State of Tennessee v. Chrysta Gail Pike ( 1998 )

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF TENNESSEE
AT KNOXVILLE
FILED
October 5, 1998
FOR PUBLICATION
Cecil Crowson, Jr.
Appellate C ourt Clerk
STATE OF TENNESSEE, ) Filed: October 5, 1998
)
Appellee, ) Knox County
)
v. ) Hon. Mary Beth Leibowitz,
) Judge
CHRISTA GAIL PIKE, )
)
Appellant, ) Supreme Court
) No. 03S01-9712-CR-00147
FOR APPELLANT: FOR APPELLEE:
William C. Talman John Knox Walkup
Knoxville, Tennessee Attorney General & Reporter
Julie A. Martin Michael E. Moore
Knoxville, Tennessee Solicitor General
Kathy Morante
Deputy Attorney General
Nashville, Tennessee
Randall E. Nichols
District Attorney General
Sixth Judicial District
Knoxville, Tennessee
William H. Crabtree and
Sally J. Helm
Assistant District Attorneys General
Knoxville, Tennessee
OPINION
TRIAL COURT AND
COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS AFFIRMED. DROWOTA, J.
In this capital case, the defendant, Christa Gail Pike, was convicted of
premeditated first degree murder and conspiracy to commit first degree murder.
Following a sentencing hearing on the conviction for first degree murder, the jury
found two aggravating circumstances: (1) “[t]he murder was especially heinous,
atrocious or cruel in that it involved torture or serious physical abuse beyond that
necessary to produce death;” and (2) “[t]he murder was committed for the purpose
of avoiding, interfering with or preventing a lawful arrest or prosecution of the
defendant or another.” Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-204(i)(5) and (6) (1997 Repl.).
Finding that the two aggravating circumstances outweighed mitigating circumstances
beyond a reasonable doubt, the jury sentenced the defendant to death by
electrocution. With respect to the defendant’s conviction of conspiracy to commit first
degree murder, the trial judge imposed a consecutive twenty-five-year sentence.
On direct appeal to the Court of Criminal Appeals, the defendant challenged
both her convictions and sentences, raising eight claims of error. After fully
considering the defendant’s claims, the Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the trial
court’s judgment. Thereafter, pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-206(a)(1) (1997
Repl.),1 the case was docketed in this Court.
The defendant raised numerous issues in this Court, but after carefully
examining the entire record and the law, including the thorough opinion of the Court
1
"Whenever the death penalty is imposed for first degree murder and when the judgment
has become final in the trial court, the defendant shall have the right of direct appeal from the trial
court to the Court of Crim inal Appe als. The affirma nce of th e convic tion and the senten ce of de ath
shall be automatically reviewed by the Tennessee Supreme Court. Upon the affirmance by the
Cou rt of C rim inal A ppe als, th e cler k sh all doc ket th e cas e in the Sup rem e Co urt an d the cas e sha ll
procee d in acco rdance with the T ennes see R ules of A ppellate P rocedu re.”
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of Criminal Appeals and the briefs of the defendant and the State, this Court entered
an Order on July 6, 1998, limiting review at oral argument to three issues. See Tenn.
S. Ct. R. 12.2 The case was heard at the September, 1998, term of this Court in
Knoxville.
After reviewing the record, we have determined that none of the alleged errors
have merit. Moreover, the evidence supports the jury’s findings as to the aggravating
and mitigating circumstances, and the sentence of death is not arbitrary or
disproportionate to the sentence imposed in similar cases, considering the nature of
the crime and the defendant. Accordingly, the judgment of the Court of Criminal
Appeals upholding the defendant’s convictions and sentences is affirmed.
FACTUAL BACKGROUND
The proof presented by the State at the guilt phase of the trial established that
on January 11, 1995, the defendant, Christa Gail Pike, a student at the Job Corps
Center in Knoxville, told her friend Kim Iloilo, who was also a student at the facility,
that she intended to kill another student, Colleen Slemmer, because she “had just felt
mean that day.” The next day, January 12, 1995, at approximately 8:00 p.m., Iloilo
observed Pike, along with Slemmer, and two other Job Corps students, Shadolla
Peterson and Tadaryl Shipp, Pike’s boyfriend, walking away from the Job Corps
2
Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 12 provides in pertinent part as follows: “Prior to the
setting of oral argument, the Court shall review the record and briefs and c onsider all errors
assigned. The Court may enter an order designating those issues it wishes addressed at oral
argumen t.”
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center toward 17th Street. At approximately 10:15 p.m., Iloilo observed Pike,
Peterson, and Shipp return to the Center. Slemmer was not with them.
Later that night, Pike went to Iloilo’s room and told Iloilo that she had just killed
Slemmer and that she had brought back a piece of the victim’s skull as a souvenir.
Pike showed Iloilo the piece of skull and told her that she had cut the victim’s throat
six times, beaten her, and thrown asphalt at the victim’s head. Pike told Iloilo that the
victim had begged “them” to stop cutting and beating her, but Pike did not stop
because the victim continued to talk. Pike told Iloilo that she had thrown a large
piece of asphalt at the victim’s head, and when it broke into smaller pieces, she had
thrown those at the victim as well. Pike told Iloilo that a meat cleaver had been used
to cut the victim’s back and a box cutter had been used to cut her throat. Finally,
Pike said that a pentagram had been carved onto the victim’s forehead and chest.
Iloilo said that Pike was dancing in a circle, smiling, and singing “la, la, la” while she
related these details about the murder. W hen Iloilo saw Pike at breakfast the next
morning she asked Pike what she had done with the piece of the victim’s skull. Pike
replied that it was in her pocket and then said, “And, yes, I’m eating breakfast with it.”
During a class later that morning, Pike made a similar statement to Stephanie
Wilson, another Job Corps student. Pike pointed to brown spots on her shoes and
said, “that ain’t mud on my shoes, that’s blood.” Pike then pulled a napkin from her
pocket and showed Wilson a piece of bone which Pike said was a piece of
Slemmer’s skull. Pike also told Wilson that she had slashed Slemmer’s throat six
times and had beaten Slemmer in the head with a rock. Pike told Wilson that the
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victim’s blood and brains had been pouring out and that she had picked up the piece
of skull when she left the scene.
Though neither Iloilo nor Wilson immediately reported Pike’s statements to
police, on the day after the murder, January 13, at approximately 8:05 a.m., an
employee of the University of Tennessee Grounds Department, discovered
Slemmer’s semi-nude, slashed, and badly beaten body near the greenhouses on the
agricultural campus. He testified that the body was so badly beaten that he had first
mistaken it for the corpse of an animal. Upon closer inspection, he saw the victim’s
clothes and her nude breast and realized it was the body of a human female. He
immediately notified law enforcement officials.
Officers from the Knoxville Police Department and the U.T. Police Department
were summoned to the scene. Officer John Terry Johnson testified at trial that the
body he found was lying on debris and was nude from the waist up. Blood and dirt
covered the body and remaining clothing. The victim’s head had been bludgeoned.
Multiple cuts and slashes appeared on her torso. Officer Johnson stated that he
thought he was looking at the victim’s face but he could not be sure because it was
extremely mutilated. Johnson removed all civilians from the area and secured the
scene surrounding the body.
As other officers arrived, they began securing the crime area. As officers
discovered other areas of blood, articles of clothing, footprints, and broken foliage,
the crime scene tripled in size, eventually encompassing an area 100 feet long by 60
feet wide. The crime scene was wet and muddy, and there was evidence of a scuffle,
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with trampled bushes, hand and knee prints in the mud, and drag marks. A large
pool of blood was found about 30 feet from the victim’s body.
The victim’s body was actually lying face down on a pile of debris. When
officers turned the body over, they discovered that the victim’s throat had been
slashed. A bloody rag was around her neck. Detective Donald R. Cook, of the U.T.
Police Department, accompanied the body to the morgue. He observed the body
after it had been cleaned and noticed that a five pointed star in a circle, commonly
known as a pentagram, had been carved onto the victim’s chest.
Randy York, a criminal investigator with the Knoxville Police Department,
began investigating this case on January 13, the day the victim’s body was
discovered. York separately interviewed the defendant and Shipp at the Knoxville
Police Department on January 14th. Investigator York advised defendant Pike of her
Miranda rights, but she chose to waive them and make a statement. Pike explained
in detail how the killing had occurred. Pike’s statement was tape-recorded and
transcribed in some forty-six pages. Copies of the transcription were given to the
jury, and the jurors were allowed to listen to the tape through individual headphones.
In her statement, Pike said that she and Slemmer had been having problems
for some time. Pike claimed to have awakened one night to find Slemmer standing
over her with a box cutter. Pike told Investigator York that Slemmer had been “trying
to get [her] boyfriend” and had been “running her mouth” everywhere. Pike said that
Slemmer had deliberately provoked her because Slemmer realized that Pike would
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be terminated from the Job Corps program the next time she became involved in a
fight or similar incident.
Pike claimed that she had not planned to kill Slemmer, but she had instead
planned only to fight Slemmer and let her know “to leave me the hell alone.”
However, Pike admitted that she had taken a box cutter and a miniature meat cleaver
with her when she and the victim left the Job Corps Center. Pike said she had
borrowed the miniature meat cleaver, but refused to identify the person who had
loaned it to her.
According to Pike, she asked Slemmer to accompany her to the Blockbuster
Music Store, and as they were walking, Pike told Slemmer that she had a bag of
“weed” hidden in Tyson Park. Though Pike refused to name the other parties
involved in the incident, she said the group began walking toward the U.T. campus.
Upon arriving at the steam plant on U.T.’s agricultural campus, Pike and Slemmer
exchanged words. Pike then began hitting Slemmer and banging Slemmer’s head
on her knee. Pike threw Slemmer to the ground and kicked her repeatedly.
According to Pike, as she slammed Slemmer’s head against the concrete, Slemmer
repeatedly asked, “Why are you doing this to me?” When Slemmer threatened to
report Pike so she would be terminated from the Job Corps program, Pike again
repeatedly kicked Slemmer in the face and side. Slemmer lay on the ground and
cried for a time and then tried to run away, but another person with Pike caught
Slemmer and pushed her to the ground.
