State v. Tucker

845 P.2d 904, 315 Or. 321, 1993 Ore. LEXIS 7
Oregon Supreme Court·Decided February 11, 1993·No. CC 87P-3440; SC S35724·Published·Cited by 91 cases

Opinions

[323] GRABER, J.

A jury convicted defendant of ten counts of aggravated murder, ORS 163.095,1 for the deaths of Barbara and Robert Farmer. The jury also convicted defendant of two counts of robbery in the first degree, ORS 164.415,2 and one [324] count of burglary in the first degree, ORS 164.225,3 arising out of the same criminal episode.

After the jury answered in the affirmative the penalty-phase questions submitted to it in accordance with ORS 163.150(l)(b) (1987),4 the trial court merged the five aggravated murder counts relating to the murder of Barbara Farmer into one count, did the same for the five aggravated murder counts relating to the murder of Robert Farmer,5 entered judgments of conviction, and sentenced defendant to death on those two counts, as provided in ORS 163.150(l)(e) (1987).6 The court sentenced defendant to separate terms of [325] imprisonment on the two robbery counts and the burglary count and ordered that the sentences imposed for those counts run consecutively.

The case is before this court on automatic and direct review under ORS 163.150(l)(f) (1987).7 We affirm the convictions for aggravated murder, vacate the sentences for robbery in the first degree and burglary in the first degree, vacate the sentences of death, and remand the case to the circuit court for further proceedings.

SUMMARY OF FACTS

Because the jury found defendant guilty, we view the evidence in the light most favorable to the state. State v. Stevens, 311 Or 119, 121, 806 P2d 92 (1991). On the afternoon of October 23, 1987, defendant and his accomplice, Bryan Mikesell, drove defendant’s pick-up truck to an orchard near the Farmers’ home in Rickreall. Defendant and Mikesell waited in the orchard until dark and then approached the house. Defendant entered the house through the back door, armed with a handgun that he had brought with him.

Inside the house, defendant observed Robert Farmer in bed in one of the bedrooms, playing cards, and Barbara Farmer in another bedroom, watching television. Defendant entered the bedrooms in turn and shot each of the victims once in the head. Defendant and Mikesell then removed various items of the victims’ personal property from the house and placed those items in the victims’ car and in defendant’s pick-up. They drove both vehicles to defendant’s apartment and unloaded some of the items. At that time, defendant described the killings to his girlfriend, with whom he shared the apartment.

[326] Later, defendant, his girlfriend, and Mikesell drove the victims’ car and defendant’s pick-up to another location, transferred most of the remaining items into defendant’s pickup, and abandoned the victims’ car. In the following weeks, defendant mentioned the murders to his girlfriend almost daily and asked her to buy newspapers containing coverage of them. Defendant also threatened to kill her if she told anyone about the murders.

On December 2, 1987, defendant’s girlfriend told police about defendant’s participation in the murders and allowed police to search the apartment where she and defendant lived. Later that day, defendant was arrested. While defendant was being held in the Polk County Jail, he had conversations about the murders with other inmates.

On appeal, defendant raises numerous assignments of error. Most of them relate to the penalty phase of the trial. We will combine our discussion of assignments of error that present similar questions.

GUILT-PHASE ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR

Pre-Trial Motions

Defendant contends that it was error under ORS 135.405 and 135.415, Article I, section 20, of the Oregon Constitution,8 and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States9 for the trial court to deny his pre-trial motion to compel the state to offer him the same plea agreement opportunity as was afforded to his accomplice and codefendant, Mikesell. We address defendant’s statutory claim first. See State v. Kennedy, 295 Or 260, 262, 666 P2d 1316 (1983) (court decides questions of state law before reaching constitutional issues).

[327] ORS 135.405(4) states that “[similarly situated defendants should be afforded equal plea agreement opportunities.” ORS 135.415 sets forth non-exclusive criteria that a district attorney may consider in deciding whether to engage in plea discussions with a defendant. See State v. McDonnell, 313 Or 478, 492, 837 P2d 941 (1992) (in deciding whether to extend to a defendant an opportunity to negotiate a plea agreement, the district attorney is not limited to consideration of factors enumerated in ORS 135.415). This court reviews whether a defendant was improperly denied a plea offer for an error of law. Id. at 484.

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State v. Tucker, 845 P.2d 904, 315 Or. 321, 1993 Ore. LEXIS 7 (Or. 1993).

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