05/02/94 State Tennessee V. Harold Wayne Nichols

In this capital case, the defendant, Harold Wayne Nichols, pled guilty to first-degree felony murder and was sentenced by a jury to death. At the sentencing hearing, the jury found two aggravating circumstances: (1) Nichols' five previous convictions for aggravated rape and (2) the fact that the murder occurred during the commission of a felony. Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-204(i)(2) & (7). The jury found that the aggravating circumstances outweighed the mitigating circumstances beyond a reasonable doubt and sentenced the defendant to death. The defendant now appeals his sentence, alleging a number of errors in the sentencing phase.