Barnabei v. Com.

Present: All the Justices

DEREK ROCCO BARNABEI
OPINION BY JUSTICE ROSCOE B. STEPHENSON, JR.
v. Record Nos. 952168 and 952169
September 13, 1996
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

FROM THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF NORFOLK
William F. Rutherford, Judge

In these appeals, we review a capital murder conviction and

sentence of death imposed upon Derek Rocco Barnabei (Record No.

952168), along with his conviction of rape (Record No. 952169).
I
PROCEEDINGS

Barnabei was charged in an indictment with capital murder,

i.e., the willful, deliberate, and premeditated killing of Sarah

J. Wisnosky in the commission of rape. Code § 18.2-31(5).

Barnabei, in a separate indictment, also was charged with the

rape of Wisnosky. Code § 18.2-61(A).

In a bifurcated jury trial conducted pursuant to Code

§§ 19.2-264.3 and -264.4, Barnabei was found guilty of capital

murder and of rape. The jury fixed Barnabei's punishment for the

rape conviction at 13 years' imprisonment, and, upon further

evidence, fixed Barnabei's punishment for the capital murder

conviction at death, based upon both the "vileness" and "future

dangerousness" predicates. Code § 19.2-264.2. After considering

a report prepared by a probation officer pursuant to Code § 19.2-

264.5, the trial court sentenced Barnabei in accord with the jury

verdicts.

Pursuant to Code § 17-110.1(F), we have consolidated the

automatic review of Barnabei's death sentence with the appeal of
right of his capital murder conviction. 1 By order entered

December 7, 1995, Barnabei's appeal of his rape conviction was

certified from the Court of Appeals, Code § 17-116.06, and we

have consolidated that appeal with the capital murder appeal and

given them priority on our docket, Code § 17-110.2.
II
THE CRIMES

On September 22, 1993, shortly after 6:00 p.m., Wisnosky's

nude body was discovered floating in the Lafayette River, in the

City of Norfolk. Nearby, the police found a leather shoe, later

identified as Wisnosky's, on one of the steps leading down to the

river. The police also found a washcloth, which appeared to be

bloodstained.
An autopsy, performed by a state deputy medical examiner,

revealed that Wisnosky had sustained at least 10 severe blows to

the back and right side of her head, fracturing her skull. The

blows had been inflicted by a heavy, blunt object, such as a ball

peen hammer.

The autopsy further revealed that Wisnosky had sustained

bruising to her abdomen, which the examiner testified could have

been caused by a blow to Wisnosky's abdomen or by the assailant's
1
Barnabei has assigned 53 errors. However, he did not
discuss on brief, and thus has waived, assignments of error
numbered 1, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21,
22, 27, 29, 30, 31, 36, 37, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, and 49. Rule
5:27; Williams v. Commonwealth, 248 Va. 528, 537, 450 S.E.2d 365,
372 (1994), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 115 S.Ct. 2616 (1995).
In his appeal, we do consider the 14 questions discussed in his
brief.

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kneeling on her "to hold [her] in place." Wisnosky also had

sustained bruises to her neck and larynx, and petechiae were

found on her face which, according to the medical examiner, were

"a manifestation of mechanical asphyxia." 2 These findings

suggested to the examiner that Wisnosky had been "manually

strangled."

Additionally, the medical examiner found bruising on the

introitus of Wisnosky's vagina and a half-inch tear of her anal

opening. The examiner opined that the bruising had been

sustained prior to Wisnosky's death and that the anal tear had

been inflicted "very close to the time of her death." The

examiner also opined that such a tear is usually caused by

"forcible stretching."
The examiner further opined that Wisnosky's death was not

caused by drowning although a "little fluid" was found in her

lungs. He, however, could not rule out the possibility that

Wisnosky may not have been dead when her body was put into the

water. The "primary cause" of Wisnosky's death, according to the

medical examiner, was the head injuries. The mechanical asphyxia

was a contributing factor.