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Pike and the other person, who Pike referred to as “he,” held Slemmer down
until she stopped struggling, then dragged her to another area where Pike cut
Slemmer’s stomach with the box cutter. As Slemmer “screamed and screamed,”
Pike recounted how she began to hear voices telling her that she had to do
something to prevent Slemmer from telling on her and sending her to prison for
attempted murder.
At this point Pike said she was just looking at Slemmer and “just watching her
bleed.” When Slemmer rolled over, stood up and tried to run away again, Pike cut
Slemmer’s back, “the big long cut on her back.” Pike said Slemmer repeatedly tried
to get up and run. Pike recounted how Slemmer bargained for her life, begging Pike
to talk to her and telling Pike that if she would just let her go, she would walk back to
her home in Florida without returning to the Job Corps facility for her belongings.
Pike told Slemmer to “shut up” because it “was harder to hurt somebody when
they’re talking to you.” Pike said the more Slemmer talked, the more she kicked
Slemmer in the face.
Slemmer asked Pike what she was going to do to her, at which point Pike
thought she heard a noise. Pike left the scene to check out the surrounding area to
make sure no one was around. When she returned, Pike began cutting Slemmer
across the throat. When Slemmer continued to talk and beg for her life, Pike cut
Slemmer’s throat several other times. Pike said that Slemmer continued to talk and
tried to sit up even though her throat had been cut several times, and that Pike and
the other person would push her back on the ground.
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Slemmer attempted to run away again, and Pike threw a rock which hit
Slemmer in the back of the head. Pike stated that “the other person” also hit
Slemmer in the head with a rock. When Slemmer fell to the ground, Pike continued
to hit her. Eventually Pike said she could hear Slemmer “breathing blood in and out,”
and she could see Slemmer “jerking,” but Pike “kept hitting her and hitting her and
hitting her.” Pike eventually asked Slemmer, “Colleen, do you know who’s doing this
to you?” Slemmer’s only response was groaning noises. At this point, Pike said she
and the other person each grabbed one of Slemmer’s feet and dragged her to an
area near some trees, leaving her body on a pile of dirt and debris. They left
Slemmer’s clothing in the surrounding bushes. Pike said the episode lasted “for
about thirty minutes to an hour.” Pike admitted that she and the other person had
forced the victim to remove her blouse and bra during the incident to keep Slemmer
from running away. Pike also admitted that she had removed a rag from her hair and
tied it around Slemmer’s mouth at one point to prevent Slemmer from talking. Pike
denied carving a pentagram in the victim’s chest, but said that the other person had
cut the victim on her chest.
After disposing of Slemmer’s body, Pike and the other person washed their
hands and shoes in a mud puddle. They discarded the box cutter, and Pike returned
the miniature meat cleaver to the person at Job Corps from whom she had borrowed
it. Pike never identified that individual. Pike told Investigator York that the blood-
stained jeans she had worn during the incident were still in her room. She said they
were covered in mud because she had rubbed the mud from the bottom of her shoes
onto the jeans to conceal the blood. Pike also admitted to Investigator York that she
had discarded two forms of identification belonging to the victim and the victim’s black
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gloves in a trash can at a Texaco station on Cumberland Avenue. Pike gave
Investigator York consent to search her room and then accompanied him to the Job
Corps Center. From there Pike retraced her steps, describing what had occurred on
the night of the killing. Investigator York testified that Pike eventually directed him to
the exact location where the victim’s body was found.
After Pike’s statement was played for the jury, the State introduced pictures
of Pike and Shipp taken at the Knoxville Police Department on the day the statement
was given, January 14, 1995, two days after the murder. In the pictures, both Pike
and Shipp were wearing pentagram necklaces.
Mark A. Waggoner, an officer with the Knoxville Police Department, testified
that he had retrieved a pair of black gloves and two of Slemmer’s I.D. cards from the
Texaco station on Cumberland Avenue. These items were also made exhibits.
Another officer, Lanny Janeway, used a chart to illustrate each of the locations where
blood or evidence was found. Photographs of bloody chunks of asphalt, blood
drippings on leaves, and pools of blood were introduced into evidence. The bloody
piece of asphalt and the victim’s bloody clothing were also introduced into evidence.
Special Agent Raymond A. DePriest, a forensic scientist employed by the
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, testified that he had received blood samples
taken from the shoes and clothing of Pike and Shipp. Those items that he
determined had human blood on them were sent to the DNA unit. Margaret Bush,
an employee of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation assigned to the DNA unit,
testified that she had been unable to perform a DNA analysis on the blood taken from
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the shoes of Pike and Shipp, but she had determined that the blood samples taken
from the clothing of both Pike and Shipp matched the DNA profile of the victim.
Dr. Sandra Elkins, the Knox County Medical Examiner, performed the autopsy
on the victim, who was later identified by dental records as Colleen Slemmer, a
nineteen-year-old Job Corps student. Dr. Elkins described the victim’s body as
covered with dirt and twigs. Slemmer was nude from the waist up clothed only with
jeans, socks, and shoes. After removing the victim’s clothing and cleaning the body,
Dr. Elkins had attempted to catalog the slash and stab wounds on the victim’s torso
by assigning a letter of the alphabet. There were so many wounds that eventually Dr.
Elkins decided to catalog only the most serious and major wounds. Dr. Elkins
explained that to catalog every wound she would have been required to go through
the alphabet again, and stay in the morgue for “three days.” Eventually, Dr. Elkins
said she “basically threw up [her] hands and just said, enumerable [sic] more
superficial slash wounds on the back, arms and chest.” In addition, Dr. Elkins said
the victim had purple contusions on her knees, indicating fresh bruising consistent
with crawling, and defensive wounds on her right arm.
Dr. Elkins described the major slash and stab wounds she had cataloged on
the victim’s back, arms, abdomen, and chest. She found a six inch gaping wound
across the middle of the victim’s neck which had penetrated the fat and muscles of
the neck. In addition, Dr. Elkins had found ten other slash wounds on the victim’s
throat. Other slash wounds were on the victim’s face, and Dr. Elkins observed what
appeared to be a pentagram carved onto the victim’s chest. Because the area
around each wound was red in appearance, Dr. Elkins concluded that the victim’s
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heart had been beating when the wounds were inflicted and she said the victim would
not have been rendered unconscious by any of the stab or slash wounds.
Dr. Elkins determined that the victim’s death was caused by blunt force injuries
to the head. The victim had suffered multiple and extensive skull fractures. From the
autopsy, Dr. Elkins determined that the victim had sustained a minimum of four blows
to her head; two to the left side of the head, one over the right eye, and one in the
nose area. The right frontal area of the victim’s skull had been fractured as had the
bridge of her nose. However, the major wound, labeled as injury “W”, involved most
of the left side of the victim’s head. Dr. Elkins said that this injury, caused by blunt
force to the left side of the victim’s head while the right side of the victim’s head was
against a firm surface, also had fractured the right side of the skull and imbedded a
portion of the skull into the victim’s brain. Dr. Elkins found small divots in the victim’s
skull containing black particles from an asphalt chunk which was later determined to
have been used to administer the blows. Finally, Dr. Elkins testified that blood in the
victim’s sinus cavity indicated she had been alive and probably conscious when the
injuries were inflicted.
During her testimony, Dr. Elkins utilized the victim’s skull to describe the
injuries. She testified that in order to determine the cause of death, it was necessary
to remove the head of the victim and have the skull prepared by Dr. Murray Marks,
a forensic anthropologist at the University of Tennessee. She explained that she had
removed the top of the victim’s skull in order to remove the brain. Embedded inside
the victim’s brain as a result of the blunt force were portions of the victim’s skull. Dr.
Elkins removed those embedded pieces and forwarded them to Dr. Marks. Dr. Marks
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reconstructed the skull, fitting those loose portions into the left side area of the skull.
However, those pieces had not completely filled one area on the left side of the
victim’s skull. Dr. Elkins then showed the jury a piece of skull that had been given to
her shortly before the trial and demonstrated that it fit perfectly into the remaining
area of the victim’s skull. The piece of skull utilized by Dr. Elkins had been taken
from the pocket of a jacket which witnesses identified as belonging to Pike.
Pike’s jacket had been turned over to law enforcement officials by Job Corps
employees. Robert A. Pollock, orientation specialist at Knoxville Job Corps, testified
that he had spoken with Pike on January 13, 1995, concerning a misplaced I.D. card.
After Pike left his office, Pollock noticed a black leather jacket hanging on the chair
where she had sat. The jacket had been hanging on the chair when Pollock locked
the room at approximately 4:00 p.m. on January 13th, and it was still there when he
returned at 7:30 a.m. on January 17th. Because he had heard over the weekend that
Pike was a suspect in this murder investigation, Pollock immediately turned the jacket
over to the Job Corps’ Safety and Security Captain, William Hudson. Hudson called
the Knoxville Police Department and turned the jacket over to Officer Arthur Bohanan
when he arrived a short time later.
Officer Bohanan identified the jacket, and it was introduced into evidence. He
testified that he had discovered a small piece of bone in the inside pocket of the
jacket and had immediately taken it to Dr. Marks at the University of Tennessee. Dr.
Marks testified concerning the process by which the victim’s skull had been prepared
and again demonstrated that the bone fragment given to him by Officer Bohanan fit
perfectly into the bone reconstruction of the skull of the victim.
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Following the introduction into evidence of the victim’s skull, numerous
photographs, and items of the victim’s clothing, the State rested its case-in-chief.
Dr. Eric Engum, a clinical psychologist, testified for the defense and stated that
he had conducted a clinical interview and had administered a battery of tests to the
defendant. Dr. Engum described Pike as an “extremely bright young woman.” Dr.
Engum explained that Pike “is excellent in problem solving, reasoning, analysis, ah,
can pay attention, sustains concentration, can sequence, ah, has excellent receptive
and expressive language skills.” Pike had a full scale IQ score of 111 which is in the
77th percentile and which was characterized as “remarkable” by Dr. Engum since she
had only completed the ninth grade. According to Dr. Engum, the tests unequivocally
showed that Pike had no symptoms of brain damage and that she was not insane.
However, Dr. Engum concluded that the defendant suffers from a very severe
borderline personality disorder and exhibits signs of cannabis (marijuana)
dependence and inhalant abuse. He testified that the defendant is not so
dysfunctional that she needs to be institutionalized, but instead opined that she has
a multiplicity of problems in interpersonal relationships, in controlling her behavior,
and in achieving vocational and academic goals.
