State of Tennessee v. Steven Rollins - Concurring and Dissenting

Opinion

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF TENNESSEE AT KNOXVILLE

January 4, 2006 Session

STATE OF TENNESSEE v. STEVEN JAMES ROLLINS

Direct Appeal from the Court of Criminal Appeals Criminal Court for Sullivan County No. S45,685 R. Jerry Beck, Judge

No. E2003-01811-SC-DDT-DD - Filed March 16, 2006

ADOLPHO A. BIRCH, JR., J., concurring in part and dissenting in part.

I concur in the conclusion of the majority that Rollins’ convictions should be affirmed. As to the sentence of death, however, I respectfully dissent. I continue to adhere to my view that the comparative proportionality review protocol currently embraced by the majority is inadequate to shield defendants from the arbitrary and disproportionate imposition of the death penalty. See State v. Reid, 164 S.W.3d 286, 323-325 (Tenn. 2005)(Birch, J., concurring and dissenting), and cases cited therein. Accordingly, I respectfully dissent from that portion of the majority opinion affirming the imposition of the death penalty in this case.

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ADOLPHO A. BIRCH, JR.