Wisnosky was a 17-year-old Caucasian and a student in her

first year at Old Dominion University (ODU). Nicki Vanbelkum,

Wisnosky's dormitory roommate, last saw Wisnosky alive on the

2
The medical examiner defined "petechiae" as small pinhead-
sized hemorrhages of the capillaries.

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afternoon of September 21, 1993. Vanbelkum and Wisnosky had

planned to meet later that day, but Wisnosky did not appear.

Barnabei, also a Caucasian, first arrived in the Norfolk-

Virginia Beach area in August 1993. He identified himself to

others as "Serafino" or "Serf" Barnabei and claimed to have been

a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) fraternity at Rutgers

University. 3 Soon thereafter, Barnabei began to associate with

members of TKE at ODU. He rented a room in a house that was

occupied by four other young men, who were either past or present

students at ODU.
Barnabei became acquainted with Wisnosky, and the two

attended a number of functions at the rooming house. On several

occasions, Wisnosky spent the night with Barnabei.

On one of those occasions, Wisnosky and Vanbelkum went to

Barnabei's rooming house for a "toga party," conducted by the TKE

fraternity. Wisnosky became intoxicated and refused to leave the

party with Vanbelkum. Barnabei appeared to shun Wisnosky

throughout the party, and he told Thomas Walton, a TKE member, to

"keep [Wisnosky] away from him because he was trying to hook up

with someone else." Walton and Daniel Paul Wilson, another

student, kept Wisnosky company on the front porch of the house.

When Walton and Wilson asked Wisnosky about her relationship with

Barnabei, she remarked, "He is all right, but I have had better."
3
This claim proved to be false. Although Barnabei at one
time had been a TKE pledge at Stockton State College in New
Jersey, he never became a member of the fraternity.

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About 5:00 a.m., Walton left Wisnosky asleep in Barnabei's bed,

and, later that morning, Wisnosky returned to her dormitory room

without incident.

The following day at a fraternity meeting, when Barnabei

"was bragging about his sex life" and Walton told those in

attendance about Wisnosky's remark, Barnabei became agitated.

When those present began to laugh and tease him, he denied that

he had had sexual intercourse with Wisnosky, stating that they

had had only oral sex.
On September 22, 1993, about 1:00 a.m., William Rolland Gee,

III, a TKE pledge, drove Barnabei from a TKE pledge meeting to

Barnabei's rooming house. Wisnosky was in Barnabei's room when

Gee departed about 45 minutes later.

Sometime in the early hours of September 22, Michael

Christopher Bain, who lived in the bedroom directly above

Barnabei's, began hearing very loud music emanating from

Barnabei's room. Bain first stomped on the floor in an

unsuccessful effort to get Barnabei to reduce the volume of the

music. Bain and David Wirth, another roomer in the house, then

went downstairs. They pounded on Barnabei's door for about five

minutes, but no one answered, and they tried to open the door,

but it was locked.

Meanwhile, Troy Manglicmot, another occupant of the house,

was suddenly awakened when Barnabei rushed into his room.

Speaking in a "strong, forceful tone," Barnabei demanded that

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Manglicmot move his vehicle because it was blocking Barnabei's

car in the driveway next to the house. Barnabei took

Manglicmot's car keys, but he could not start the vehicle.

Manglicmot then moved his vehicle, and Barnabei began to back his

car out of the driveway. After striking the side of the house

next door and nearly colliding with Manglicmot's vehicle and

Wirth's truck, Barnabei "pulled out real fast" onto the street

and drove away.
That same morning, about 2:30 a.m., Justin Dewall, another

roomer in the house, returned to the house and was unable to find

his dog. In the course of looking through the house for the dog,

he knocked on Barnabei's door. When Barnabei opened the door

slightly, Dewall observed that Barnabei was "stark naked" and

that Barnabei's face was expressionless. Barnabei appeared

"wide-eyed, open-mouthed, and he wasn't focusing on [Dewall] when

he was looking at [him]."

When Wirth left the house about 7:30 that morning, he saw

Barnabei asleep on a couch in the living room. Wirth asked

Barnabei why he was not sleeping in his room, and Barnabei

responded that "it was a long, f___ed-up story." As Wirth walked

to his truck, he found a shoe near the rear of Barnabei's car.

