tr. XV, p. 73.
. See supra proposition two.
. Appellant’s brief, Exhibit 2 at 22.
. Edwards v. Arizona, 451 U.S. 477, 484-85, 101 S.Ct. 1880, 1885, 68 L.Ed.2d 378 (1981).
. Id.
. McNeil v. Wisconsin, 501 U.S. 171, 176, 111 S.Ct. 2204, 2208, 115 L.Ed.2d 158 (1991); Arizona v. Roberson, 486 U.S. 675, 684, 108 S.Ct. 2093, 2099, 100 L.Ed.2d 704 (1988).
. - U.S. -, 114 S.Ct. 2350, 129 L.Ed.2d 362 (1994).
. Id. at -, 114 S.Ct. at 2355.
. McNeil v. Wisconsin, 501 U.S. at 178, 111 S.Ct. at 2209.
. Assessing these statements from an objective viewpoint "avoidfs] difficulties of proof and ... provide[s] guidance to officers conducting interrogations,_” Davis v. United States, - U.S. at -, 114 S.Ct. at 2355.
. Smith v. Illinois, 469 U.S. 91, 97, 105 S.Ct. 490, 494, 83 L.Ed.2d 488 (1984). See also Booker v. State, 851 P.2d 544, 547 (Okl.Cr. 1993).
. Smith v. Illinois, 469 U.S. at 98, 105 S.Ct. at 494 (concluding that "[w]here nothing about the request for counsel or the circumstances leading up to the request would render it ambiguous, all questioning must cease.”).
. Davis v. United States, - U.S. at -, 114 S.Ct. at 2355.
. See Brewer v. Williams, 430 U.S. 387, 398, 97 S.Ct. 1232, 1239, 51 L.Ed.2d 424 (1977) (concluding that "a person is entitled to the help of a lawyer at or after the time that judicial proceedings have been initiated against him — 'whether by way of formal charge, preliminary hearing, indictment, information, or arraignment.’ ”), quoting Kirby v. Illinois, 406 U.S. 682, 689, 92 S.Ct. 1877, 1882, 32 L.Ed.2d 411 (1972) (plurality opinion). Of course, the Sixth Amendment right attaches regardless of whether an accused specifically requests counsel. Michigan v. Jackson, 475 U.S. 625, 633, n. 6, 106 S.Ct. at 1404, 1409, n. 6, 89 L.Ed.2d 631 (1986).
. Michigan v. Jackson, 475 U.S. at 632, 106 S.Ct. at 1408-09 (concluding that "the Sixth Amendment right to counsel at a postarraignment interrogation requires at least as much protection [per Edwards v. Arizona ] as the Fifth Amendment right to counsel at any custodial interrogation.").
. McNeil v. Wisconsin, 501 U.S. at 175, 111 S.Ct. at 2207.
. Id. at 175, 111 S.Ct. at 2207-08 (emphasis added).
. Edwards v. Arizona, 451 U.S. at 485, 101 S.Ct. at 1885.
. Michigan v. Harvey, 494 U.S. 344, 350, 110 S.Ct. 1176, 1180, 108 L.Ed.2d 293 (1990).
. Appellant’s brief, Exhibit 3 at 10.
. Kiser v. State, 782 P.2d 405, 407 (Okl.Cr. 1989).
. Id. See also Johnson v. State, 841 P.2d 595, 596 (Okl.Cr. 1992).
. The trial court administered the four standard instructions, OUJI-CR 728-31.
. Kiser v. State, 782 P.2d at 407.
. id.
. Id.
. The "heat of passion” portion of first degree heat of passion manslaughter has four elements, one of which is "adequate provocation.”
. OUJI-CR 457 (emphasis added).
. Brown v. State, 777 P.2d 1355, 1358 (Okl.Cr. 1989), quoting W. LaFave & A. Scott, Jr., Substantive Criminal Law § 7.10 at 252 (2d ed. 1986).
. Commission Comment to OUJI-CR 457, p. 99.
. 840 P.2d 1, 11 (Okl.Cr. 1992).
. Id.
. Lafave & Scott, Jr., Substantive Criminal Law, supra.
. Hooks v. State, 862 P.2d 1273, 1280 (Okl.Cr. 1993), cert. denied, - U.S. -, 114 S.Ct. 1870, 128 L.Ed.2d 490 (1994); Fowler v. State, 779 P.2d 580, 585 (Okl.Cr. 1989), cert. denied, 494 U.S. 1060, 110 S.Ct. 1537, 108 L.Ed.2d 775 (1990).
. Hooks v. State, 862 P.2d at 1280.
. O’Bryan v. State, 876 P.2d 688, 689 (Okl.Cr. 1994).
. Id.
. Palmer v. State, 871 P.2d 429, 432 (Okl.Cr. 1994).
