The appellant was convicted of the offense of capital murder and was sentenced to death. That conviction was reversed by this court. Tarver v. State,
The trial court properly found the existence of one aggravating circumstance: that the capital offense was committed while the appellant was engaged in the commission of a robbery. §
The trial court also properly found the existence of one statutory mitigating circumstance: that the defendant did not have a significant history of prior criminal activity. §
The trial judge also considered the jury's advisory verdict of life without parole, before determining that the aggravating circumstance outweighed the mitigating circumstances. A trial court is entitled to reject a jury's recommendation of life without parole and impose a death sentence. Thompson v. State, supra; Freeman v. State,
After an independent weighing of the aggravating and mitigating circumstances in this case, we find that the evidence supports the trial court's conclusion and indicates that death was the proper sentence. The sentence of death in this case is neither excessive nor disproportionate to the penalties imposed in similar cases, considering both the crime and the defendant. For murdering during robbery, see Acres v.State,
Because the appellant's conviction and sentence of death are proper, the judgment of the circuit court is affirmed.
AFFIRMED.
All Judges concur.
