Section 13A-5-39 Definitions. As used in this article, these terms shall be defined as follows: (1) CAPITAL OFFENSE. An offense for which a defendant shall be punished by a sentence of death or life imprisonment without parole, or in the case of a defendant who establishes that he or she was under the age of […]
Section 13A-5-40 Capital offenses. (a) The following are capital offenses: (1) Murder by the defendant during a kidnapping in the first degree or an attempt thereof committed by the defendant. (2) Murder by the defendant during a robbery in the first degree or an attempt thereof committed by the defendant. (3) Murder by the defendant […]
Section 13A-5-41 Lesser included offenses. Subject to the provisions of Section 13A-1-9(b), the jury may find a defendant indicted for a crime defined in Section 13A-5-40(a) not guilty of the capital offense but guilty of a lesser included offense or offenses. Lesser included offenses shall be defined as provided in Section 13A-1-9(a), and when there […]
Section 13A-5-42 Guilty plea; burden of proof upon state; waiver; sentencing. A defendant who is indicted for a capital offense may plead guilty to it, but the state, only in cases where the death penalty is to be imposed, must prove the defendant’s guilt of the capital offense beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury. […]
Section 13A-5-43 Trial of capital offenses; discharge of defendant; lesser included offenses; sentencing. (a) In the trial of a capital offense the jury shall first hear all the admissible evidence offered on the charge or charges against the defendant. It shall then determine whether the defendant is guilty of the capital offense or offenses with […]
Section 13A-5-43.1 Life imprisonment for certain crimes by persons under 18 years of age. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if a defendant is found guilty of any non-homicide crime for which the only sentence provided by law is life imprisonment without the possibility of parole and that defendant proves by a preponderance of the […]
Section 13A-5-43.2 Applicability of certain provisions to persons under 18 years of age. Act 2016-360 shall apply to any person under the age of 18 years at the time an offense was committed who was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole under Section 13A-5-2, 13A-5-39, 13A-5-43, or 13A-6-2, whether the person is currently […]
Section 13A-5-44 Jury selection and separation; waiver by defendant of jury participation in sentence hearing. (a) The selection of the jury for the trial of a capital case shall include the selection of at least two alternate jurors chosen according to procedures specified by law or court rule. (b) The separation of the jury during […]
Section 13A-5-45 Sentence hearing – Delay; statements and arguments; admissibility of evidence; burden of proof; mitigating and aggravating circumstances. (a) Upon conviction of a defendant for a capital offense, the trial court shall conduct a separate sentence hearing to determine whether the defendant shall be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole or to death. The […]
Section 13A-5-46 Sentence hearing – Conducted before jury unless waived; trial jury to sit unless impossible or impracticable; separation of jury; instructions to jury; advisory verdicts; vote required; mistrial; waiver of right to advisory verdict. (a) Unless both parties with the consent of the court waive the right to have the sentence hearing conducted before […]
Section 13A-5-47 Determination of sentence by court; presentation of arguments on aggravating and mitigating circumstances; court to enter written findings. (a) After the sentence hearing has been conducted, and after the jury has returned a verdict, or after such a verdict has been waived as provided in Section 13A-5-46(a) or Section 13A-5-46(g), the trial court […]
Section 13A-5-47.1 Application of provisions prohibiting court from overriding jury verdict in capital cases. Sections 13A-5-45, 13A-5-46, and 13A-5-47 shall apply to any defendant who is charged with capital murder after April 11, 2017, and shall not apply retroactively to any defendant who has previously been convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death prior […]
Section 13A-5-48 Process of weighing aggravating and mitigating circumstances defined. The process described in Sections 13A-5-46(e)(2), 13A-5- 46(e)(3) and Section 13A-5-47(e) of weighing the aggravating and mitigating circumstances to determine the sentence shall not be defined to mean a mere tallying of aggravating and mitigating circumstances for the purpose of numerical comparison. Instead, it shall […]
Section 13A-5-49 Aggravating circumstances. Aggravating circumstances shall be any of the following: (1) The capital offense was committed by a person under sentence of imprisonment. (2) The defendant was previously convicted of another capital offense or a felony involving the use or threat of violence to the person. (3) The defendant knowingly created a great […]
Section 13A-5-50 Consideration of aggravating circumstances in sentence determination. The fact that a particular capital offense as defined in Section 13A-5-40(a) necessarily includes one or more aggravating circumstances as specified in Section 13A-5-49 shall not be construed to preclude the finding and consideration of that relevant circumstance or circumstances in determining sentence. By way of […]
Section 13A-5-51 Mitigating circumstances – Generally. Mitigating circumstances shall include, but not be limited to. the following: (1) The defendant has no significant history of prior criminal activity; (2) The capital offense was committed while the defendant was under the influence of extreme mental or emotional disturbance; (3) The victim was a participant in the […]
Section 13A-5-52 Mitigating circumstances – Inclusion of defendant’s character, record, etc. In addition to the mitigating circumstances specified in Section 13A-5-51, mitigating circumstances shall include any aspect of a defendant’s character or record and any of the circumstances of the offense that the defendant offers as a basis for a sentence of life imprisonment without […]
Section 13A-5-53 Appellate review of death sentence; scope; remand; specific determinations to be made by court; authority of court following review. (a) In any case in which the death penalty is imposed, in addition to reviewing the case for any error involving the conviction, the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, subject to review by the […]
Section 13A-5-53.1 Appeals of capital punishment. (a) Rule 32.2(c) of the Alabama Rules of Criminal Procedure shall not apply to cases in which a criminal defendant is convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death, and files a petition for post-conviction relief under the grounds specified in Rule 32.1(a), (e), or (f) of the Alabama […]
Section 13A-5-54 Appointment of experienced counsel for indigent defendants. Each person indicted for an offense punishable under the provisions of this article who is not able to afford legal counsel must be provided with court appointed counsel having no less than five years’ prior experience in the active practice of criminal law. (Acts 1981, No. […]
