Zebroski v. State

715 A.2d 75, 1998 WL 463189
CourtSupreme Court of Delaware
DecidedJuly 28, 1998
Docket354, 1997, 378, 1997
StatusPublished
Cited by36 cases

This text of 715 A.2d 75 (Zebroski v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Delaware primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Zebroski v. State, 715 A.2d 75, 1998 WL 463189 (Del. 1998).

Opinion

VEASEY, Chief Justice:

This is the direct appeal following a capital murder trial and-penalty hearing, resulting in a conviction and death sentence. The crime involved was the murder of a gasoline station attendant during the course of an *77 attempted robbery. In addition-to the statutorily mandated death penalty review, this Court is confronted with three separate allegations of trial error posed by defendant. We affirm the conviction and sentence.

We hold that: (1) the trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting into evidence a racial epithet attributed to defendant that was related to both the crime and the victim so as to be probative of defendant’s state of mind at the time of the incident; (2) the admission by stipulation of the parties of a pre-trial statement given by co-defendant was proper; (3) the approach taken by the trial court was correct in refusing to instruct the jury concerning the lesser included offense of criminally negligent homicide on the ground that there was no rational basis for a verdict convicting defendant of that offense; and (4) the trial court’s decision to sentence defendant to death should be affirmed.

Facts

Evidence presented at trial revealed the following sequence of events. On the afternoon of April 25, 1996, defendant Craig Zeb-roski visited the apartment of a friend in Boothurst Mansion, an apartment building located in New Castle, Delaware. Among others also present that day at Boothurst Mansion were Michael Sarro and Brian Morris, both friends of Zebroski’s. The group spent the day drinking, smoking marijuana and ingesting PCP. 2 Later that day, Zebro-ski suggested to Sarro that they rob the Conoco gas station on New Castle Avenue in New Castle, Delaware. Zebroski had intended to rob that station two years earlier but had backed out of the plan. He considered the Conoco station a desirable target because it was isolated, open 24 hours a day and attended by only one person at night.

At approximately 11:30 p.m., Zebroski and Sarro set out for the Conoco station, located less than a mile away from Boothurst Mansion. While Zebroski and Sarro watched the station to ensure that it was empty of customers, Zebroski took Sarro’s semi-automatic handgun so as to assume the role of “enforcer.” The two entered the station at approximately 3:00 a.m. and found the attendant, Joseph Hammond, sitting in a chair at the desk. Zebroski pointed the gun at Hammond and demanded that he open the cash register. Hammond approached the register but was otherwise unresponsive. Zebroski kept the gun pointed at Hammond, who was now standing three to four feet away from Zebroski. Despite threats from Zebroski and Sarro, Hammond remained unresponsive, and Sarro’s attempts to open the register were unavailing. It is undisputed that Zebroski then fired the gun, shooting Hammond in the forehead and killing him instantly-

Zebroski and Sarro ran from the station immediately after Hammond was shot and returned to Boothurst Mansion. Brian Morris testified that, when he asked Zebroski what had happened, Zebroski responded that he “shot the nigger” at the Conoco station at point blank range. Morris also testified that he later saw Zebroski at a party posing for photographs with the gun. Zebroski sold the gun on April 29,1996, and it was later recovered by police. Zebroski was apprehended on May 1,1996 at the Motel 6 in New Castle.

Zebroski was indicted on various charges, including primarily two counts of murder in the first degree under 11 Del. C. §§ 636(a)(1) and (2). 3 At trial, Zebroski claimed that the shooting was an accident. According to Zeb-roski, immediately before he fired the gun, Sarro punched Hammond in the face. Zeb-roski testified that the punch startled him, causing him to flinch and accidentally pull the trigger. The State contended, however, that the shooting was intentional. In support of this position, the prosecution presented testimony from an examiner for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms that *78 it required 12J6 pounds of pressure to be exerted on the trigger for the gun to fire.

Pursuant to a plea agreement signed November 22, 1996, Sarro pleaded guilty under Superior Court Criminal Rule 11(e)(1)(C) to manslaughter, attempted first degree robbery and second degree conspiracy. Rule 11(e)(1) provides as follows:

Plea agreement procedure. (1) In general. The attorney general and the attorney for the defendant or the defendant when acting pro se may engage in discussions with a view toward reaching an agreement that, upon the entering of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to a charged offense or to a lesser or related offense, the attorney general will do any of the following:
(A) File a dismissal of other charges; or
(B) Make a recommendation, or agree not to oppose the defendant’s request, for a particular sentence, with the understanding that such recommendation or request shall not be binding upon the court; or
(C) Agree that a specific sentence is the appropriate disposition of the ease.
The court shall not participate in any such .discussions. The prosecuting attorney shall comply with 11 Del. C. § 5106. 4

. As part of the. plea agreement involved in this case, Sarro agreed that (1) his sentencing would be deferred until after the trial or entry of a. plea by Zebroski; and (2) he would cooperate with the State’s prosecution of Zebroski and would testify truthfully if called as a witness by the State. Although Sarro gave a pre-trial statement, he refused to testify, at, trial. Consequently, both sides stipulated that the pre-trial statement would be admissible, and the terms of the plea agreement were never revoked.

At the conclusion of the trial, the Superior Court granted Zebroski’s request for jury instructions on the lesser included offenses of second degree murder and manslaughter, but declined to provide an instruction on criminally negligent homicide. Zebroski was found guilty by the jury on both counts of murder in the first degree, one count of attempted robbery first degree, three counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and one count of conspiracy in the second degree.

At the penalty phase of the trial, the jury was presented with evidence in both aggravation and mitigation of Zebroski’s crime. The jury voted nine to three that aggravating circumstances outweighed mitigating circumstances and recommended that the Superior Court impose a sentence of death. In its written decision, the Superior Court confirmed the existence of a statutory aggravating circumstance and, after considering and weighing all the evidence, concluded that the statutory and nonstatutory aggravating factors outweighed those in mitigation. 5 The Superior Court sentenced Zebroski to death on August 18, 1997. This appeal and the necessary stay of the carrying out of the death sentence pending appeal followed. 6

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Bluebook (online)
715 A.2d 75, 1998 WL 463189, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/zebroski-v-state-del-1998.