Wirth threw the shoe, which was later identified as belonging to

Wisnosky, toward the back porch.

About 9:30 a.m., Barnabei telephoned Eric Scott Anderson,

another TKE pledge, and asked Anderson to bring him a blanket.

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When Anderson arrived at Barnabei's door, he noticed that

Barnabei's waterbed, unlike on a past occasion, had no bed

sheets.

In the early afternoon of September 22, Barnabei was seen by

Dewall's girlfriend carrying a duffle bag and a surfboard from

his bedroom. About 2:45 that afternoon, Barnabei offered Richard

Patton, a TKE pledge, a ride to a fraternity sporting event.

Before departing, Barnabei told Patton that he had been carrying

a surfboard in his car and asked if Patton could take it to his

room "because he was tired of carrying it around in his car."

Patton took the surfboard to his room and put it in a closet.

Upon leaving in Barnabei's car, Patton noticed "a really bad

smell." Barnabei told him that the smell probably came from his

"bag of laundry," a large, closed duffle bag, in the backseat of

the car. Also during that afternoon, Barnabei borrowed, or tried

to borrow, money from Patton and others.
About 5:30 or 6:00 p.m., he called Anderson and asked if

Anderson had "heard anything." When Anderson inquired as to what

Barnabei was referring, Barnabei replied, "[L]ike, oh, nothing."

Barnabei then stated that he was "going away for a couple days

to work with [his] dad." Barnabei went to Towson, Maryland and

later to Ohio, where he was arrested in December 1993.

On September 23, several police officers went to Barnabei's

rooming house, where they recovered Wisnosky's other shoe, which

appeared to be bloodstained. They also recovered a pair of white

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socks from atop a trash can beside the house and a towel from the

rear of the house next door. The towel exhibited dark red

stains.

After interviewing the occupants of the house, the police

obtained a search warrant and proceeded to search Barnabei's

room, which "appeared to have been abandoned." The police found

stains on Barnabei's waterbed and on one of the bedroom walls,

and a damp, red stain was discovered beneath a carpet. Stains

also were found on the surfboard which was retrieved from

Patton's bedroom. In addition, the police recovered a

handwritten note which stated, "Women just don't get it."
A state forensic serologist found sperm on Wisnosky's

vaginal swabs. She also found blood underneath Wisnosky's

fingernails, on one of her shoes, on the surfboard, and on the

washcloth and towel, and hairs and fibers on the socks, towel,

and washcloth.

A state DNA analyst conducted an RFLP DNA analysis of

various samples. 4 She testified that blood recovered from the

waterbed frame matched that of Wisnosky and that the chances were

one in 202,000 that the blood came from a Caucasian other than

Wisnosky. She also stated that the chances were one in 972

million that Barnabei did not contribute the sperm found on the

vaginal swabs. The analyst also determined that the stain found
4
For a detailed explanation of DNA print identification, see
Spencer v. Commonwealth, 238 Va. 275, 286-89, 384 S.E.2d 775,
781-82 (1989), cert. denied, 493 U.S. 1036 (1990).

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under the carpet in Barnabei's room was human blood.

Another DNA analyst conducted a PCR DNA analysis of various

samples. 5 She determined that the blood recovered from the

surfboard, shoe, wall, and waterbed was consistent with

Wisnosky's blood type. She testified that only 3.9 percent of
the Caucasian population has the "HLA DQα type" found in these

samples. She also stated that the sperm fraction recovered from

the vaginal swabs was consistent with Barnabei's blood type and
that only 1.9 percent of the Caucasian population has the HLA DQα

type found in this sample.
An expert on hair and fiber analysis determined that the

socks recovered contained four pubic hairs. These hairs were

similar to samples taken from Wisnosky and dissimilar to

Barnabei's samples "in all identifiable microscopic

characteristics."
III
PRETRIAL MATTERS
A

Pretrial, Barnabei filed a motion in limine seeking to

prohibit the medical examiner, who performed the autopsy, from

giving an opinion whether "force was used to inflict any of the

injuries to the vagina or anus of the victim." Barnabei asserted

that such testimony would invade the province of the jury on the

ultimate issue whether Wisnosky was the victim of rape.
5
For a detailed explanation of PCR DNA amplification, see
Spencer v. Commonwealth, 240 Va. 78, 96, 393 S.E.2d 609, 620,
cert. denied, 498 U.S. 908 (1990).

