State v. Stephenson

OPINION

ANDERSON, Justice.

In this capital case, the defendant, John Wesley Stephenson, was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. In the sentencing hearing, the jury found one aggravating circumstance; “the defendant ... employed another to commit the murder for remuneration or the promise of remuneration.” Tenn.Code Ann. § 39-13-204(i)(4) (1991). The jury found that “there are no mitigating circumstances sufficiently substantial to balance or outweigh” the statutory aggravating circumstance and sentenced the defendant to death by…