A jury convicted Reinaldo Javier Rivera of one count of malice murder, three counts of rape, four counts of aggravated sodomy, four counts of aggravated assault, one count of burglary, and one count of possession of a knife during the commission of a crime in connection with the rape and murder of Marni Glista and the rapes of Chrisilee Barton and Tabitha Bosdell.1 Rivera was sentenced to death for the murder. The trial court denied Rivera’s motion for new trial, and he appeals. Finding no reversible error, we affirm the convictions and sentences. General Grounds
1. Construed to support the verdicts, the evidence showed that on the morning of October 10, 2000, under the pretext of seeking directions, Rivera detained 18-year-old Chrisilee Barton while her car was at a stop sign. When the drivers behind her became impatient and honked their car horns, Rivera suggested that they pull into a nearby parking lot, where he continued to engage Barton in conversation, eventually telling her he was a professional photographer and asking her about modeling for photographs. When Rivera could not produce any identification to verify that he was with a modeling agency as he represented himself to be, Barton tried to put him off. However, Rivera was insistent about taking photographs of her at that time so Barton suggested that he follow her to her stepfather’s apartment. Although Barton tried to lose Rivera along the way by switching in and out of lanes, Rivera arrived at the apartment immediately behind her, parked his car right beside hers, and followed her inside. While she was in the bathroom, Rivera secured a kitchen knife with which he attacked Barton from behind, raping and sodomizing her while she went in and out of consciousness. Rivera then strangled Barton and, supposing she was dead, left her unconscious on the floor. Rivera exited the apartment, moved his car down the street, and returned on foot to be certain he had left no incriminating evidence behind. When Rivera reentered the apartment and realized Barton was still alive, he again tried to kill her by strangling her with a towel before obtaining another knife from the kitchen and stabbing her repeatedly in the neck, transecting her jugular vein. Barton eventually regained consciousness and, despite multiple, deep stab wounds to her neck resulting in permanent nerve injury, she was able to crawl to the telephone and call 911. When the police arrived, the deadbolt on the door to the apartment where Barton was located was locked from the inside, and it appeared Rivera had exited through a back window.