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 At a hearing on the motion, the medical examiner testified

that he had found vaginal bruising and that such bruising could

have been caused only by "forcible penetration of the vagina."

He also said that there were various possible explanations for

his findings and that he used the term "force" in a medical

sense.

The examiner also testified that he had found a tear of the

anus and stretching of the anal opening, which indicated to him

that "forcible anal penetration" had occurred "within the past

several hours prior to [the victim's] death." The examiner

reemphasized, however, that he only could say "medically" that

force had been used and that it was not for him to say "[w]hether

a person would consent to force being used."
At the conclusion of the medical examiner's pretrial

testimony, and based upon the Commonwealth's Attorney's

"representations" regarding what the evidence would show,

Barnabei's counsel informed the trial court that "there [was] no

immediate [need] to argue the motion." Consequently, the trial

court denied the motion in limine.

At trial, the medical examiner gave lengthy testimony about

the autopsy and his findings. Among other things, he testified

that the vaginal bruising was caused by a "violent penetration of

that area."

On appeal, Barnabei claims that the medical examiner's trial

testimony differed from his pretrial testimony and that the

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testimony given at trial invaded the province of the jury on an

ultimate issue of fact. The record shows, however, that, during

the trial, Barnabei never objected to any of the examiner's

testimony. Consequently, Barnabei's claim has been procedurally

defaulted. Rule 5:25.

B

Barnabei contends that the trial court erred in refusing to

appoint a forensic pathologist to assist in his defense and to

rebut the medical examiner's testimony about Wisnosky's bruises

and other injuries because the only evidence of rape adduced at

trial was the medical examiner's testimony. He asserts that the

Supreme Court's holding in Ake v. Oklahoma, 470 U.S. 68 (1985),

dictates this result.

We addressed a similar contention in Husske v. Commonwealth,

252 Va. ___, ___, ___ S.E.2d ___, ___ (1996) (this day decided),

wherein we said that, in certain circumstances, the Due Process

and Equal Protection Clauses of the Constitution of the United

States require the appointment of an expert, at the

Commonwealth's expense, to assist an indigent defendant in his

defense. We made clear, however, that an indigent defendant's

constitutional right to the appointment of an expert is not

absolute. We held, instead, that
an indigent defendant who seeks the appointment of an
expert witness, at the Commonwealth's expense, must
demonstrate that the subject which necessitates the
assistance of the expert is "likely to be a significant
factor in his defense," Ake, 470 U.S. at 82-83, and
that he will be prejudiced by the lack of expert
assistance. Id. at 83. An indigent defendant may

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 satisfy this burden by demonstrating that the services
of an expert would materially assist him in the
preparation of his defense and that the denial of such
services would result in a fundamentally unfair trial.

Id. at ___, ___ S.E.2d at ___ (slip op. at 11-12).

Thus, an indigent defendant seeking the appointment of an

expert has the burden of showing a particularized need therefor.

The required showing must be determined on a case-by-case basis,

and a determination whether an adequate showing has been made is

a matter that rests within a trial court's discretion. Id. at

___, ___ S.E.2d at ___ (slip op. at 12).
We think that, in the present case, Barnabei failed to make

the particularized showing that would have entitled him to the

appointment of an expert forensic pathologist at the

Commonwealth's expense. At most, Barnabei hoped or suspected

that an expert might testify that the injuries to Wisnosky's

vagina and anal opening did not necessarily result from force. A

hope or suspicion that favorable evidence may be procured from an

expert, however, is not sufficient to require the appointment of

an expert. Clearly, therefore, the trial court did not abuse its

discretion in denying Barnabei's request. Id. at ___, ___ S.E.2d

at ___ (slip op. at 12).

C

Barnabei also contends that the trial court erred in denying

his motion for a bill of particulars specifying the evidence upon

which the Commonwealth intended to rely in seeking the death

penalty. He contends on appeal that the trial court's refusal to

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order the bill of particulars denied him his constitutional due

process right to notice and an opportunity to defend against the

death penalty.