. See Dennis v. State, 561 P.2d 88, 94 (Okl.Cr. 1977) (finding second degree murder instruction inappropriate where "the defendant intended to shoot at the very persons whom he admitted shooting.”). Compare Boyd v. State, 839 P.2d 1363, 1367 (Okl.Cr. 1992), cert. denied, - U.S. -, 113 S.Ct. 3005, 125 L.Ed.2d 697 (1993) (finding second degree murder statute applicable where there was no premeditated intent to kill any particular person).
. 447 U.S. 625, 100 S.Ct. 2382, 65 L.Ed.2d 392 (1980) (declaring unconstitutional an Alabama statute prohibiting trial judges from giving juries in capital cases the option of convicting defendants of lesser, non-capital offenses supported by the evidence). See also Schad v. Arizona, 501 U.S. 624, 646, 111 S.Ct. 2491, 2505, 115 L.Ed.2d 555 (1991) (noting that the goal in Beck was to “eliminate the distortion of the factfinding process that is created when the jury is forced into
. Crawford v. State, 840 P.2d 627, 638 (Okl.Cr. 1992). See also Hogan v. State, 877 P.2d 1157, 1161 (Okl.Cr. 1994).
. Fontenot v. State, 881 P.2d at 83; Crawford v. State, 840 P.2d at 638.
. See Crawford v. State, 840 P.2d at 638 (concluding that trial court has a duty to correctly instruct the jury on salient features of the law raised by the evidence without a request by the defense).
. Dr. Murphy testified he had established that Valdez had consumed less than ten, 3.2 beers on the night of the murder. Valdez does not dispute the fact that the beer was of 3.2 alcoholic content.
. Further, Valdez's account of these events— especially of the murder itself — was substantially corroborated by the testimony of the other witnesses.
. See also Crawford v. State, 840 P.2d at 638 (finding that "Appellant's detailed description of the burglary, robbery, larceny and surrounding circumstances demonstrate^] that he was in control of his mental faculties and not in the advanced state of intoxication he attempted] to assert.”).
. Tr. Ill, p. 157.
. Tr. Ill, p. 167.
. The trial court failed to admonish the jury to disregard the evidence and also failed to sua sponte instruct the jury about the proper use of "other crimes” evidence. The trial judge's failure to sua sponte administer the limiting instruction does not require automatic reversal. See Jones v. State, 772 P.2d 922, 925 (Okl.Cr. 1989) (concluding that "the failure of a trial court to give a limiting instruction [on other crimes evidence] sua sponte does not automatically constitute reversible error unless it arises to the level of plain error under 12 O.S.1981, § 2104(D).”).
. 20 O.S.1991, § 3001.1.
. See also Sattayarak v. State, 887 P.2d 1326, 1331-32 (Okl.Cr. 1994) (concluding that because State's case against murder defendant was overwhelming, error in improperly admitting other crimes evidence was harmless); Douma v. State, 749 P.2d 1163, 1166 (Okl.Cr. 1988).
. Wilson v. State, 871 P.2d 46, 48 (Okl.Cr. 1994). See also Clayton v. State, 840 P.2d 18, 28 (Okl.Cr. 1992), cert. denied, - U.S. -, 113 S.Ct. 1655, 123 L.Ed.2d 275 (1993).
. Staggs v. State, 804 P.2d 456, 458 (Okl.Cr. 1991). See also Shelton v. State, 793 P.2d 866, 870 (Okl.Cr. 1990) (concluding that “[t]his Court does not encourage the use of photographs taken of victims before their demise and we caution prosecutors to first seek other forms of proof which are less prejudicial.”); Rawlings v. State, 740 P.2d 153, 161-62 (Okl.Cr. 1987) (finding that "[ajlthough this Court does not favor admissions of photographs showing the victim alive, we are of the opinion that the photograph was relevant as to its existence and the location of its discovery.”); Boutwell v. State, 659 P.2d 322, 326 (Okl.Cr. 1983) (concluding photos showing victim while alive were not relevant because victim's identity was not at issue).
. See Rawlings v. State, 740 P.2d at 160 (holding that trial court has discretion to determine whether probative value of photo outweighs prejudicial effect).
. See Hayes v. State, 738 P.2d 533, 538-39 (Okl.Cr. 1987) vacated on other grounds in Hayes v. Oklahoma, 486 U.S. 1050, 108 S.Ct. 2815, 100 L.Ed.2d 916 (1988) (acknowledging the photograph's lack of probative value, this Court went on to conclude that its admission was harmless); Boutwell v. State, 659 P.2d at 326 ("[Cjonsider-ing ... the overwhelming evidence against the accused, these [photographs of the victim taken while alive] would not have had the tendency to unduly prejudice the jury.”).