During direct examination, Dr. Engum opined that the defendant had not acted
with deliberation or premeditation in killing Slemmer. Instead Dr. Engum said she
had acted in a manner consistent with his diagnosis of borderline personality
disorder; she had lost control. He explained that she had danced around when
relating the murder to Iloilo because of the emotional release she experienced from
having assured through the killing of Slemmer that she could maintain her
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relationship with Shipp. When questioned about the piece of skull found in the
defendant’s coat, Dr. Engum explained that the Defendant actually has no identity
and the action of taking and displaying a piece of Slemmer’s skull to her friends was
the defendant’s way of getting recognition, “no matter how distorted” the recognition.
On cross-examination, Dr. Engum stated that there was no question that the
defendant had killed Slemmer. He reiterated that his opinion that once the attack
began, Pike had literally lost control. However, Dr. Engum admitted that Pike had
deliberately enticed Slemmer to the park, carved a pentagram onto Slemmer’s chest,
bashed Slemmer’s head against the concrete, and beaten Slemmer’s head with the
asphalt. Dr. Engum agreed that Pike’s act of carrying weapons with her indicates
deliberation. Finally, Dr. Engum conceded that Pike had time to calm down and
consider her actions when she left Slemmer during the attack to investigate a noise
and determine whether anyone else was in the area.
William Bernet, medical director of the psychiatric hospital at Vanderbilt
University, testified that he had reviewed the statements of the defendant and
Kimberly Iloilo and the reports of Dr Engum, Dr. Elkins, and Dr. Marks. He
concluded that although there were satanic elements in this crime, the pattern was
that of an adolescent dabbling in Satanism. He then described the phenomenon of
collective aggression, whereby a group of people gather and become emotionally
aroused and the end result is that they engage in some kind of violent behavior. On
cross-examination, Dr. Bernet admitted that he had spoken neither with the
defendant nor any of the other witnesses. Dr. Bernet admitted that he did not have
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enough information to offer an expert opinion as to whether Pike acted with intent or
premeditation in killing the victim.
Based on this evidence offered during the guilt phase of the trial, the jury
found Pike, guilty of first degree murder and conspiracy to commit first degree
murder.
In the sentencing phase of the trial, the State relied on the evidence presented
at the guilt phase and presented no further proof. The defense, in mitigation, called
Carrie Ross, Pike’s aunt as a witness. Ross testified that the defendant had
experienced no maternal bonding because she was premature and was raised by her
paternal grandmother until she died in 1988. Ross said that Pike’s family has a
history of substance abuse and that Pike’s maternal grandmother was an alcoholic
who was verbally abusive to Pike. Following the death of Pike’s paternal
grandmother, Pike was shuffled between her mother and father. According to Ross,
Pike’s mother’s home was very dirty. Pike’s mother set no rules for her, and on the
occasions that Pike had visited Ross, the defendant had behaved as a “little girl,”
playing Barbie and dress-up with her eleven-year-old cousin.
On cross-examination, Ross admitted that she had previously described Pike
as a pathological liar and that she had been afraid to allow Pike to associate with her
own children. Ross also admitted that Pike had been out of control since she was
twelve years old.
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Glenn Pike, the defendant’s father, testified that he had kicked the defendant
out of his house twice, the last time in 1989. He admitted that he had signed
adoption papers for the defendant prior to her eighteenth birthday. On cross-
examination, he admitted that he had forced Pike to leave his home in 1989 because
there had been an allegation that the defendant had sexually abused his two-year-old
daughter from his second marriage. According to her father, Pike had been
disobedient, dishonest, and manipulative when she had lived with him.
The defendant’s mother, Carissa Hansen, a licensed practical nurse, testified
that Pike had lived with her 95 percent of the time since her paternal grandmother’s
death. Hansen admitted that she had smoked marijuana with the defendant in order
to “establish a friendship.” Hansen related that the defendant had attempted suicide
by taking an overdose shortly after the death of her paternal grandmother. Hansen
also testified that one of her boyfriends had whipped Pike with a belt. Hansen had
the boyfriend arrested.
On cross-examination, Hansen admitted that Pike’s behavior had been
problematic for years. The defendant had begun growing marijuana in pots in her
home at age nine. After threatening to run away from home and live on the street,
Pike had been allowed to have a live-in boyfriend at age fourteen. Hansen admitted
that Pike had wielded a “butcher-knife” against the boyfriend, who had been arrested
for whipping her. Hansen also said Pike had lied to her and stolen from her on
numerous occasions and had quit high school. Hansen conceded that Pike had been
out of control since she was eight years old. Following Hansen’s testimony, the
defense rested its case.
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In rebuttal, the State presented the testimony of Harold James Underwood,
Jr., a University of Tennessee police officer who was assigned to secure the crime
scene on January 13, 1995. Underwood testified that the defendant came to the
scene with three to five other females between four and five p.m that day. Pike
asked Underwood why the area had been marked off and questioned him concerning
the identity of the victim and whether or not the police had any suspects. None of the
other females spoke during the fifteen minutes the group was there. Underwood said
Pike appeared amused and giggled and moved around. Underwood noticed that
Pike was wearing an unusual necklace in the shape of a pentagram. After learning
at roll call on January 14, 1995, that the victim of the murder had a pentagram carved
on her chest, he reported Pike’s strange behavior and unusual necklace to his
superior officers.
Based on the proof submitted at the sentencing hearing, the jury found the
existence of the following two aggravating circumstances beyond a reasonable doubt:
(1) “[t]he murder was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel in that it involved torture
or serious physical abuse beyond that necessary to produce death;” and (2) “[t]he
murder was committed for the purpose of avoiding, interfering with or preventing a
lawful arrest or prosecution of the defendant or another.” Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-
204(i)(5) and (6) (1997 Repl.). In addition, the jury found that the State had proven
that the aggravating circumstances outweighed any mitigating circumstances beyond
a reasonable doubt. As a result, the jury sentenced the defendant to death by
electrocution. The trial court entered a judgment in accordance with the jury’s verdict
and the Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed. After reviewing the record and
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considering the errors assigned by the defendant, we affirm the judgment of the
Court of Criminal Appeals.
I.
SUFFICIENCY OF THE EVIDENCE: CONVICTIONS
The defendant first challenges the sufficiency of the evidence to support the
convictions for first degree murder and conspiracy to commit first degree murder.
Specifically, with respect to the conviction for first degree murder, the defendant
argues that the State did not offer any evidence to establish deliberation or to
establish that the defendant had the opportunity to reflect upon her actions at a time
when her mind “was free from the influence of excitement or passion.” The
defendant also maintains that the evidence is insufficient to sustain the conviction for
conspiracy to commit first degree murder.
In analyzing the defendant’s assertions, we are guided by the following well-
settled principles of law. A guilty verdict by the jury, approved by the trial court,
accredits the testimony of the witnesses for the State and resolves all conflicts in
favor of the prosecution’s theory. State v. Grace, 493 S.W.2d 474, 476 (Tenn. 1973).
A verdict of guilt removes the presumption of innocence and replaces it with a
presumption of guilt, and the defendant has the burden of illustrating why the
evidence is insufficient to support the jury’s verdict. State v. Tuggle, 639 S.W.2d 913,
914 (Tenn. 1982). Questions concerning the credibility of witnesses, the weight
and value to be given the evidence, as well as all factual issues raised by the
evidence are resolved by the trier of fact. This Court does not reweigh or reevaluate
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the evidence. State v. Cabbage, 571 S.W.2d 832, 835 (Tenn. 1978). Nor may this
Court substitute its inferences for those drawn by the trier of fact from circumstantial
evidence. Liakas v. State, 199 Tenn. 298, 305, 286 S.W .2d 856, 859 (1956).
Therefore, on appeal, the State is entitled to the strongest legitimate view of the trial
evidence and all reasonable and legitimate inferences which may be drawn from the
evidence. Consequently, in considering the defendant’s claim that the evidence is
not sufficient, we must determine, after reviewing the evidence in the light most
favorable to the State, whether any rational trier of fact could have found the
defendant guilty of premeditated first degree murder and conspiracy to commit first
degree murder beyond a reasonable doubt. Tenn. R. App. P. 13(e); Jackson v.
Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 99 S. Ct. 2781, 61 L. Ed. 2d 560 (1979); State v. Cazes, 875
S.W.2d 253 (Tenn. 1994).
A. First Degree Murder
At the time this killing occurred, first-degree murder was defined as an
“intentional, premeditated and deliberate killing of another.” Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-
13-202(a)(1) (1991). “Intentional” was defined as the “conscious objective or desire
to engage in the conduct or cause the result.” Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-11-106(18)
(1991 Repl.). “Premeditated act”, on the other hand, meant an act “done after the
exercise of reflection and judgment.” Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-201(b)(2) (1991
Repl.). Finally, “[d]eliberate act” was defined as “one performed with cool purpose.”
Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-201(b)(1) (1991 Repl.).
The elements of premeditation and deliberation are questions for the jury
which may be established by proof of the circumstances surrounding the killing.
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State v. Bland, 958 S.W.2d 651, 660 (Tenn. 1997); State v. Brown, 836 S.W.2d 530,
539 (Tenn. 1992). There are several factors which tend to support the existence of
these elements which include: the use of a deadly weapon upon an unarmed victim;
the particular cruelty of the killing; declarations by the defendant of an intent to kill;
evidence of procurement of a weapon; preparations before the killing for concealment
of the crime, and calmness immediately after the killing. Bland, 958 S.W.2d at 660;
Brown, 836 S.W.2d at 541-42; State v. West, 844 S.W.2d 144, 148 (Tenn. 1992).
Considering the proof in this record in the light most favorable to the State, as
we are required to do, we agree with the Court of Criminal Appeals that the evidence
is sufficient to support the jury’s finding of premeditation and deliberation. Pike told
a friend one day before the killing that she was going to kill the victim. The defendant
procured weapons to accomplish the crime, arming herself with a box cutter and a
minature meat cleaver, which she borrowed from another individual. Pike then lured
the victim to an isolated area to commit the crime by telling the victim that she would
share drugs with her. Once they arrived at the isolated location, the defendant
attacked the unarmed victim with not one, but two deadly weapons. The attack
continued for thirty minutes to an hour. During this extended time, the defendant had
ample opportunities in which to reflect upon her actions and choose a course of
conduct. By her own admission, the defendant actually ceased the assault long
enough to scout out the area and ensure that no one else was around. Certainly, this
break in the chain of events provided the defendant time to reflect upon her actions.
