State v. Cummings

BRADY, Justice.

On 4 October 2002, Paul Dewayne Cummings (defendant) stabbed his neighbor Jane Head (the victim) to death with her paring knife in her own home. Defendant then stole the victim’s van and automated teller machine (ATM) card and used the ATM personal identification number (PIN) he had extracted from the victim before her death to withdraw $400 from her bank account. Defendant was convicted of robbery with a dangerous weapon and first-degree murder. The jury returned a binding recommendation of death for the first-degree murder conviction, and the trial court sentenced defendant…