. 21 O.S.1981, § 701.12(4) ("The murder was especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel....”).
. See Bryson v. State, 876 P.2d 240, 259 (Okl.Cr. 1994); Mayes v. State, 887 P.2d 1288, 1319 (Okl.Cr. 1994); Fisher v. State, 845 P.2d 1272, 1274 (Okl.Cr. 1992), cert. denied, - U.S. -, 113 S.Ct. 3014, 125 L.Ed.2d 704 (1993).
. 21 O.S.1981, § 701.12(7) ("The existence of a probability that the defendant would commit criminal acts of violence that would constitute a continuing threat to society_").
. See Malone v. State, 876 P.2d at 715-16; Trice v. State, 853 P.2d at 220-21.
. See Malone v. State, 876 P.2d at 718, n. 10.
. 21 O.S.1981, § 701.12(2) ("The defendant knowingly created a great risk of death to more than one person.
. See Malone v. State, 876 P.2d at 716; Snow v. State, 876 P.2d 291, 299 (Okl.Cr. 1994); Trice v. State, 853 P.2d at 219.
. Bryson v. State, 876 P.2d at 259. See also Malone v. State, 876 P.2d at 717 (concluding that this Court will independently review the evidence supporting the aggravator at issue to determine its sufficiency).
. Snow v. State, 876 P.2d at 297.
. On appeal, Valdez argues that Orduna's testimony should be discounted because it was untrue. Valdez attached an affidavit from Victor Chevere who was in the Grady County jail with Orduna and Boijas during the time they were being held as material witnesses in this case. Chevere claims he overheard Boijas tell Orduna that he "must tell the authorities Mr. Valdez threatened his life and made Orduna help him dispose of the evidence or the authorities would charge Orduna as a participant in the crime.” Appellant's Brief, Exhibit 4.
. In the following cases, the endangered bystanders who suffered a great risk of death were either in the line of the defendant’s fire or were contemporaneously injured or actually killed by
. In the first of those four, the homicide victim was a woman who was shot in her home in the middle of the night. Her husband awoke, saw her fall to the living room floor, rolled out of bed and grabbed his gun. The defendant shot three times into the empty bed. This Court found the defendant created a great risk of death to more than one person when he shot at the empty bed. Brecheen v. State, 732 P.2d 889, 898 (Okl.Cr. 1987), cert. denied, 485 U.S. 909, 108 S.Ct. 1085, 99 L.Ed.2d 244 (1988), overruled on other grounds in Brown v. State, 871 P.2d 56 (Okl.Cr. 1994). The victim in the second case was choked, stabbed and eventually shot to death. The defendant ordered some acquaintances who witnessed the killing to clean up and keep quiet. There was evidence that the defendant would have shot these bystanders had they not cooperated with her. This Court found the defendant knowingly placed these bystanders in great risk of death. Smith v. State, 727 P.2d 1366, 1373 (Okl.Cr. 1986), cert. denied, 483 U.S. 1033, 107 S.Ct. 3277, 97 L.Ed.2d 780 (1987). In the third case, the defendant threatened to shoot a clerk if she did not cooperate with him. This Court found that the defendant’s act of shooting and killing a nearby policeman showed his willingness to cany out his threat to the clerk, thus placing her in great risk of death. Ross v. State, 717 P.2d 117, 123 (Okl.Cr. 1986), affirmed, 487 U.S. 81, 108 S.Ct. 2273, 101 L.Ed.2d 80 (1988). In the fourth case with facts similar to those in Valdez’s, the defendant had shot and killed a man. Shortly thereafter, while the defendant was leaving, some teenagers in a car yelled at and taunted him. The defendant pulled out his gun and pointed it at the teenagers, causing them to run a red light in an effort to escape. This Court held that the defendant had knowingly placed the teenagers in great risk of death. Hays v. State, 617 P.2d 223 (Okl.Cr. 1980).
.Part of Orduna’s testimony included improper other crimes evidence concerning a possible murder Valdez had previously committed. This was used to support the great risk of death ag-gravator. Though we have determined that this admission error did not affect the jury's verdict, it may have bolstered an otherwise weak case for the great risk of death aggravator.
. Snow v. State, 876 P.2d at 299; Trice v. State, 853 P.2d at 221; Stout v. State, 817 P.2d 737, 738 (Okl.Cr. 1991).
. Snow v. State, 876 P.2d at 299.
. See Snow v. State, 876 P.2d at 300. See also McGregor v. State, 885 P.2d 1366, 1387 (Okl.Cr. 1994).
. Tr. V, p. 166.
. O.R. 244 (emphasis added).
. Id. (Emphasis added).
. See Mayes v. State, 887 P.2d at 1319; Revilla v. State, 877 P.2d 1143, 1153 (Okl.Cr. 1994); Trice v. State, 853 P.2d at 216.
