Azania v. State

730 N.E.2d 646, 2000 Ind. LEXIS 533, 2000 WL 727007
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedJune 6, 2000
Docket02S00-8808-PC-751
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 730 N.E.2d 646 (Azania v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Azania v. State, 730 N.E.2d 646, 2000 Ind. LEXIS 533, 2000 WL 727007 (Ind. 2000).

Opinions

DICKSON, Justice

The defendant-appellant, Zolo Agona Azania, formerly known as Rufus Lee Av-erhart, and two co-defendants were convicted of murder1 and felony murder2 for killing Gary police officer George Yaros during a robbery of the Gary National Bank on August 11, 1981. The jury recommended a death sentence. Treating the two convictions as a single offense, the trial court sentenced the defendant to death. On direct appeal, this Court affirmed the defendant’s sentence. Averhart v. State, 470 N.E.2d 666 (Ind.1984). In 1993, on appeal from the denial of post-conviction relief, we reversed based on the ineffective assistance of trial counsel in the penalty phase and the failure of the prosecution to provide gunshot residue test results to the defense. We remanded for either the imposition of sentence for a term of years or á new penalty phase trial and sentencing proceeding. Averhart v. State, 614 N.E.2d 924 (Ind.1993).

On remand, a jury again recommended death, and the trial court entered judgment ordering the death sentence. Upon receipt of the defendant’s appeal, this Court remanded and directed the trial court to enter an amended sentencing order. Following trial court’s entry of the revised order, the defendant submitted his supplemental brief. This appeal now presents the following issues: (1) denial of the defendant’s motion to dismiss; (2) admission of character evidence; (3) presentation of false testimony at the guilt phase trial; (4) adequacy of the sentencing order; (5) refusal to admit the State’s closing argument as substantive evidence; (6) communications between the bailiff and the jury; and (7) non-disclosure of exculpatory evidence.

Motion to Dismiss

The defendant contends that the trial court erred in summarily denying his motion to dismiss the death penalty proceeding on grounds of procedural irregularity. The defendant was initially charged by information, but the prosecutor dismissed the information and filed an indictment after the grand jury subsequently returned an indictment including two counts with' identical substantive allegations as the information, plus two counts seeking the death penalty. On February 12, 1982, the defendant moved to dismiss the indictment alleging defective grand jury proceedings by reason of certain evidence presented. Averhart, 470 N.E.2d at 677. The motion was denied, and the issue was raised and addressed in the defendant’s first direct appeal. Id. at 677-79. After we remanded the case for a new penalty phase and sentence determination, the defendant filed another, motion to dismiss challenging the indictment upon which the first penalty phase and sentencing proceedings had been based. In the present appeal, the defendant challenges the denial of this second motion to dismiss that was filed after the conclusion of the first direct appeal and after his appeal from the denial of post-conviction relief.

In the- second motion to dismiss, and now in this appeal, the defendant argues that the grand jury lacked the power to initiate the death penalty proceedings by indictment. . He contends that a grand jury may only indict for “an offense” and that the death penalty is not “an offense.” [649]*649He claims that the indictment was thus a nullity and that his motion to dismiss the indictment should have been granted. The defendant did not challenge the legal authority of the grand jury to commence the death penalty proceedings in his original trial, his first direct appeal, his petition for post-conviction relief, or his appeal from the denial of post-conviction relief.

Upon motion of the defendant, a court may dismiss an indictment based upon one of several enumerated grounds or “any other ground that is a basis for dismissal as a matter of law.” Ind.Code § 35 — 34—1—4(a)(ll). A motion under subdivision (a)(ll) may be made at any time before or during trial, Ind.Code § 35-34-l-4(b)(2). Upon a motion to dismiss, a defendant should raise every ground upon which he intends to challenge an indictment, Ind.Code § 35 — 34—1—4(c); however, “in the interest of justice and for good cause shown,” the court may entertain and dispose of such a motion on the merits, Ind.Code § 35-34-l-4(c). Although this was a second motion to dismiss the indictment, it was filed before- the retrial after remand from this Court. Because of the unique procedural posture of this capital sentencing proceeding, we find that the interest of justice and good cause requirements are satisfied and address the defendant's motion on the merits.

The indictment issued by the grand jury was denominated in four counts. Count I charged the offense of murder. Count II charged the offense of felony murder. Count III sought a death sentence and alleged the aggravating circumstance of intentional killing while committing or attempting to commit robbery. Count IV sought a death sentence and alleged the aggravating circumstance that the victim was a law enforcement officer acting in the course of his duty.

To support his argument that his death penalty is based on an invalid indictment, the defendant cites Owens v. State, 659 N.E.2d 466 (Ind.1995), in which we observed: “Without deciding the question, we express here our doubt that the State has the authority to seek an indictment for a ‘violation’ of Indiana Code § 35-50-2-9, our death penalty statute.” Id. at 472. Our concern in Oivens arose from statutory language authorizing grand juries to deliberate and to issue an indictment alleging the commission of criminal offenses. In Owens, the grand jury was not asked to consider whether to issue an indictment charging a criminal offense. Rather, the prosecutor only presented to the grand jury the issue of whether to seek the death penalty in. the pending case. In the present case, however, the grand jury issued an indictment charging two criminal offenses as well as issuing a request for the death penalty. The additional pages identified as counts III and IV of the indictment complied with the established statutory procedure.3 Although each of the four counts was drafted on preprinted grand jury forms with preliminary language containing the word “indictment,” we decline to elevate form over substance. The four counts comprised a single indictment, with counts I and II each charging a criminal offense and with counts III and IV separately presenting grounds for seeking the death penalty.

In addition, as pointed out by the State, the defendant’s assertion that statutory language authorizing an indictment for an “offense” precludes a grand jury from seeking the death penalty by indictment would likewise preclude the State from seeking the death penalty by information. Applicable statutory provisions provide: “Any crime may be charged by indictment or information”;4 “The indictment or information shall be in writing and allege the [650]*650commission of an offense .... ”;5

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Bluebook (online)
730 N.E.2d 646, 2000 Ind. LEXIS 533, 2000 WL 727007, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/azania-v-state-ind-2000.