When Barnabei presented argument before the trial court,

however, he did not assert a constitutional basis for his motion.

Instead, he "move[d] the Court in its discretion to order the

Commonwealth to furnish [him] a bill of particulars." (Emphasis

added.) Consequently, his constitutional argument is

procedurally defaulted. Rule 5:25.
D

Barnabei further contends that the Commonwealth suppressed

certain exculpatory evidence thereby depriving him of a fair

trial. On brief, however, Barnabei makes many conclusional

assertions that are either procedurally defaulted or meritless.

Only one contention warrants discussion.

Barnabei filed a motion seeking all witness statements,

which had been taken by the police, concerning the nature of his

sexual relationship with Wisnosky. After an in camera
examination of the statements, the trial court permitted Barnabei

to examine two of five pages of one individual's statement. The

trial court determined that the remaining statements were not

exculpatory and sealed them. 6

6
The statement which the court permitted Barnabei to examine
was that of Thomas Walton. Walton stated that he had asked
Wisnosky about her sexual relations with Barnabei and that
Wisnosky had replied, "He was good, but I've had better."

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 We have examined the sealed statements and find that one

undisclosed statement, made by Michael Bain, appears to be

equally as exculpatory as the one revealed. Bain stated that he

heard Barnabei ask Wisnosky if she liked anal intercourse and

that Wisnosky smiled and nodded her head affirmatively.

At trial, however, Bain, a Commonwealth's witness, testified

about the same incident during both direct examination and cross-

examination. Consequently, we hold that, assuming the trial

court erred in sealing Bain's statement, the disclosure at trial

of the incident made any such error harmless beyond a reasonable

doubt.
IV
JURY MATTERS

Barnabei contends that the trial court erred in removing for

cause prospective jurors Charles Bazzell and Mary Howell.

During voir dire, Bazzell advised the court that he had "an

opinion [that] would prevent [him] from convicting anyone of an

offense which is punishable with death." Upon further

questioning, he told the court that he "[did] not believe in the

death penalty." In response to a question from defense counsel,

however, Bazzell stated that there were crimes, such as the

Oklahoma City bombing, for which he would consider imposition of

the death penalty. He said he thought it was "possible" that his

beliefs would prevent or substantially impair his ability to

follow the court's instructions, but he would not know until he

heard the evidence. Finally, he conceded that his personal

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opposition to the death penalty "would make it difficult for

[him] to consider the Court's instructions" requiring him to

consider imposition of a death sentence.

Also during voir dire, Howell, a member of the Maryland Bar,

initially told the court that she had beliefs "which would

prevent [her] from voting or substantially impair [her] ability

to vote for imposition of the death penalty upon an individual

convicted of capital murder." Later, she said her beliefs would

not prevent or hinder her consideration of the death penalty

"under the appropriate circumstances." Subsequently, however, in

response to questioning by the court, she again stated that her

beliefs would prevent or substantially impair her from voting to

impose the death penalty, adding, "I am opposing the death

penalty." She admitted that she was "not answering clearly" and

that her voir dire "may sound conflicting."
The appropriate standard for determining when a prospective

juror may be excluded for cause because of the juror's views

about the death penalty is whether the juror's views would

substantially impair or prevent the performance of his duties as

a juror in accordance with his oath and the court's instructions.
Wainwright v. Witt, 469 U.S. 412, 424 (1985). Application of

this standard rests within the sound discretion of the trial

court, and its ruling to exclude a prospective juror will not be

disturbed on appeal unless the ruling constitutes manifest error.

Yeatts v. Commonwealth, 242 Va. 121, 134, 410 S.E.2d 254, 262

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(1991), cert. denied, 503 U.S. 946 (1992). The trial court is

accorded such deference because it sees and hears the prospective

jurors. Weeks v. Commonwealth, 248 Va. 460, 475, 450 S.E.2d 379,

389 (1994), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 116 S.Ct. 100 (1995);

Pope, 234 Va. at 123-24, 360 S.E.2d at 358. Finally, in

determining whether a prospective juror should have been excluded

for cause, we review the entire voir dire, rather than a single

question and answer. Fitzgerald v. Commonwealth, 223 Va. 615,

628, 292 S.E.2d 798, 805 (1982), cert. denied, 459 U.S. 1228
(1983).