In fact, in her statement the defendant recounted how she carefully and repeatedly
reflected upon her actions and chose to kill the victim to assure that the victim would
not testify against her for “attempted murder.” Without question, this killing was
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particularly cruel; in fact, particular cruelty is a phrase which merely begins to
describe the nature and circumstances of this killing. The defendant attempted to
conceal the offense by dragging the victim’s body to a secluded area and removing
and disposing of the victim’s identification cards. The defendant also washed the tops
of her shoes at the Texaco service station and rubbed the mud from the bottom of
her shoes onto her blue jeans to conceal the blood. Pike calmly disposed of the box
cutter and returned the miniature meat cleaver to the person from whom it had been
borrowed. Later that same evening, Pike displayed her “souvenir,” a piece of the
victim’s skull, and she gleefully recounted the events of the assault and killing to
Iloilo, the same friend to whom, only one day earlier, Pike had proclaimed her intent
to kill Colleen Slemmer because “she just felt mean that day.”
Clearly the evidence in this record is sufficient to support the elements of
premeditation and deliberation and to support the jury’s verdict finding the defendant
guilty of first degree premeditated murder.
B. Conspiracy to Commit First Degree Murder
The defendant next contends that the evidence is insufficient to support her
conviction for conspiracy to commit first degree murder because the State failed to
prove the elements of the offense. Specifically, the defendant contends that there
was no proof, other than her “uncorroborated statement” that a box cutter had been
used on the victim, and there was no proof that Shadolla Peterson and Tadaryl Shipp
attacked the victim.
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At the time this killing occurred and at the present time, “[t]he offense of
conspiracy is committed if two (2) or more people, each having the culpable mental
state required for the offense which is the object of the conspiracy and each acting
for the purpose of promoting or facilitating commission of an offense, agree that one
(1) or more of them will engage in conduct which constitutes such offense.” Tenn.
Code Ann. § 39-12-103(a) (1991 Repl.). The offense of conspiracy is aimed at group
criminality and is based upon the principle that group criminal activity poses a greater
public threat than criminal offenses committed by a single individual. Tenn. Code
Ann. § 39-12-103 (1991 Repl.) (Sentencing Commission Comments). While the
essence of the offense of conspiracy is an agreement to accomplish a criminal or
unlawful act, Owens v. State, 84 Tenn. 1, 3 (1885); State v. Hodgkinson, 778 S.W.2d
54, 58 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1989), the agreement need not be formal or expressed, and
it may be proven by circumstantial evidence. State v. Shropshire, 874 S.W.2d 634,
641 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1993); Hodgkinson, 778 S.W.2d at 58. “The unlawful
confederation may be established by circumstantial evidence and the conduct of the
parties in the execution of the criminal enterprise. Conspiracy implies concert of
design and not participation in every detail of execution.” Randolph v. State, 570
S.W.2d 869, 871 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1978).
Viewing the evidence in this record in the light most favorable to the State, we
have no difficulty concluding that the evidence is sufficient to support the defendant’s
conviction for conspiracy to commit first degree murder. Iloilo testified that she
observed the defendant, the victim, Peterson and Shipp leaving the Job Corps facility
together on the night of the murder. Later that evening, Iloilo observed the
defendant, Peterson, and Shipp return without the victim. After her return, Iloilo said
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that the defendant told her that she had killed the victim, using a meat cleaver to cut
the victim’s back and a box cutter to cut her throat. Iloilo testified that Pike said the
victim had begged “them” to stop cutting her throat and beating her. Iloilo’s
testimony was consistent with and corroborative of the confession in which Pike said
that she and another person whom Pike referred to as “he,” accompanied the victim
to the isolated location where the killing occurred. Pike said that the other person
participated in restraining the victim, cutting the victim, hitting the victim in the head
with rocks and asphalt, and dragging the victim’s body to a more isolated location.
DNA testing revealed that the blood stains found on both Pike and Shipp’s clothing
matched the victim’s blood. Finally, both Pike and Shipp were wearing pentagram
necklaces two days after the murder, and a pentagram had been carved onto the
victim’s chest. Accordingly, the defendant’s contention that the evidence is
insufficient to support the conviction for conspiracy to commit first degree murder is
without merit.
II.
MEDIA COVERAGE
The defendant next asserts that the trial court erred by refusing to grant her
motion to deny television coverage of the pretrial proceedings in this case. She
asserts that media coverage in this case made jury selection difficult, “arguably
affected the witness testimony and was generally disruptive of the proceedings.”
While recognizing that this Court has promulgated a rule which permits media
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coverage,3 Pike nonetheless contends that “the record of jury selection demonstrates
intense media coverage made it impossible to get a fair trial.”
This Court in December of 1995, adopted Supreme Court Rule 30 as a one-
year pilot project to govern media coverage of judicial proceedings in Tennessee.
The experimental rule was effective from January 1, 1996, until December 31, 1996.
During this experimental period, this Court solicited and considered comments both
from members of the general public and from participants in judicial proceedings
which had been covered by the media pursuant to the terms of Rule 30. After
considering the comments and adopting appropriate amendments, on December 30,
1996, this Court entered an order making Rule 30 permanent.4
Section (A)(1) of Rule 30 authorizes “[m]edia coverage of public judicial
proceedings in the appellate and trial courts of this State . . . .” However, the media
coverage is “subject, at all times, to the authority of the presiding judge to (i) control
the conduct of the proceedings before the court; (ii) maintain decorum and prevent
distractions; (iii) guarantee the safety of any party, witness, or juror; and (iv) ensure
the fair and impartial administration of justice in the pending cause.” Further,
Section (D)(2) of Rule 30 specifically grants to the presiding judge at a judicial
proceeding the discretion to “refuse, limit, terminate or temporarily suspend” media
3
Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 30.
4
"To ensure that Rule 30 continues to operate in a manner that is in the best interest of the
public and compatible with the administration of justice,” on August 31, 1998, this Court entered an
order again soliciting comments from interested members of the public. The comments must be
filed with the Appellate Court Clerk’s Office in Nashville by December 29, 1998.
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coverage of all or part of a case if necessary to accommodate any of these important
interests.
Although the defendant in this case contends that the media coverage
“arguably affected the witness testimony and was generally disruptive of the
proceedings,” she does not cite to any specific portion of the record, nor offer specific
reasons as to the ways in which the testimony was affected or the proceedings
disrupted. Also, the defendant does not explain how media coverage of the crime
would have been less intense had cameras been excluded from the courtroom during
the proceedings. Although jury selection was lengthy, in part, due to the media
coverage of the crime, there is no assertion, nor proof, that any particular juror was
biased because of the media coverage. In addition, there is no indication from
reading the transcript that the media coverage itself was disruptive or that any
disruptive event occurred during the proceedings. Clearly, a presiding judge’s
decision to deny a motion to preclude or limit media coverage is not error in the
absence of proof that media coverage will compromise one of the important interests
set forth in Sections (A)(1) and (D)(2) of Rule 30. The defendant in this case
presented no such proof. Therefore, the trial judge did not abuse her discretion
under Rule 30 by denying the defendant’s motion.
Moreover, the defendant has failed to demonstrate that the media coverage
of the pretrial and trial proceedings in this case impinged upon her right to a fair trial.
In State v. Harries, 657 S.W.2d 414 (Tenn. 1983), the defendant alleged that the
presence of cameras had deprived him of his right to a fair trial. In rejecting this
claim, we first stated that Harries had agreed to the media coverage and could not
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object on appeal. However, we also stated that had a proper objection been
interposed Harries claim would have failed because he had not demonstrated either
that the presence of cameras impaired the jurors’ ability to decide the case on the
evidence alone, or that the trial was adversely affected by the impact of the media
coverage on one or more of the participants. See also Chandler v. Florida, 449 U.S.
560, 581-82, 101 S. Ct. 802, 813, 66 L. Ed. 2d 740 (1981).
Likewise, the defendant in this case has failed to show either that media
coverage of the pretrial and trial proceedings impaired the jurors’ ability to decide the
case on the evidence alone or adversely impacted one or more of the trial
participants. To the contrary, the record is devoid of such proof. Accordingly, this
issue is without merit.
III.
SUFFICIENCY OF THE EVIDENCE: DEATH SENTENCE
A. Aggravating Circumstances
In this case, the jury imposed the death penalty upon finding both that (1) “[t]he
murder was especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel in that it involved torture or serious
physical abuse beyond that necessary to produce death,” and that (2) “[t]he murder
was committed for the purpose of avoiding, interfering with or preventing a lawful
arrest or prosecution of the defendant or another.” Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-
204(i)(5) and (6) (1997 Repl.). On appeal, the defendant challenges the sufficiency
of the evidence to support these aggravating circumstances. The Court of Criminal
Appeals rejected this claim and found the evidence sufficient.
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We first address the defendant’s claim that the evidence is insufficient to
support the (i)(5) aggravating circumstance. In State v. Williams, 690 S.W.2d 517(Tenn. 1985), we defined “torture” as the infliction of severe physical or mental pain
upon the victim while he or she remains alive and conscious. Id. at 529. With
respect to “serious physical abuse beyond that necessary to produce death,” we
explained in State v. Odom, 928 S.W.2d 18 (Tenn. 1996), that “serious” alludes to
a matter of degree, and that the physical abuse must be “beyond that” or more than
what is “necessary to produce death.” Id. at 26.
In this case, the medical examiner testified that the wounds on the victim’s
body were too numerous to catalog. The victim’s throat had been repeatedly
slashed, defensive wounds were found on her right arm, bruises consistent with
crawling were found on her knees, and she had sustained at least four heavy blows
to her head. Her skull was fractured in several places. A pentagram had been
carved onto her chest. According to the medical proof, and the defendant’s own
statements to the police and to other witnesses, the victim was alive and conscious
when these injuries were inflicted upon her. In fact, according to the defendant’s
statements, some of the wounds were inflicted because the victim would not stop
begging for her life. The defendant also admitted, and the crime scene revealed, that
the victim repeatedly tried to run away and escape the attack. In fact, the victim was
so terrified that she offered to walk to her home in Florida without returning to the Job
Corps facility for her belongings in exchange for her life. The merciless assault upon
the victim continued for a period of thirty minutes to an hour. Considering this record,
we agree with the Court of Criminal Appeals that the evidence is overwhelmingly
sufficient to support the jury’s finding that “[t]he murder was especially heinous,
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atrocious, or cruel in that it involved torture or serious physical abuse beyond that
necessary to produce death.” Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-204(i)(5) (1997 Repl.).
