State of Arizona, Appellee v. Gilbert Martinez, Appellant

Summary

The court affirmed Martinez's convictions and death sentence after rejecting his challenges to jury selection, evidentiary rulings, prosecutorial conduct, the second penalty phase, and prosecutorial disqualification. The court found some evidence was improperly admitted and that the trial court should have permitted impeachment of an accomplice's hearsay statements, but concluded those errors were harmless or nonprejudicial. The court also held that the second penalty-phase jury was not improperly relieved of its sentencing responsibility and that the aggravating circumstances and death sentence were supported by reasonable evidence.