. See Mayes v. State, 887 P.2d at 1319-20; Bryson v. State, 876 P.2d at 262; Carter v. State, 879 P.2d 1234, 1252, n. 14 (Okl.Cr. 1994).
. See Bryson v. State, 876 P.2d at 262-63; Pickens v. State, 850 P.2d 328, 339 (Okl.Cr. 1993), cert. denied, - U.S. -, 114 S.Ct. 942, 127 L.Ed.2d 232 (1994); Romano v. State, 847 P.2d
. Tr. V, p. 91.
. See e.g., Ford v. State, 719 P.2d 457, 460 (Okl.Cr. 1986) (modifying fifty-year sentence to twenty-five after concluding that the prosecutor's demand during cross-examination that defendant ■ pick up the murder weapon and show how he used it “is not to be condoned.”).
. While this misconduct might have affected the jury's refusal to find Valdez insane, Valdez’s own testimony further weakened his rather insubstantial insanity defense.
. See Carter v. State, 879 P.2d at 1252-53; Trim v. State, 808 P.2d 697, 699-700 (1991).
. Tr. V, p. 153.
. See Allen v. State, 871 P.2d 79, 96 (Okl.Cr. 1994), cert. denied, - U.S. -, 115 S.Ct. 370, 130 L.Ed.2d 322 (1994).
. See Freeman v. State, 876 P.2d 283, 287 (Okl.Cr. 1994) (concluding that a conviction will not be reversed as a result of prosecutorial misconduct unless the comments were so flagrant that they prejudiced the defendant).
. Fontenot v. State, 881 P.2d at 86. See also Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 687-89, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 2064-65, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984).
. Id. at 694, 104 S.Ct. at 2068. See also Lockhart v. Fretwell, 506 U.S. -, 113 S.Ct. 838, 122 L.Ed.2d 180 (1993).
. Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. at 695, 104 S.Ct. at 2069.
. Strickland, v. Washington, 466 U.S. at 694, 104 S.Ct. at 2068.
. Williamson v. State, 812 P.2d 384, 413 (Okl.Cr. 1991), cert. denied, - U.S. -, 112 S.Ct. 1592, 118 L.Ed.2d 308 (1992); Boltz v. State, 806 P.2d 1117, 1126 (Okl.Cr. 1991), cert. denied, 502 U.S. 846, 112 S.Ct. 143, 116 L.Ed.2d 109 (1991). See also Dutton v. Brown, 812 F.2d 593, 598 (10th Cir. 1987) (holding that a fair assessment of attorney performance requires that every effort be made to eliminate the distorting effects of hindsight, to reconstruct the circumstances of counsel's challenged conduct, and to evaluate the conduct from counsel’s perspective at the time).
. This issue has been rendered moot by this Court's determination that there was insufficient evidence to support the great risk of death aggra-vator.
. Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. at 686, 104 S.Ct. at 2064.
. 21 O.S.1981, § 701.13(C).
Concurring Opinion
concurring in results.
I concur in the affirmance of the first degree murder conviction and the imposition of the death penalty. However, I find the Court’s vacating of the “great risk of death to more than one person” aggravating circumstance is not supported by the facts or prior case law.
In Smith v. State, 727 P.2d 1366, 1373 (Okl.Cr. 1986), cert. denied, 483 U.S. 1033, 107 S.Ct. 3277, 97 L.Ed.2d 780 (1987) and Hays v. State, 617 P.2d 223, 231 (Okl.Cr. 1980), this Court upheld the aggravator under similar circumstances wherein the defendant pointed a gun in a threatening manner at bystanders.
Further, statements by Appellant that he had previously committed murder should be considered as evidence supporting this ag-gravator. The statements were not introduced as evidence of another crime, but were so closely related to the murder as to be admissible as part of the res gestae of the offense. In fact, the statements are direct evidence of his intent and the “great risk of death to more than one person” aggravator.
In footnote 95 the Court refers to an affidavit from an inmate in the Grady County Jail with Orduna. This ex-parte affidavit, obtained after trial and attached to Appellant’s brief, is not a proper part of the record on appeal and should play no part in our review of the ease. This Court should restrict its review to the record created through the trial court proceedings or matters properly added through the prescribed supplementation process set out in Rule 3.11 of this Court’s rules.
Further, in reviewing Appellant’s claim that the trial court’s determination of his competency violated due process, the opinion reviews for plain error only. I agree with that scope of review but base that decision on this Court’s decision in Simpson v. State, 876 P.2d 690, 694-695 (Okl.Cr. 1994). This Court should use its own case law where applicable rather than referring to federal law as this Court has the ability to apply our evidence code differently than the federal courts. The scope and method of plain error review was set out in Simpson.
Reference
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