We also reject the defendant’s contention that the evidence is insufficient to
support the jury’s finding of the (i)(6) aggravating circumstance. This Court has
previously held that to establish the applicability of this aggravating circumstance, the
State must prove that avoidance of prosecution or arrest was one of the purposes
motivating the killing. State v. Bush, 942 S.W.2d 489, 504 (Tenn. 1997); State v.
Smith, 868 S.W.2d 561, 581 (Tenn. 1993); State v. Carter, 714 S.W.2d 241, 250
(Tenn. 1986) (avoidance of arrest need not be sole motive for murder). In this case,
Pike repeatedly told police that as she was assaulting the victim, she heard a voice
telling her that she had to do something to keep the victim from reporting the assault
and causing her to go to prison for attempted murder. When the victim begged for
her life, Pike responded that she was not going to be “rotting in jail because of [the
victim’s] stupid ass.“ Based upon our consideration of the record, we agree with the
Court of Criminal Appeals that the evidence was sufficient to support the jury’s finding
that “[t]he murder was committed for the purpose of avoiding, interfering with or
preventing a lawful arrest or prosecution of the defendant or another.” Tenn. Code
Ann. § 39-13-204(i)(6) (1997 Repl.).
B. Aggravating vs. Mitigating Circumstances
Finally, the defendant contends that the jury failed to properly consider and
weigh the mitigating circumstances against the aggravating circumstances. The
weight given aggravating and mitigating circumstances is entirely within the province
of the jury. The jury determines whether or not mitigation exists and whether the
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aggravating circumstances outweigh mitigating circumstances beyond a reasonable
doubt. State v. Bland, 958 S.W.2d 651, 661 (Tenn. 1997); State v. Barber, 753
S.W.2d 659, 669 (Tenn. 1988). As previously discussed, the State relied upon two
aggravating circumstances. In mitigation, the defendant offered proof to show that
she was young when the offense was committed, that she had no prior history of
criminal activity, that she was under the influence of extreme mental or emotional
disturbance when the murder occurred, that her capacity to appreciate the
wrongfulness of her conduct or to conform her conduct to the requirements of the law
was substantially impaired as a result of mental disease or defect, that she had a
difficult childhood, and that she had a personal and family history of substance
abuse. Through cross-examination, the State elicited testimony from the defendant’s
witnesses that she had been difficult, manipulative, and dishonest from an early age,
that she previously had threatened an individual with a butcher knife, and that she
had been accused of sexually molesting her half-sister. The State also offered
rebuttal proof to show that Pike had visited the crime scene with a group of other
females on the day the victim’s body was discovered and giggled as she asked
questions about the murder. Considering the proof in this record, we are of the
opinion that the evidence is sufficient to support the jury’s finding that the aggravating
circumstances outweighed mitigating circumstances beyond a reasonable doubt.
IV.
PROPORTIONALITY REVIEW
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We must next consider whether the defendant’s sentence of death is
disproportionate to the penalty imposed in similar cases, considering the nature of
the crime and the defendant. Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-206(c)(1) (D) (1997 Repl.).
If this case is “plainly lacking in circumstances consistent with those in similar cases
in which the death penalty has previously been imposed,” the sentence of death is
disproportionate. State v. Bland, 958 S.W.2d 651, 665 (Tenn. 1997). However, a
sentence of death is not disproportionate merely because the circumstances of the
offense are similar to those of another offense for which a defendant has received
a life sentence. Id. at 665. Our role, in conducting proportionality review is not to
assure that a sentence “less than death was never imposed in a case with similar
characteristics.” Id. Instead, our duty “is to assure that no aberrant death sentence
is affirmed.” Id.
In choosing and comparing similar cases, we consider many variables, some
of which include: (1) the means of death; (2) the manner of death; (3) the motivation
for the killing; (4) the place of death; (5) the similarity of the victim’s circumstances,
including age, physical and mental conditions, and the victims’ treatment during the
killing; (6) the absence or presence of premeditation; (7) the absence or presence of
provocation; (8) the absence or presence of justification; and (9) the injury to and
effects on nondecedent victims. Id. at 667. When choosing and comparing similar
cases we consider the following characteristics of the defendant: (1) prior record or
prior criminal activity; (2) age, race, and gender; (3) mental, emotional, and physical
condition; (4) involvement or role in the murder; (5) cooperation with authorities; (6)
presence or absence of remorse; (7) the defendant’s knowledge of the helplessness
of the victim; and (8) the defendant’s capacity for rehabilitation. Id. Comparative
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proportionality review is not a rigid, objective test. Id. at 668. We do not employ
mathematical or scientific techniques. In evaluating the comparative proportionality
of the sentence in light of the factors delineated above, we rely also upon the
experienced judgment and intuition of the members of this Court. Id.
As explained below, considering the nature of the crime and the defendant in
light of these factors, we conclude that imposition of the death penalty for the
torturous and cruel premeditated killing of this young woman is not disproportionate
to the penalty imposed in similar cases. The proof in this case reflects that the
eighteen-year-old defendant and the nineteen-year-old victim were acquaintances.
Both were female students at the Job Corps facility in Knoxville. Because the victim
allegedly had been making unfavorable comments about Pike and her boyfriend, Pike
armed herself and lured the victim to an isolated area where she assaulted the victim.
The victim died as a result of blunt force trauma to her head. In fact, her skull was
virtually shattered. However, over the course of a thirty-minute to one-hour period
before her death, Pike stabbed and slashed the victim with the box cutter and the
meat cleaver. Pike kicked the victim, beat her with pieces of asphalt, and carved a
pentagram onto her chest. The medical testimony and the defendant’s statements
establish that the victim was alive and conscious during this torturous ordeal. In fact,
according to Pike’s own statement, the victim begged and bargained for her life. The
victim tried to run away, but she was restrained by Pike and her co-conspirators.
Pike showed no mercy; instead, she exhibited a total disregard for human life and
human suffering when she committed this unprovoked and unjustified premeditated
murder.
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While Pike had no prior criminal record, her own relatives testified that Pike
previously had been violent, manipulative, and dishonest. Although Pike was young
at the time this offense was committed, only eighteen years old, she is certainly not
the youngest person on death row. See State v. Mann, 959 S.W.2d 503, n. 5 (Tenn.
1997). While Pike is only the second woman to receive a death sentence in
Tennessee, there is absolutely no indication that the jury’s imposition of the death
sentence was motivated by or based upon Pike’s gender. Though the defense
presented proof that Pike suffers from borderline personality disorder, the defense
expert testified that Pike is not insane, but, in fact, is highly intelligent. He admitted
on cross-examination that many of Pike’s actions relating to the killing were
premeditated. Although others were present when the killing occurred and involved
to some degree, the proof reveals that Pike was the leader. In fact, in her statement
to police, Pike described in chilling detail her leading role in this murder. While Pike
cooperated with the authorities by giving a statement and leading them to evidence,
she displayed a stunning lack of remorse for committing this horrific crime. In fact,
Pike laughed and danced around as she boasted to her friends about the killing.
Pike took a piece of the victim’s skull with her as a “souvenir” and displayed this
trophy to her friends when she recounted how the killing occurred. She returned to
the crime scene the day after the murder with a number of other females and giggled
as she asked the police officer questions about the killing. Pike’s total lack of
remorse is also evident from a letter she wrote to her boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp shortly
after the jury had sentenced Pike to death on the first degree conviction. The letter
was introduced at the sentencing hearing on Pike’s conviction for conspiracy to
commit first degree murder, and it is a part of the record in this appeal. In the letter,
Pike complained to Shipp
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Ya see what I get for trying to be nice to the hoe? I went ahead and
bashed her brains out so she’d die quickly instead of letting her bleed
to death and suffer more, and they fuckin FRY me!!! Ain’t that some
shit?
There is also no evidence that Pike has a capacity for rehabilitation. The testimony
of Pike’s own relatives reveals that Pike has refused to abide by the applicable rules
of society since a very young age. Considering the nature of the crime and the
defendant, we conclude that the torturous and cruel murder of this nineteen-year-old
woman places Pike into the class of defendants for whom the death penalty is an
appropriate punishment. Based upon our review, we conclude that the following
cases in which the death penalty has been imposed have many similarities with this
case.
In State v. Owens, 746 S.W.2d 441 (Tenn. 1988), the jury convicted the
defendant Gaile K. Owens for procuring another to kill her husband. The victim was
struck on the head twenty-one times with a tire iron. The blows had driven the
victim’s face into the floor of the den of his home. His skull was crushed and bone
fragments were driven into his brain, as in this case. Also, as in this case, the victim
was alive and conscious during the beating, as was evidenced by extensive injuries
to his hands and strands of hair between his fingers which indicated that he had been
attempting to cover his head with his hands during the beating. Much like this case,
Owens offered proof in mitigation to show that she previously had been treated by
a psychiatrist on one occasion several years earlier for severe behavioral problems.
She also offered testimony to show that she had been a “good prisoner who caused
no problems, volunteered to work, and attended Bible study classes.” Id. at 448.
Also, as in this case, there was no evidence that Owens had a prior criminal record.
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As in this case, the jury sentenced Owens to death upon finding two aggravating
circumstances: (1) that Owens committed the murder for remuneration, or the
promise of remuneration, or employed another to commit the murder for
remuneration, or the promise of remuneration and (2) that the murder was especially
heinous, atrocious, or cruel in that it involved torture or depravity of mind. Tenn.
Code Ann. § 39-2-203(i)(4) and (5) (1982 Repl.).
