State v. Lawless

When it enacted N.J.S.A. 2C:44-1, the Legislature established aggravating and mitigating circumstances for a court to consider when it sentences a convicted defendant within the statutory range applicable to his or her offense. The first of thirteen enumerated aggravating factors focuses the court’s inquiry on “[t]he nature and circumstances of the offense, and the role of the actor therein, including whether or not it was committed in an especially heinous, cruel, or depraved manner!.]” N.J.S.A. 2C:44-1(a)(1) (aggravating factor one). The second aggravating factor addresses “[t]he gravity…