State of New Jersey, Plaintiff-Respondent v. Joseph Harris, Defendant-Appellant

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Jersey affirmed Joseph Harris's murder convictions and death sentence, holding that the prosecutor's decision to seek capital punishment after a rejected plea offer was not an abuse of discretion, the jury selection and instructions were not reversible errors, and the Gerald charge error was harmless. Justice Handler dissented in part, arguing that the lack of a specific unanimity instruction on the c(4)(g) aggravating factor and inadequate mitigation instructions warranted reversal of the death sentence.