Commonwealth v. Williams, 854 A.2d 440 (Pa. 2004)

Cases | Commonwealth v. Williams, 854 A.2d 440 (Pa. 2004) | 2018

A jury found the defendant guilty of first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse. He was sentenced to death. On direct appeal, the defendant raised three issues, including whether the Commonwealth’s introduction of the testimony of four victim impact witnesses resulted in a capricious and arbitrary imposition of the death penalty. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania affirmed, noting that victim impact testimony is constitutionally permissible evidence in capital trials. The Court concluded that the cumulative effect of the victim impact testimony in this case demonstrated that the victim’s murder had been difficult on her family, thus falling within the admissibility rule established in Commonwealth v. Means. Furthermore, the testimony of the victim’s sister and three daughters was not excessive or unduly prejudicial, and did not render the sentencing process fundamentally unfair. Additionally, the Court declined establishing a per se rule regarding the number of victim impact witnesses that may be presented in a given proceeding. Finally, the Court found that the lower court’s instructions to the jury were permissible.