State v. Raines

• Decision Date: 07 December 2007
• Docket Number: No. 211A06.,211A06.
• Citation: 653 S.E.2d 126
• Parties: STATE of North Carolina v. William Henry RAINES.
• Court: North Carolina Supreme Court

653 S.E.2d 126

STATE of North Carolina v. William Henry RAINES.

No. 211A06.

Supreme Court of North Carolina.

December 7, 2007.

Appeal as of right pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 7A-27(a) from judgments imposing a sentence of death entered by Judge Ronald K. Payne on 9 September 2005 in Superior Court, Henderson County, upon jury verdicts finding defendant guilty of two counts of first-degree murder. On 31 October 2006, the Supreme Court allowed defendant's motion to bypass the Court of Appeals as to his appeal of an additional judgment. Heard in the Supreme Court 15 October 2007.

Roy Cooper, Attorney General, by Joan M. Cunningham, Assistant Attorney General, and Robert C. Montgomery, Special Deputy Attorney General, for the State.

Staples S. Hughes, Appellate Defender, by Benjamin Dowling-Sendor, Assistant Appellate Defender, and Center for Death Penalty Litigation, by Jonathan E. Broun, Durham, for defendant-appellant.

BRADY, Justice.

Defendant William Henry Raines was found guilty by a jury on 6 September 2005 of the first-degree murders of Phillip Lester Holder¹ and Pamela Kay Holder and robbery with a dangerous weapon of Phillip Holder. Defendant was sentenced to death for the first-degree murders. We find no error in defendant's convictions or sentences.

PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

The Henderson County Grand Jury returned a true bill of indictment on 21 January 2003 charging defendant with robbery with a dangerous weapon and two superseding true bills of indictment on 17 March 2003 charging defendant with the first-degree murders of Phillip and Pamela Holder. Defendant was tried capitally, and on 6 September 2005 the jury returned verdicts of guilty on all counts. Following the required penalty proceeding, the jury made binding recommendations on 9 September 2005 that defendant be sentenced to death for each murder. The trial court entered judgment accordingly. The trial court also sentenced defendant to 100 to 129 months of active incarceration for the robbery with a dangerous weapon conviction. Defendant appeals the judgments of the trial court pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 7A-27(a).

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Defendant first met Phillip Holder when defendant was approximately twelve years old. Defendant's father had recently died, and defendant's mother had demonstrated an inability or unwillingness to provide proper care for defendant and his siblings. After Phillip met defendant, he realized that defendant needed care and invited defendant over to the Holder residence. Eventually, the Holders encouraged defendant to live with them when defendant was a teenager. Defendant's mother told Patricia Holder, Phillip's mother, that defendant "can stay, and I don't care how long he stays."

Once defendant began living with the Holders, his life improved and he was hopeful about his future. Patricia cut defendant's hair and bought him clothes and shoes, and he began attending church with the family. Defendant and Phillip remained close friends throughout high school. Following defendant's graduation from high school, he abused alcohol, amphetamines, marijuana, and crack cocaine. From 1996 to 2001 defendant was convicted on seven different occasions of various offenses, including larceny and felony escape from prison. Following defendant's release from prison in July 2002, he resided with Phillip and his wife, Pamela Holder.

The Crimes

On 10 December 2002, Pamela gave defendant her credit card to purchase medication. However, instead of using it to purchase medication defendant and Heath Rice attempted to use the card very early the next morning to purchase consumer electronics at Wal-Mart. Defendant intended to sell or trade these items in order to obtain cocaine. Asheville Police Officer Scott Early, who was also employed in a security guard capacity at Wal-Mart, telephoned Pamela to inquire whether defendant was authorized to use the card. Pamela and Phillip explained to Early that defendant was authorized to use the card to purchase medication, but not consumer electronics. Phillip informed Early that he did not want to prosecute defendant but rather asked Early to hold defendant until they could arrive at Wal-Mart. At approximately 3:30 a.m. on 11 December 2002, Phillip and Pamela arrived at Wal-Mart, picked up defendant, and departed. Defendant rode in Phillip's vehicle, and Pamela drove her vehicle separately.

