(a) In the trial of a capital offense the jury shall first hear all the admissible evidence offered on the charge or charges against the defendant. It shall then determine whether the defendant is guilty of the capital offense or offenses with which he is charged or of any lesser included offense or offenses considered pursuant to Section 13A-5-41.
criminal case

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Terms Used In Alabama Code 13A-5-43

  • Capital offense: A crime punishable by death.
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • following: means next after. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • Remand: When an appellate court sends a case back to a lower court for further proceedings.
  • Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
(b) If the defendant is found not guilty of the capital offense or offenses with which he is charged, and not guilty of any lesser included offense or offenses considered pursuant to Section 13A-5-41, the defendant shall be discharged.
(c) If the defendant is found not guilty of the capital offense or offenses with which he is charged, and is found guilty of a lesser included offense or offenses considered pursuant to Section 13A-5-41, sentence shall be determined and imposed as provided by law.
(d) If the defendant is found guilty of a capital offense or offenses with which he is charged and the defendant does not establish to the court by a preponderance of the evidence that he or she was under the age of 18 years at the time of the capital offense or offenses with which he or she is found guilty, the sentence shall be determined as provided in Sections 13A-5-45 through remand; specific determinations to be made by court; authority of court following review” class=”unlinked-ref” datatype=”S” sessionyear=”2020″ statecd=”AL” title=”13A”>13A-5-53.
(e) If the defendant is found guilty of a capital offense or offenses with which he or she is charged and the defendant establishes to the court by a preponderance of the evidence that he or she was under the age of 18 years at the time of the capital offense or offenses, the sentence shall be either life without the possibility of parole or, in the alternative, life, and the sentence shall be determined by the procedures set forth in the Alabama Rules of Criminal Procedure for judicially imposing sentences within the range set by statute without a jury, rather than as provided in Sections 13A-5-45 to 13A-5-53, inclusive. The judge shall consider all relevant mitigating circumstances.

If the defendant is sentenced to life on a capital offense, the defendant must serve a minimum of 30 years, day for day, prior to first consideration of parole.

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