Roger Lynn Loyd pled guilty in this death penalty case to the malice murder of three-year-old Tevin Hammonds and to related crimes committed against the child. Loyd waived his right to a jury trial as to sentencing for the murder. See Ring v. Arizona , 536 U. S. 584 II 122 SC 2428, 153 LE2d 556 2002 Sixth Amendment requires aggravating circumstances to be found by a jury; see also Jones v. State , 279 Ga. 854 5 622 SE2d 1 2005. At the conclusion of a bench trial on sentencing, the trial court found the existence of multiple statutory aggravating circumstances and sentenced Loyd to death for the murder. See OCGA § 17-10-30 b. The trial court thereafter denied Loyd’s motions to withdraw the guilty pleas and for a new trial.1 Loyd appeals, and, for the reasons set forth below, we affirm Loyd’s convictions and sentences. 1. The trial court was authorized to conclude the following based upon the evidence presented at the sentencing trial, including evidence of several statements Loyd made to law enforcement officers that were corroborated by either direct or circumstantial evidence. On December 1, 1998, Loyd was with Faye Hammonds at her apartment; her son, Tevin, who had just recently turned three years old, was also there. At approximately 10:30 p.m., Hammonds went to the adjacent apartment, leaving Tevin alone with Loyd inside the residence for a few minutes. Loyd, who was upset with Hammonds for refusing his sexual advances, told the child that they were going to Loyd’s father’s house. However, his admitted intention in removing Tevin from his home was “to have sex with him.”
While holding Tevin’s hand, Loyd led him from the apartment and down a dirt road to an abandoned trailer. Although Tevin initially went with Loyd willingly, he soon began to tell Loyd that he wanted to return home. Nevertheless, Loyd took the child inside the trailer and into a bedroom. After Tevin was made to lie down on the floor and his pants were removed, Loyd fondled Tevin’s buttocks and digitally penetrated Tevin’s anus. Then Loyd got on his knees, cutting himself on a piece of broken glass on the carpet. Loyd lowered his pants and, in an attempt to arouse himself, first rubbed his penis against Tevin’s buttocks and then between Tevin’s legs. Loyd put his own saliva on Tevin as lubrication and attempted to anally penetrate Tevin. He performed oral sex on Tevin and then put his penis in Tevin’s mouth, which caused Tevin to gag and vomit on Loyd and on the floor of the trailer. Loyd was unable to achieve an erection. Frustrated, Loyd took out his pocketknife, cut his underwear off himself, and used it to wipe the blood off his knee and the vomit off his body. Then Loyd put his clothes back on and instructed Tevin to do the same. Before they left the trailer, Loyd threatened to kill Tevin if he told his mother about the molestation.
