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Alfredie Steele Jr.’s friends and family have taken the stand today and offered testimony about his life and personality.
Most recalled Steele’s good nature and sense of humor.
“Freddie was a kid that was pretty happy,” said his aunt, Rebecca Steele. “He was a jokester, he kept us all laughing with his little rendition of Fire Marshall Bill.”
In a sense, the testimony of his family and friends could save Steele’s life. Jurors listening will weigh the good side of Steele, called mitigating factors, against aggravating factors presented by prosecutors. Aggravating factors are facts about a crime that make a defendant more deserving of the death penalty.
In Steele’s case, prosecutors are pursuing the death penalty based on two aggravating factors: Steele is convicted of killing a law enforcement officer who was acting in his official capacity; and the crime was carried out in a cold, calculated and premeditated way.
Prosecutors must prove aggravators beyond a reasonable doubt. If they do, the jury may consider the death penalty for Steele. The jury then weighs the aggravators and mitigators and may vote for death if they find aggravators outweigh mitigators.
At least 7 of the 12 jurors must vote for death for the panel to recommend the penalty to the judge.
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