State v. Roe

535 N.E.2d 1351, 41 Ohio St. 3d 18, 1989 Ohio LEXIS 17
CourtOhio Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 22, 1989
DocketNo. 87-1879
StatusPublished
Cited by220 cases

This text of 535 N.E.2d 1351 (State v. Roe) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Roe, 535 N.E.2d 1351, 41 Ohio St. 3d 18, 1989 Ohio LEXIS 17 (Ohio 1989).

Opinion

Per Curiam.

In appealing his convictions, and his sentence for aggravated murder, appellant raises thirty-nine propositions of law. For the reasons discussed below, we affirm the judgment of the court of appeals in all respects and uphold appellant’s sentence of death.

I

In propositions of law one through five, appellant raises challenges to the constitutionality of various portions of Ohio’s death penalty statutes, each of which arguments — save one — has been considered and rejected in several of our prior cases: State v. Jenkins (1984), 15 Ohio St. 3d 164, 15 OBR 311, 473 N.E. 2d 264; State v. Maurer (1984), 15 Ohio St. 3d 239, 15 OBR 379, 473 N.E. 2d 768; State v. Buell (1986), 22 Ohio St. 3d 124, 136, 139-141, 22 OBR 203, 213, 216-218, 489 N.E. 2d 795, 806, 809-810; State v. Zuern (1987), 32 Ohio St. 3d 56, 63-64, 512 N.E. 2d 585, 592-593. In his third proposition of law, appellant, inter alia, argues that the death penalty statutes impermissibly fail to require the jury to consider “doubt as to the defendant’s guilt” as a mitigating factor pursuant to R.C. 2929.04(B). However, a review of the charge to the sentencing jury discloses no instruction specifically prohibiting the consideration of this factor, which, of course, could have been considered in the “catchall” provision of R.C. 2929.04(B)(7). Furthermore, appellant made no request at trial for specific instructions requiring consideration of this factor. Appellant’s argument is thus without merit.

II

In his sixth proposition of law, appellant argues that the kidnapping specification fails to genuinely narrow the class of aggravated murderers eligible for death, because the elements of kidnapping are inherent in any aggravated murder. This argument has been rejected on similar facts in Jenkins, supra, at 194-198, 15 OBR at 337-340, 473 N.E. 2d at 292-295; Maurer, supra, at 242-243, 15 OBR at 381-383, 473 N.E. 2d at 774-775; and Buell, supra, at 141-142, 22 OBR at 218, 489 N.E. 2d at 810-811.

III

In proposition of law number seven, appellant challenges the trial court’s denial of his motion for an expert witness to investigate: (1) whether the jury array represented a fair cross-section of the community; and (2) Franklin County’s practice of compiling the annual jury list by taking names at random from a list of registered voters. His arguments are [21]*21not well-taken. Appellant failed to establish that such expert services were reasonably necessary pursuant to R.C. 2929.024, due to the availability of alternate devices that would fulfill the same function as the expert witness, such as census data and the individual demographic information contained in the juror questionnaires provided appellant. See Jenkins, supra, at 193, 15 OBR at 335-336, 473 N.E. 2d at 291. In addition, the use of voter registration lists to select qualified jurors has consistently been upheld by this court. See State v. Esparza (1988), 39 Ohio St. 3d 8, 13, 529 N.E. 2d 192, 197-198, and cases cited therein.

IV

In his eighth, ninth and tenth propositions of law, appellant questions the jury selection process. First, appellant contends that two veniremen were improperly excluded for cause on the grounds of their beliefs concerning capital punishment. The record reveals, however, that both prospective jurors were properly excluded under the standard set forth in Wainwright v. Witt (1985), 469 U.S. 412, which standard this court embraced in State v. Rogers (1985), 17 Ohio St. 3d 174, 178, 17 OBR 414, 417, 478 N.E. 2d 984, 989 (Rogers I), vacated on other grounds (1987), 32 Ohio St. 3d 70, 512 N.E. 2d 581. R.C. 2945.25(C)1 does not impose a higher standard than that set forth in Witt.

Second, appellant states that juror Kathleen Hill should have been excluded for cause because she indicated that she was strongly in favor of capital punishment and would not be able to follow the law on mitigating factors as instructed to her. However, even assuming it was error not to exclude this juror for cause, the record reveals that appellant did not exhaust his peremptory challenges and could have thus removed juror Hill himself, without cause. Most important, juror Hill did not finally sit as a juror in this case, and thus we cannot find a denial of appellant’s right to a fair and impartial jury.

Finally, appellant argues that the state’s use of peremptory challenges to excuse five black prospective jurors denied him the right to a jury drawn from a fair cross-section of the community. This argument is without merit, as the fair cross-section requirement of Taylor v. Louisiana (1975), 419 U.S. 522, has never been applicable to the petit jury’s composition, as to do so “would be unworkable and unsound.” Lockhart v. McCree (1986), 476 U.S. 162, 174. In any event, appellant’s argument is specious, given that four of the final twelve petit jurors were black, as were two of the four alternates, and the population of Franklin County at the time of trial was approximately thirteen percent black.

V

In his eleventh, twelfth and thir[22]*22teenth propositions of law, appellant argues that his statements to law enforcement authorities while in custody in Greene County should have been suppressed, as such statements were obtained in violation of his privilege against self-incrimination and his right to counsel, as guaranteed by the federal and state Constitutions. It is undisputed that detectives from Beaver-creek, Ohio, and Columbus, Ohio, spoke with appellant on seven occasions, beginning on November 6, 1984. At all but the initial interview, appellant was not advised of his Miranda rights. However, the protections of Miranda attach only where the appellant is subject to custodial interrogation. Interrogation occurs “whenever a person in custody is subjected to either express questioning or its functional equivalent * * * [or] * * * any words or actions on the part of the police that the police * * * should know are reasonably likely to elicit an incriminating response. ’’ Rhode Island v. Innis (1980), 446 U.S. 291, 300-301. Except for the initial interrogation concerning the breaking and entering of the Radio Shack store, the remaining six discussions were initiated at the behest of appellant, who desired to trade his information regarding the Crawford case for favorable disposition of the breaking and entering charges. Appellant did not become a suspect in the Crawford case until November 23, 1984, which was three days after the last challenged “interrogation” by police. Since appellant was not subject to custodial interrogation, he was not entitled to Miranda warnings. Appellant’s eleventh proposition of law is without merit.

Similarly, although appellant’s right to counsel may have attached as to the breaking and entering charges, his right to counsel as to the Crawford case had not. All of the challenged statements here were made prior to appellant becoming a suspect, and obviously before the initiation of formal charges, when the right to counsel attaches.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
535 N.E.2d 1351, 41 Ohio St. 3d 18, 1989 Ohio LEXIS 17, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-roe-ohio-1989.