At the State's request, defendant later related the events which transpired after they left Wal-Mart to Dr. Heidi Katrina Coppotelli, a licensed clinical psychologist. Defendant stated that Phillip was furious as they drove from Wal-Mart to the Holder residence. On the way home Phillip ran two blinking red lights in order to prevent defendant from jumping out of the vehicle. When they arrived at the residence, Phillip gave defendant a sleeping bag and instructed him to sleep in the shed and not in the family home. Defendant had already smoked a significant amount of crack cocaine that day and, after being sent to the shed, he smoked another couple of rocks of crack cocaine. Defendant stated that after smoking these rocks, he went "crazy" for more. He grabbed a wrench and went to the Holders' door to ask whether he could use the restroom. The Holders allowed him into their home, and upon leaving the restroom defendant immediately struck Phillip in the head with the wrench and then hit Pamela. Defendant struck Pamela and Phillip several more times before retrieving firearms from the victims' bedroom. Defendant considered tying them up and attempting to obtain money for crack cocaine, but instead he shot each victim several times, killing them. When asked why he shot Phillip, defendant said it was "just better to kill him." Defendant then stole money and several of Phillip's firearms and left in Phillip's truck without changing clothes.

Later in the day, Phillip's sister Jill Gilbert, along with her teenage son Austin, went to the victims' residence. Upon arrival, Gilbert and her son walked around the residence, peeking in the windows to observe whether anything was wrong because they had been unable to make contact with the victims that day. They observed ammunition strewn on the victims' son's bed, which they considered strange, given Phillip's usual tidiness. Eventually, Austin was able to gain entrance into the residence through a window. Austin found the bodies of Phillip and Pamela and then opened the front door to allow his mother to see inside, after which both of them waited outside for law enforcement to arrive.

Deputies from the Henderson County Sheriff's Office arrived at the scene and determined that a number of firearms had been removed from the residence, and that the victims' credit cards were also missing. The State's evidence described defendant's movement throughout the rest of the day. Defendant took Phillip's truck, drove to a convenience store, and unsuccessfully attempted to cash a check drawn on Phillip's account. Defendant then traveled to Asheville Auto Sales where he sold Phillip's camper cover to William Hyatt for twenty dollars. Hyatt also bought twelve to thirteen firearms from defendant, and it was later determined that all of the purchased firearms belonged to Phillip Holder.

Eventually, Sergeant Richard Lane of the Greenville County (South Carolina) Sheriff's Office was dispatched to respond to a call about a parked truck, which, because of recent publicity, the caller believed might have been involved in the murders. When Sergeant Lane arrived at the scene, he found defendant in the truck and took him into custody without incident.

Donald Jason, M.D., a physician, pathologist, and associate professor of pathology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, performed autopsies on both Pamela and Phillip. Phillip had six linear blunt force wounds to his head that lacerated his scalp, some of which fractured his skull. He also had a gunshot wound above and between his eyes and a second gunshot wound to the back of the head. Projectiles from both of these gunshots entered his brain. A third gunshot wound was present on the palm of his hand near the base of his thumb. Dr. Jason was unable to conclude whether blunt force trauma standing alone would have caused Phillip's death, but opined that either or both gunshot wounds to the head would have been fatal. Pamela had four linear blunt force wounds on her head, but no skull fractures. She had been shot twice, once in the back of the head with the bullet eventually entering her brain and once in her right shoulder. Both gunshots were consistent with her being shot while she was seated. Dr. Jason opined that the gunshot wound to the brain was the cause of death.

Defendant presented evidence in the form of testimony from Dr. Coppotelli. Dr. Coppotelli had reviewed materials prepared by Debra Gray, a social worker, and had interviewed defendant at the State's request. Based upon her analysis, Dr. Coppotelli opined that defendant suffered from moderate depression and that when he decided to rob the Holders he had chosen to give in to his denied frustration of anger, his habitual denial of reality, and his indulgence of blaming his misery on others. She testified that defendant had an attachment disorder and a deep-seated fear of abandonment and that these issues triggered his explosive anger at the time of the murders.

After deliberating upon these facts, the jury returned verdicts of guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of robbery with a dangerous weapon. The trial court then advanced to the penalty proceeding as required by statute.

Penalty Proceeding Evidence

At the penalty proceeding, the State presented victim impact evidence from various family members of the victims, including Pamela's sister, Phillip's sister, and Phillip's mother. The State also presented evidence from Captain Charles McDonald of the Henderson County Sheriff's Office Detention Center, who testified concerning defendant's behavior while...