The Prostitution of Lying in Wait

Abstract:     
Murder by lying in wait is a particularly vile manner of murder. Each act is the culmination not only of planning and premeditation, but also of preying on an unsuspecting victim from a position of overwhelming advantage. However, has the definition of lying in wait, as a death qualifying circumstance in murder trials, been inappropriately broadened so that it has lost its distinctiveness as a legitimate narrowing mechanism for singling out those deserving of capital punishment? Does it now encompass scenarios not even contemplated at the time of its inclusion as a death qualifying event? This article discusses the requirement, set forth by the Supreme Court in Furman v. Georgia, that any death penalty law must narrow the class of individuals that deserve execution. It then presents the history of lying in wait as a death qualifying circumstance. First, it discusses the early American lying in wait murder case of Riley v. State, which set out the three lying-in-wait prerequisites: (1) waiting, (2) watching, and secrecy. Then, it offers an explanation of the classification of lying in wait as an aggravating circumstance, with its four elements: (1) concealment, (2) watching and waiting, (3) surprise lethal attack, and (4) connection between lying in wait and having an advantage over the victim. This is followed by an analysis of the lying in wait aggravating circumstance in the California Penal Code, and how it has been used in California death penalty cases. This is followed by a comparison of the use of lying in wait as an aggravating circumstance in other states, including Indiana and Colorado. The article concludes with the argument that the use of lying in wait as an aggravating circumstance must be reexamined, rewritten, and reapplied to faithfully adhere to the fundamental fabric of our death penalty jurisprudence.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 66

Keywords: murder, lying in wait, premeditation, victim, death, death penalty, death qualifying, murder trial, capital punishment, aggravating circumstance

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