In State v. Hall, 958 S.W.2d 679 (Tenn. 1997), the twenty-four-year-old
defendant murdered his twenty-two-year-old girlfriend by dousing her with gasoline
and igniting her body as she sat trapped inside her car. As in this case, Hall
exhibited a total disregard for human life and complete indifference to human
suffering. Though Hall claimed, as did the defendant in this case, that he initially
intended only to frighten the victim, Hall admitted that he never offered assistance to
the victim after he realized that her body was completely engulfed by flames. As in
this case, Hall’s victim suffered excruciating pain and suffering. She was alive,
conscious, coherent, and alert as her tongue swelled to the extent that it protruded
from her mouth and her eyelids became inverted. She experienced not only the initial
pain of the burn injuries, but also the pain from the incisions that were part of the
medical treatment for the burns. As in this case, there was no evidence to indicate
that Hall had a prior criminal record, though he admitted to abusing alcohol and
drugs. Also like this case, a defense expert testified that Hall displayed symptoms
of borderline personality disorder, but said Hall was not insane at the time the murder
was committed. The jury sentenced Hall to death upon finding, as in this case, two
aggravating circumstances: (1) the murder was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel
in that it involved torture or serious physical abuse beyond that necessary to produce
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death; and (2) the murder was committed while the defendant was engaged in
commiting or was attempting to commit arson. Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-204(i)(5)
and (7) (1991 Repl.).
In State v. Smith, 868 S.W.2d 561 (Tenn. 1993), the forty-year-old defendant
was found guilty of the triple premeditated murders of his estranged wife, age thirty-
five and her two sons by a previous marriage, age sixteen and thirteen. With respect
to the killing of his two step-sons, the jury found four aggravating circumstances, two
of which were also found in this case: (1) the murder was especially heinous,
atrocious or cruel in that it involved torture or depravity of mind; and (2) the murder
was committed for the purpose of avoiding, interfering with or preventing a lawful
arrest or prosecution of the defendant or another. Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-203(i)(5)
and (6) (1982).5 As did the victim in this case, the two young men murdered by Smith
suffered extremely torturous deaths. The sixteen-year-old victim was shot three
times: in the right shoulder, the upper chest, and on the inside eyebrow. Though the
last two gunshot wounds had been fatal, the evidence showed that prior to his death,
the victim had been stabbed several times in his chest, back, and abdomen with a
knife and an awl. His throat had been slashed, and he had defensive wounds on his
hands. The evidence indicated, as in this case, that the victim had been alive and
conscious when the stab and slash wounds were inflicted. The thirteen-year-old
victim had not been shot. Instead his neck had been slashed, and he had been
stabbed in the chest and abdomen, much like the victim in this case. Two of the
wounds to his abdomen had cut major veins, and his small bowel protruded from his
5
The jury als o fou nd th at the mu rder was com mitte d wh ile the defe nda nt wa s eng age d in
committing a felony and that the defendant committed mass murder. Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-2-
203(i)(7) and (12) (1982).
- 3 6 -
body through these wounds. This victim also had numerous defensive wounds on his
hands. The medical evidence indicated that all of these injuries were inflicted upon
him while he was alive and that he bled to death over a period of several minutes.
In mitigation, Smith, as did the defendant in this case, presented expert psychological
proof that he had personality disorders. The jury sentenced the defendant to death
for each of his three convictions for first degree murder.
In State v. Bush, 942 S.W.2d 489 (Tenn. 1997), the eighteen-year-old
defendant was convicted of the first degree murder of a seventy-nine-year-old widow.
Bush used the victim’s friendship with his grandmother to gain access to her home.
Once inside, Bush, like the defendant in this case, brutally murdered the victim
without any provocation by savagely beating her with a stick and by stabbing her
forty-three times. Like the defendant in this case, Bush later boasted to
acquaintances about the killing, recounting how he had practiced karate on the
victim. Bush, like the defendant in this case, presented proof in mitigation relating to
his youth, troubled childhood, mental disease or defect, and lack of a prior criminal
record. The jury imposed the death penalty upon finding the same two aggravating
circumstances which were found by the jury in this case: (1) the murder was
especially heinous, atrocious or cruel in that it involved torture or serious physical
abuse beyond that necessary to produce death; and (2) the murder was committed
for the purpose of avoiding, interfering with or preventing a lawful arrest or
prosecution of the defendant or another. Tenn. Code Ann. 39-13-204(i)(5) & (i)(6)
(1991 Repl).6
6
Altho ugh the tria l judg e erro neo usly ch arge d the jury in th e lang uag e of th e 198 9 sta tute, in
Bush we held that the error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt, concluding that the proof
established that the murder was heinous, atrocious, or cruel in that it involved torture or depravity of
- 3 7 -
In State v. Mann, 959 S.W.2d 503 (Tenn. 1997), the twenty-two-year-old
defendant was convicted of premeditated first degree murder for the brutal killing of
the victim, a sixty-two year old widow, who lived near him and who had befriended
Mann and his family. Mann chose to burglarize her home because he knew she was
hearing-impaired. When the victim walked out of her bedroom and surprised Mann
in the act of burglarizing her home, he brutally assaulted and murdered her, inflicting
at least forty wounds upon the victim, including fifteen blows to the head, eleven stab
wounds to the chest, and fourteen puncture wounds to her abdomen, all of which
resulted in pain for the victim. In addition, the defendant digitally raped and manually
strangled the victim. As in this case, Mann’s victim was alive and conscious and
calling out her attacker’s name throughout the entire ordeal. The jury imposed the
death penalty upon finding, as in this case, two aggravating circumstances: (1) the
murder was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel in that it involved torture or serious
physical abuse beyond that necessary to produce death; and (2) the murder was
committed while the defendant was engaged in committing a felony, burglary. Tenn.
Code Ann. § 39-13-204 (i)(5) and (7) (1991 Repl.).
In State v. Barber, 753 S.W.2d 659 (Tenn. 1988), the twenty-nine-year-old
defendant was convicted of first degree murder for killing a seventy-five-year-old
woman who lived alone. Barber and his brother had broken into the victim’s home
to rob her. When the victim recognized Barber’s brother, Barber attacked the victim,
repeatedly striking her head with a crescent wrench. She was alive and conscious
during the attack as was evidenced by the defensive wounds on her arms and hands.
mind. Tenn. Co de Ann. § 39-13-203(i)(5) (1977 & 1 982) (Repealed).
- 3 8 -
As mitigation, Barber, like Pike, relied upon his youth. The jury imposed the death
penalty upon finding that the murder was especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel in
that it involved torture or depravity of mind. Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-2-203(i)(5)
(1982).7
In State v. McNish, 727 S.W.2d 490 (Tenn. 1987), the twenty-nine-year-old
defendant was convicted of the first degree murder of a seventy-year-old widow. As
did the defendant in this case, McNish repeatedly struck the victim in the head
fracturing her skull in several places. As in this case, the proof showed that the victim
was alive and conscious during the attack. The jury imposed the death penalty upon
finding one aggravating circumstance: the murder was especially heinous, atrocious,
or cruel in that it involved torture or depravity of mind. Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-2-203
(i) (5) (1982).
In State v. Melson, 638 S.W.2d 342 (Tenn. 1982), the defendant, a farm
foreman, was convicted of first degree murder for killing the farm owner’s wife. As
in this case, the victim’s head was repeatedly beaten with such force that portions of
her skull were embedded into her brain. Trauma to her arms and hands
demonstrated that, like this case, the victim was conscious and attempting to defend
herself during some portion of the ordeal. As in this case, Melson had no prior
record of significant criminal activity. The jury imposed the death penalty upon
finding the same two aggravating circumstances present in this case: (1) the murder
7
The jury also relied upon the felony-murder aggravating circumstance as a basis for
imposition of the death penalty. In Barbe r v. State , 889 S.W .2d 1 85, 1 89-9 0 (T enn . 199 4), this
Court held the jury’s consideration of that aggravating circumstance harmless error beyond a
reason able dou bt.
- 3 9 -
was especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel in that it involved torture or depravity of
mind; and (2) that the murder was committed for the purpose of avoiding, interfering
with or preventing a lawful arrest or prosecution of the defendant or another. Tenn.
Code Ann. § 39-2-203(i)(5) and (6) (1977).
Though no two cases are precisely the same, the above cases have many
similarities with the crime for which Pike has been convicted and sentenced. In all
eight of these cases the victims were savagely beaten with a blunt instrument or
repeatedly stabbed or both. Moreover, in all of these cases, as in the present case,
the victims were conscious and experienced the pain and horror of the attacks.
Likewise, all eight of the defendants were acquainted with the victims as was Pike in
this case. Like Pike, many of these eight defendants relied upon their youth, troubled
childhood, and mental difficulties as mitigation. Three of the eight defendants were
under the age of twenty-five, and Bush, like Pike, was eighteen years old when the
murder for which he was convicted occurred. In all eight cases, the jury found the
(i)(5) aggravating circumstance. In three of the eight cases, the jury found both the
(i)(5) and the (i)(6) aggravating circumstances. After reviewing the many cases
discussed above and many other cases not herein discussed,8 we are of the opinion
that the penalty imposed by the jury in this case is not excessive nor disproportionate
to the penalty imposed for similar crimes.
8
State v. Caughron, 855 S.W .2d 526 ( Tenn . 1993); State v. Ha rris, 839 S.W.2d 54 (Tenn.
1992); State v. Black, 815 S.W .2d 166 ( Tenn . 1991); State v. Payne, 791 S.W .2d 10 (Tenn. 1990);
State v. Jones, 789 S.W .2d 545 ( Tenn . 1990); State v. Miller, 771 S.W .2d 401 ( Tenn . 1989); State
v. Poe, 755 S.W .2d 41 (T enn. 198 8); State v. Johnson, 743 S.W .2d 154 ( Tenn . 1987); State v.
House, 743 S.W.2d 141 (Tenn. 1987). We have also reviewed cases in which the defendant
received a senten ce of life im prisonm ent or life im prisonm ent withou t the poss ibility of parole.
However, in none of those cases did the victims suffer torture and cruelty at the hands of the
defend ant com parable to that inflicted u pon the v ictim in this c ase by this d efenda nt.
- 4 0 -
V.
CONCLUSION
In accordance with the mandate of Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-206(c)(1) (1997
Repl.), and the principles adopted in prior decisions of this Court, we have considered
the entire record in this cause and find that the sentence of death was not imposed
in an arbitrary fashion, that the evidence supports the jury’s finding of the statutory
aggravating circumstances, and the jury’s finding that the aggravating circumstances
outweighed mitigating circumstances beyond a reasonable doubt. Tenn. Code Ann.