When we examine the entire voir dire of Bazzell and of

Howell in light of the foregoing principles of law, we cannot say

that the trial court committed manifest error in excluding them

for cause. Indeed, we think the trial court reasonably concluded

that both these prospective jurors were opposed to the death

penalty and that their views would have prevented or

substantially impaired their performances as jurors in accordance

with their oaths and the court's instructions.
V
GUILT PHASE

Barnabei contends that the evidence is insufficient to

support the jury's finding that he raped Wisnosky and, therefore,

that he cannot be found guilty of capital murder. More

specifically, he asserts that "there was literally no evidence of

his having forced or used the threat of force to engage in sexual

relations with [Wisnosky]." We do not agree.

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 The evidence clearly supports the finding that Barnabei and

Wisnosky had sexual intercourse prior to Wisnosky's death. The

sperm found on Wisnosky's vaginal swabs was consistent with

Barnabei's blood type, and the chances were one in 972 million

that someone other than Barnabei contributed the sperm. The

evidence also supports the finding that Barnabei used force or

the threat of force. The medical examiner found bruising on the

introitus of Wisnosky's vagina and tearing of her anal opening,

and he testified that the bruising was caused by "violent

penetration." The examiner also found bruising on the abdomen,

and he testified that the bruising could have been caused by the

assailant's kneeling on Wisnosky "to hold [her] in place." When

this evidence is considered in conjunction with Wisnosky's other

brutal injuries, we hold that the evidence clearly supports the

jury's finding that Wisnosky had been raped.
VI
PENALTY PHASE
A

Seven witnesses testified in the penalty phase of the trial.

The Commonwealth called Sandra Ann Joaquin and Paula Barto;

Barnabei presented Charles A. Parker, Harvey L. Smith, Carla

DiSantis, Craig Barnabei, and Shannon Moore McHale. 7
7
Barnabei also called Dr. David Ray Faber, II, "a specialist
in adult general psychiatry and forensic and administrative
psychiatry," who had been appointed by the trial court to perform
various psychological examinations on Barnabei. Dr. Faber
testified, out of the jury's presence at Barnabei's request, that
he did not find any "psychological mitigating factors that could
be presented to the jury." He also testified that he did not
find anything to indicate that Barnabei was suffering from any

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 Joaquin testified that she had had an "[o]n and off"

romantic relationship with Barnabei during 1989 and 1990, while

they were students at Stockton State College, in New Jersey. On

a number of occasions, Barnabei had been "physically violent"

with her. On one occasion, he had "head butted" Joaquin

approximately three times, resulting in her seeking treatment for

a concussion. On another occasion, Barnabei had thrown her

against a wall and grabbed her tightly by the throat. Another

time, he had kicked her "between the legs," "grabbed" her, and

"smacked" her head. Although Barnabei had threatened to kill

Joaquin if she complained to the police, she finally filed

"harassment charges" against him. She ultimately agreed to drop

the charges in exchange for Barnabei's agreeing to leave her

alone.
Barto, Barnabei's former wife, also testified about his

aggressive behavior. She recounted that he had slapped her face

hard enough to leave "marks," had thrown her against a wall, and

had forced her to have anal intercourse against her will.

Barnabei had told Barto that, if she ever left him, he would find

and kill her. Barto finally left Barnabei on June 24, 1988, and,

thereafter, Barnabei left many threatening telephone messages on

her parents' answering machine. In one message, he said that he

was going to burn her father's business.

(..continued)
type of mental disease or defect that the jury could consider in
mitigation of Barnabei's punishment.

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 Parker, the mayor of Somers Point, New Jersey, a city of

about 12,000 citizens, testified that he was familiar with the

Barnabei family. He knew Barnabei as a young, grade school boy

when Barnabei received an academic award. However, he had not

seen Barnabei for "probably four or five years."

