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How Does The Use Of Victim Impact Statements In The Capital Court Case

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The court case I chose to outline is Payne v. Tennessee. This particular case deals with the use of victim impact statements in Capital court cases. The facts of this case began on June 27, 1987 when Pervis Tyrone Payne decided to visit his girlfriend, Bobbie Thomas, at her apartment, in Millington, Tennessee. Throughout the day Payne visited Thomas apartment in hopes of making contact with her, but each time no one was at the residence. On one particular visit, Payne decided to leave an overnight bag, containing his clothes, malt liquor and other personal items, in the hallway outside of Thomas’ apartment. Throughout the morning, Payne passed time by injecting cocaine, and drinking beer. Later in the day, he drove around the town with a friend …show more content…

Payne asserted that another individual committed the offenses and that he was only there to help the victims. According to his testimony, he panicked and fled the scene when he heard police sirens and noticed blood on his clothes. The jury deliberated and found Payne to be guilty of the charges on all counts. During the sentencing phase, Payne had family members and friends testify on his behalf. They each gave testimony regarding Payne’s character. In return, the state presented the testimony of Charisse's mother, Mary Zvolanek. When asked how Nicholas had been affected by the murders of his mother and sister, she …show more content…

This was the issue in this case. The Tennessee Supreme Court affirmed the conviction and sentence Payne was given. The U.S. Supreme court held that the Eighth Amendment does not prohibit a capital sentencing jury from considering the impact that a victim's death had upon surviving family members. The Court reasoned that since virtually no limits are placed on the relevant mitigating evidence a capital defendant may introduce concerning his own circumstances, the prosecution must be allowed to submit similar counter evidence. Evidence regarding the assessment of the harm caused by the defendant has long been an important factor in determining the appropriate punishment, and victim impact evidence is simply another method of informing the sentencing authority about such

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