§ 39-13-206(c)(1)(A) - (C) (1997 Repl.). We have considered the defendant’s
assignments of error and determined that none require reversal. With respect to
issues not specifically addressed herein, we affirm the decision of the Court of
Criminal Appeals, authored by Judge David H. W elles, and joined in by Judge
Thomas T. Woodall and Senior Judge John K. Byers. Relevant portions of that
opinion are published hereafter as an appendix. The defendant’s sentence of death
by electrocution is affirmed. The sentence shall be carried out as provided by law on
the 5th day of February, 1999, unless otherwise ordered by this Court or other proper
authorities.
_____________________________________
FRANK F. DROWOTA, III,
JUSTICE
Concur:
Anderson, C.J.,
Birch, Holder, Barker, JJ.
- 4 1 -
Appendix
(Excerpts from the Court of Criminal Appeals’ Decision)
IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OF TENNESSEE
AT KNOXVILLE
JULY SESSION, 1997
STATE OF TENNESSEE, ) C.C.A. NO. 03C01-9611-CR-00408
)
Appellee, )
)
) KNOX COUNTY
VS. )
) HON. MARY BETH LEIBOWITZ
CHRISTA GAIL PIKE, ) JUDGE
)
Appe llant. ) (First Degree M urder-Dea th Penalty)
ON APPEAL FROM THE JUDGMENT OF THE
CRIMINAL COURT OF KNOX COUNTY
FOR THE APPELLANT: FOR THE APPELLEE:
WILLIAM C. TALMAN JOHN KNOX WALKUP
P.O. Box 506 Attorney General and Reporter
Knoxville, TN 37901-0506
KATHY MORANTE
JULIE A. MAR TIN Assistant Attorney General
P.O. Box 426 425 5th Avenu e North
Knoxville, TN 37901-0426 Nashville, TN 37243
RANDALL E. NICHOLS
District Attorney General
WILLIAM CRABTREE
S. JO HELM
Assistant District Attorneys General
City-County Building
Knoxville, TN 37902
OPINION FILED: November 26, 1997
- 4 3 -
AFFIRMED
DAVID H. WELLES, JUDGE
- 4 4 -
OPINION
Change of Venue
The Defendant argues that the trial court erred by failing to grant her
motion for a change of venue. She maintains that a majority of prospective jurors
admitted that they had he ard detailed in formatio n abou t the case . The Defendant
cites the United States Supreme Court decision in Irvin v. Dowd, 366 U.S. 717,
81 S. Ct. 1639, 6 L. Ed. 2d 751 (1961), in support of the proposition that a change
of venue should be granted if extensive pretrial publicity was su ch that the cou rt
shou ld presume the jury is tainted even if prospective jurors stated that th ey
would be able to set aside what they had seen or heard.
Howeve r, in Dowd, jury selection lasted more than four weeks. Also the
Supreme Cour t spec ifically stated that due to “swift, widespread and diverse
methods of communication,” it is not required that juro rs be to tally ignorant of the
facts and issues involved. 366 U.S. at 722, 81 S.Ct. at 1642. The court also
stated that “[i]t is sufficient if the juror can lay aside his impression or opinion and
render a verdict based on the evidence presented in court.” 366 U.S. at 723, 81
S.Ct. at 1643. In Dowd, the pa nel consisted of 430 p erson s. The court its elf
excused 268 of those persons due to their fixed opinions of guilt, and 1 03 were
excused becau se of their c onscien tious obje ction to the death penalty. 366 U.S.
at 727, 81 S.Ct. at 1645 . The voir dire record indicated that 370 of the
prospective jurors entertained som e opinion as to g uilt, ranging from m ere
suspicion to absolute certa inty. Of the twelve jurors selected, eight thought the
Defen dant wa s guilty. Id.
- 4 5 -
In the present case, although many potential jurors had indicated that they
had heard something about the case in the media, every juror who said he or she
was familiar with the case said that he or she could disregard the reports and
render an im partial decision. All potential jurors who said they could not
disregard the repo rts were e xcused for cause . The Defendant has cited no
specific response from any seated juror that was troublesome.
Excusal of Juro rs
The Defendant asserts that the trial court impanelled a jury that was pro-
death penalty and improperly excused for cause those prospective jurors that
indicated that they w ere opp osed to the dea th pena lty. The D efenda nt sugg ests
that the trial court erred in denying her proposal that a “don ’t ask, don ’t tell,”
procedure be used whereby jurors would not be required to tell the court about
their personal fee lings about the d eath pena lty.
In Wainwright v. Witt, 469 U.S. 412, 424, 105 S. Ct. 844, 852, 83 L. Ed. 2d
841 (1985 ), the United State Suprem e Court reaffirm ed as the pro per standard
for determining when a prospective juror may be excluded for cause because of
his or her views on capital punishment the test of “whether the juror’s views would
‘prevent or substantially impair the pe rform ance of his du ties as a juror in
accordance with his instructions and his oath.’” In State v. Alley, 776 S.W.2d
506, 518 (T enn. 19 89), cert. denied, 493 U.S. 1037, 110 S.C t. 758 (1990), the
Tennessee Supreme Court held that “the trial court’s finding of the bias of a juror
- 4 6 -
because of his views of capital punishment shall be accorded a presumption of
correctness and the burden shall rest upon the Defendant to establish by
convinc ing eviden ce that tha t determ ination wa s errone ous.”
The Defenda nt notes that in the pre sent case the trial court examined
prospective jurors extensively regarding their thoughts about the dea th pena lty
and allowed counsel to examine those who indicated that they had a problem
with the de ath pe nalty in an effort to rehabilitate them. The Defendant cites no
prospective juror who was excluded that should not have been. Applying the
standard as set forth in Alley, the Defendant has failed to establish by convincing
evidenc e that the c ourt’s actio ns were erroneo us. This issue is with out me rit.
Use of the Skull as Evidence
The Defendant next complains that pursuant to Rule 403 of the Tennessee
Rules of Evidence, the skull of the victim should have been excluded because its
probative value was substantially outweighed by its prejudicial effect. The
Defendant asserts that the skull was also cum ulative evide nce be cause prior to
its admission, numerous photographs of the skull were admitted to show the
damage to the victim’s head.
The State argues that the introduction of the skull was an important portion
of the medical testimony. The medical examiner testified that she had sent the
skull to a fore nsic an thropo logist to be rec onstru cted b ecau se sh e cou ld not te ll
exactly what had happened without the reconstruction. The skull was used by
- 4 7 -
the medical examiner to show the amount of force that was applied to it, as w ell
as the w eapon that was u sed. Pie ces of as phalt we re emb edded in the sku ll.
In this case, the skull had been thoroughly cleansed and was no more
prejudicial or gruesome than a model diagram would have been. Dr. Elkins, the
medical exam iner, tes tified tha t the rec onstru cted s kull would illustrate to the jury
what had occu rred to the victim and demon strate the amount of force that was
applied as well as the type of weap on use d to inflict the head injuries . Ther e is
no question that the nature and type of injuries sustained by the deceased and
the manne r in which death o ccurred we re relevant cons iderations by the jury.
Moreover, the sk ull was used to illustrate that the piece of skull found in the
Defe ndan t’s jacket fit perfectly into the reconstructed skull. The skull was,
therefore, highly relevant in establishing the circumstances surrounding the
offense . See State v. Cazes, 875 S.W .2d 253 , 263 (T enn. 19 94); cert. denied,
115 S. Ct. 74 3, 130 L .Ed2d 6 44 (199 5); State v. Morris, 641 S.W.2d 883, 888
(Tenn . 1982). T his issue is without m erit.
Cruel and Unusual Punishment
The Defendant contends that the punishment imposed upon her, dea th by
electrocution, is cruel and unusual punishment under the state and federal
constitutions. However, this issue has been previously decided by the
Tennessee Supre me C ourt and determined to be witho ut merit. See State v.
Cazes, 875 S.W .2d 253 (Tenn . 1994); State v. How ell, 868 S.W.2d 238 (Tenn.
1993); State v. Black, 815 S.W .2d 166 (Te nn. 1991).
- 4 8 -
Peremptory Challenges
The Defendant contends that at the time of the offens e, the ru les in effect
gave the Defendant fifteen (15) peremptory challenges compared to the State’s
eight. See Rule 24(d), Tenn. R. Crim. P. (1995). However, at the time of trial, the
rules had been changed to give an equal number of peremptory challen ges to
both the Defendant and the State. See Rule 24 (d), Ten n. R. Crim . P. (1996 ).
The Defendant argues that application of the new rule violated the ex pos t facto
provision of the Tennessee Constitution which requires that rules not be applied
to events which oc curred p rior to their en actme nt.
The term "ex post facto" as used in Article I, § 10, cl. 1, of the U.S.
Constitution, provides that "[n]o state shall ... pass any ... ex post facto law." The
Tennessee Cons titution's ex pos t facto p rohibitio n found in Article I, § 11,
provides:
That laws m ade for th e punish ment o f acts comm itted previous to the
existence of such laws, and by them only declared criminal a re contra ry to
the principles of a free Government; wherefore no Ex post facto la w sha ll
be ma de.
Two critical elements must be present for a law to fall within the prohibition.
First, it "must be retrospective, that is, it must apply to even ts occurring befo re
its enactment"; and second, "it mu st disadvantag e the offender a ffected by it."
Miller v. Florida, 482 U.S. 423, 430, 107 S. Ct. 2446, 2451, 96 L. Ed. 2d 351 (1987)
(quoting We aver v. Graham , 450 U.S. 24, 29, 101 S. Ct. 960, 964, 67 L. Ed. 2d 17- 4 9 -
(1981)); State v. Ricci, 914 S.W.2d 475, 480 (Tenn. 1996). Furthermore,
Tenn essee Code Annota ted sectio n 39-11 -112 pro vides that:
whenever any penal statute or penal legislative act of the state is repealed
or amended by a subsequent legislative act, any offense, as defined by the
statute or act being repeale d or am ended , comm itted while su ch statute or
act was in full force an effect shall be prosecuted under the act or statute
in effect at the time of the commission of the offense.
