State of New Jersey, Plaintiff-Respondent and Cross-Appellant v. David Cooper, Defendant-Appellant and Cross-Respondent

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Jersey affirmed David Cooper's conviction for capital murder and his death sentence, holding that the trial court did not err in its jury selection findings, admission of his confession, jury instructions on the unified‑murder concept, sequential charging, and the lack of an ultimate‑outcome instruction in the guilt phase. The Court also found the admission of the depravity aggravating factor, the use of guilt‑phase evidence at penalty, and the accidental admission of a graphic photo to be harmless, and rejected the State’s arguments on the burden of proof for mitigating evidence.