The State of South Carolina, Respondent v. Bayan Aleksey, Appellant

Summary

The court affirmed the appellant’s murder conviction and death sentence. It held that the jury instructions, viewed as a whole, did not shift the burden of proof; the confession was voluntary despite the appellant’s statement that he had nothing more to say; and the trial court properly limited cross-examination and admitted evidence concerning a contract on the appellant’s life. The court also found the death sentence neither arbitrary nor disproportionate.