Lower Court Holding
Decision of the Virginia State Supreme Court
Daryl Renard Atkins was convicted in the Circuit Court of York County of the 1996 capital murder of Eric Michael Nesbitt and sentenced to death. Atkins assigns eight errors on appeal. After considering those issues and conducting our mandated review, we find no error in the judgment of the circuit court and will affirm the imposition of the death penalty. Daryl Atkins’ Mental State Whenever a sentence of death is imposed, this Court is required to determine whether that sentence "was imposed under the influence of passion, prejudice, or any other arbitrary factor; and [w]hether the sentence of death is…