Yet, the United States Supreme Court has held that laws which change a
rule of evidence, but which do not increase th e punishment nor change the
eleme nts of the offense or the ultimate fa cts nece ssary to estab lish gu ilt, but on ly
remove existing restrictions on the competency of certain classes of evidence or
of person s as witne sses do not cons titute ex pos t facto laws . State v. Bragan,
920 S.W.2d 227, 241 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1995) (citations omitted). In Dobbe rt v.
Florida, 432 U.S. 282, 293, 97 S. Ct. 2290, 53 L. Ed. 2d 344 (1977), the Supreme
Court held that the pro hibition of ex post facto law s does no t extend to every
change of law that "may work to the disadvantage of a defe ndan t." Instea d, it is
intended to secure "sub stantive personal rights" from retroactive deprivation and
does not "limit the legislative control of remedies and modes of procedure which
do not affect matter s of subs tance." Id. Thus, laws which change rules of
procedure but which do not affect any substantial right of a defendant are not ex
post facto laws.
Here, it is apparen t that the trial court applied a procedural rule that had
been amended after the commission of the crimes in question. The Defendant
also claims that the right to a fair and impa rtial jury was impaired by the increase
- 5 0 -
in peremptory challenges for the State. However, the Defendant has not
proffered any evidence that the jury, as it was composed by the State’s using the
additional peremptory challenges, prevented her from re ceiving a fair trial.
Absent proof that the Defendant was disadvantaged or that a substantive right
was impaired by the amended procedural rule, we cannot conclude that an ex
post facto violation oc curred. T his issue is without m erit.
Sentencing on the Conspiracy Conviction
The Defendant argues that the trial court erred in sentencing the Defendant
to a consecutive sentence of twenty-five (25) years for the conviction of
conspiracy to com mit first-deg ree mu rder. The Defendant complains that the trial
court inappropriately used the aggravating circumstance that the crime was
espe cially cruel to sentence her to the maximum sentence. She further
complains that the trial court erred in determining that she was a dangerous
offender and ordering her to serve the sentence consecutively to the dea th
sentence.
When an accused challenges the length, range, or the manner of service
of a sen tence , this court has a duty to conduct a de novo review of the sentence
with a presumption that the determinations made by the trial court are correct.
Tenn. Code Ann. § 4 0-35-40 1(d). Th is presum ption is “co nditioned upon the
affirmative showing in the record that the trial court considered the sentencing
principles and all relevant facts and circum stances.” State v. Ashby, 823 S.W.2d
166, 169 (T enn. 1991 ).
- 5 1 -
In conducting a de novo review of a sentence, this court must consider: (a)
the eviden ce, if any, received at the trial and the sentencing hearing; (b) the
presentence report; (c) the principles of senten cing and argum ents as to
sentencing alternatives; (d) the nature and characteristics of the criminal conduct
involved; (e) any statutory mitigating or enhancement factors; (f) any statement
that the De fenda nt ma de on his ow n beh alf; and (g) the p otentia l or lack of
potential for rehab ilitation or treatm ent. Tenn. Code Ann. § § 40-35-102, 1-103,
and -21 0; see State v. S mith, 735 S.W .2d 859, 863 (Tenn. Crim . App. 1987 ).
If our review reflects that the trial court followed the statutory sentencing
procedure, imposed a lawful sentence after having given due consideration and
proper weight to the factors and principles set out under the sentencing law, and
that the trial court’s findings are adequately supported by the record, then we may
not modify the sente nce eve n if we wo uld have preferred a different re sult. State
v. Fletcher, 805 S.W .2d 785, 789 (Tenn. Crim . App. 1991 ).
At the sentencing hearing, the State called as its only witness Officer
Deb bie Wa de, a Co rrections O fficer with the Knox Coun ty Sheriff’s D epartm ent.
She testified that on the da y the Defend ant was sen tenced to die, sh e gave
Officer Wade a letter and requested that it be pa ssed to h er co-D efenda nt,
Tadaryl Shipp. Officer Wade gave the letter to her lieutenant and was told not
to pass it to M r. Shipp. The letter was introduced into evidence and read as
follows:
Tad aryl, hey, love, I just wanted you to know how
much I love you. I have ten months to live. Imagine
that. I would spend every moment w ith you if I could,
- 5 2 -
baby. I want to tell you to tell them you lied in your
statement and go along with mine. Do you have a
copy of mine? If not, I’ll give you one . Okay? I love
you big bunche s, baby, and no matter what they do to
me they can ’t change what’s in m y heart. Ple ase write
me. I miss you so much. You see what I get for trying
to be nice to that hoe. I went ahead and bashed her
brains out so she would die quickly instead of letting
her bleed to death and suffer more and they fuckin
FRY me. A in’t that some shit. Please write and tell me
what you’re feeling . Bake r said h e wou ld give you
some pape r and s hit while you are o ut there. Also te ll
your lawyer if he wa nts m e to I’ll testify, testify for you,
I will. Love you for the res t of my life . Little de vil.
The trial court classified the Defen dant as a Ran ge I, standard offender on
the conviction for conspiracy to co mmit first degree murder. T he trial court also
considered several enhancement and mitigating factors in setting the sentence
above the minim um pre sump tive senten ce of fifteen (15) years. First, the trial
court applied enhancement factor number (2), that “[t]he Defendant was a leader
in the commission of an offense involving two (2) or more criminal actors.” Tenn.
Code Ann. § 40-35-114(2). The trial judge then stated that factor number (5 ),
that “[t]he Defendant treated or allowed a victim to be treated with exceptional
cruelty during the commission of the offens e,” wou ld not b e relied upon heavily
because it had already been used in sentencing the Defendant to death on the
other count. Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-35-114(5). Factor numb er (7), that “[t]he
offense involved a victim an d was c omm itted to gratify the Defendant’s desire for
pleasure and excitement,” factor number (9), that “[t]he Defendant possessed or
employed a firearm, explosive device or other deadly weapon during the
commission of the offense,” and factor numb er (10), that “[t]he Defendant had no
hesitation about committing a crime when the risk to human life was high,” were
- 5 3 -
also found to b e applica ble. Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 40-35 -114 (7),(9), and (10 ).
The trial court found that no mitigating factors were applicable.
W e find error with only one of the trial court’s applications of enhancement
factors. The trial judge held that the Defendant had no hesitation about
committing a crime when the risk to human life was high. Tenn. Code Ann. §
40-35-114 (10). W e believe that the court im prope rly app lied this enhancement
factor. Enhancement factor (10) refers to the defendant having "no hesitation
about comm itting a crime when the risk to human life is high." This Court has
previo usly recognized that factors which are inherent in a particular offense, even
if not designated as an elem ent, sh ould n ot be g iven su bstan tive weig ht in
increa sing a sentenc e. See, e.g., State v. S cott, 735 S.W.2d 825, 830 (Tenn.
Crim. App. 1987). We conclude that the risk to human life is inherent in the
grading of the offense of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. According
to Tennessee Code Annotated section 39-12-107, “conspiracy is an offense one
(1) classific ation lo wer than the most serious offense that is the object of the
consp iracy.” First-degree murd er is classified as a ca pital offense, therefore
conspiracy to commit first-degree murder is a Class A felony, a class reserved
for only the m ost seriou s offense s.
Moreover, the indictment contains allegations in support of the element of
conspiracy that an overt act be taken, that the Defendant and two others left the
Job Corp s cen ter, took the victim to an isolated location and attacked her with a
box cutter. Not only is the risk to human life inherent in the offense, in the case
sub judice, high risk acts were included in the indictmen t as charged in support
- 5 4 -
of an elem ent of the c rime. See Tenn. Code Ann. § 39 -12-103(a), (d).
Enhancement factors may be applied “if not themselves essential elements of the
offense as cha rged in the indictmen t.” Tenn . Code Ann. § 4 0-35-11 4. For bo th
of these reaso ns, we conc lude that enha nceme nt factor should not have been
applied.
The eviden ce pro duce d at trial, including the Defe ndant’s o wn state ment,
and the letter introduced at the sentencing hearing would certainly support the
factor that she was a leader in the commission of the offense. The statement of
the Defendant, the testimony concerning her recounting of the incident to others,
the fact that she carried a piece of the victim’s skull as a souvenir, and her return
to the scene w ere evidence of her desire for excitement and pleasure. Again, by
her own statement, the Defendant admitted carrying a deadly weapon.
Although we disagree with the trial court’s finding that the Defendant’s age
and lack of a significant history of prior criminal ac tivities we re not a pplica ble
mitigating factors, we cannot conclude that the trial court erred in sentencing the
Defendant to the maxim um se ntence of twenty-five (25) years . Clearly, when the
applic able enhan cing facto rs are we ighed a gainst the mitigating factors, the
record supports the trial court’s sentence.
The trial court found that consecutive sentences were warranted because
the Defendant is a dangerous offender whose behavior indicates little or no
regard for hum an life and had no hesitation about committing a crime in which the
risk to human life was high. See State v. Wilkerson, 905 S.W.2d 933, 937-39
- 5 5 -
(Tenn. 1995). Again, given the circumstances surrounding this offense,
especially the heinous nature of the crime and the fact that the Defendant
showed no remorse, we conclude that the Defendant met the criteria for
consecu tive sentencing and the trial court did not abuse her discretion in ordering
such. T he sen tencing is sues ra ised by the Defen dant are without m erit.
CONCLUSION
Upon careful review of the record, we conclude that the Defendant has
offered no grounds that warrant relief from her convictions of premeditated first
degree murder and conspiracy to commit first degree murder. Moreover, we
conclude that the Defendant has failed to establish any ground warranting relief
from the sentence of death and the consecutive sentence of twenty-five (25)
years.
Therefore, after a thorough review of the issues and the record before us
as mandated by Tennessee Code A nnotated se ction 39-13-20 6(b) and (c), and
for the reasons stated herein, we affirm th e app ellant’s senten ce of dea th. W e
conclude that the sentence was not imposed in an arbitrary fashion, the evidence
supports the jury’s finding of the aggravating circumstances, and the evidence
suppo rts the jury’s finding that the aggravating circumstances outweigh any
mitigating circumstances. Moreover, a comparative proportionality review,
considering both the c ircums tances of the crim e and th e nature of the app ellant,
convinces us that the sentence of death is n either exc essive no r disprop ortionate
to the penalty imposed in similar cases.
- 5 6 -
Accordingly, the judgment of the trial court is affirmed.
- 5 7 -