Stallworth v. State

Jun 27, 2003
1020941
Reporters:
, ,
Before:
Stuart

Lead Opinion

STUART, Justice.

WRIT DENIED.

MOORE, C.J., and HOUSTON, SEE, LYONS, BROWN, HARWOOD, and WOODALL, JJ., ‍​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‍concur. JOHNSTONE, J., dissents.



Dissenting Opinion

JOHNSTONE, Justice

(dissenting).

In my opinion, we should grant the petition on the single issue, a question of first impression, of whether a single prior conviction for ‍​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‍assault in the third degree can negate the § 13A-5-51(l), Ala.Code 1975, mitigating circumstance of no significant history of prior criminal activity. The Court of Criminal Appeals decided this question ‍​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‍of first impression in the affirmative in Stallworth’s case, Stallworth v. State, 868 So.2d 1128, 1174 (Ala.Crim.App.2001). Stallworth raises this issue at pages 28-30 of his petition and pages 51-52 ‍​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‍of his brief.

Socking someone in a fistfight can constitute assault in the third degree. I respectfully submit that this offense is too trivial to negate this statutory mitigating ‍​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‍circumstance and thereby to play such a pivotal role in causing a defendant’s death.