Smith, a councilman in Somers Point, testified that he had

known the Barnabei family socially since 1979. He recalled that

Barnabei "was one of the talented, gifted students" and that

Barnabei received an award when he finished the eighth grade.

However, he also had not seen Barnabei for "several years."
DiSantis testified that she had first become acquainted with

Barnabei in July 1993, and, in the fall of that year, they had

begun to date. In December 1993, they began living together in

an apartment in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. She and Barnabei worked in

the same restaurant. Barnabei was the "floor manager," and he

worked "[e]very day." They continued to live together until

Barnabei was arrested. DiSantis also testified that she and

Barnabei were "intimate" and "had relations." She stated that

Barnabei was never aggressive with her, never struck her, and was

"very sweet, very tender, always loving." She never had any

"physical difficulties [with Barnabei] in [their] intimate

relationship."

Craig Barnabei, the defendant's only sibling, testified

about his relationship with the defendant, who is two years

younger than Craig. He said that the two always had a close

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relationship. As children, they were in the "gifted and talented

program." When they were older, they "double-dated" on

occasions, and he noted that girls seemed to have a "particular

interest" in his brother. Craig further testified that the

defendant had been popular with other children and that he

defended those who were being bullied. Craig never saw his

brother be abusive to anyone.

McHale, one of Barnabei's former girlfriends, testified

that, during 1993 and before Barnabei left New Jersey, she and

Barnabei had been "lovers and best friends." She never had any

"physical problems" with him, and he was never abusive or rude to

her, even though she purposely tried to provoke him on an

occasion.
B

Barnabei contends that the trial court erred in refusing to

instruct the jury that he would not be eligible for parole for at

least 25 years. He asserts that the Supreme Court's rationale in

Simmons v. South Carolina, 512 U.S. ___, 114 S.Ct. 2187 (1994),

applies to his case. We disagree.

Simmons applies only to capital defendants who are

ineligible for parole. Barnabei is not parole-ineligible. See,

e.g., Roach v. Commonwealth, 251 Va. 324, 336, 468 S.E.2d 98, 111

(1996); Joseph v. Commonwealth, 249 Va. 78, 84, 452 S.E.2d 862,

866, cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 116 S.Ct. 204 (1995); Fitzgerald

v. Commonwealth, 249 Va. 299, 306-07, 455 S.E.2d 506, 510-11

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(1995), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 116 S.Ct. 1279 (1996).

C

Barnabei also contends that the trial court erred in

refusing proposed jury instructions B, C, and D, which relate to

mitigating factors and sentence alternatives. Again, we do not

agree. We conclude that the refused instructions, to the extent

they accurately stated the law, were unnecessary in view of the

instructions given. 8 Indeed, the instructions given by the trial

court were virtually identical to those we previously have

affirmed. See, e.g., Gray, 233 Va. at 350-51, 356 S.E.2d at 178.

D

Two of Barnabei's contentions regarding certain rulings of

the trial court in the penalty phase are procedurally defaulted.

Although Barnabei contends on appeal that the instructions

regarding the "vileness" and "future dangerousness" predicates

were vague and incomplete, he did not object when the

instructions were given. Therefore, we cannot consider this

contention. Rule 5:25.

Barnabei also contends on appeal that it is unclear from the

jury's verdict whether it based its verdict upon one or both of

the aggravating factors because the verdict contains the term

"and/or." Thus, he asserts, the verdict "is not meaningfully or

8
Instruction B was obviously improper because it would have
incorrectly told the jury that Barnabei had "no significant
history of prior criminal activity" and that "[t]he victim
consented to the act" of intercourse.

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rationally reviewable." Again, however, Barnabei did not object

to the verdict when it was returned by the jury or when judgment

was entered thereon. Thus, this contention is procedurally

defaulted. Rule 5:25. 9

E

Prior to trial, Barnabei filed a motion pursuant to Code

§ 19.2-264.3:2 to require the Commonwealth to provide notice of

any unadjudicated criminal conduct which it intended to present

in the penalty phase. Code § 19.2-264.3:2 provides, in pertinent

part, the following:
Upon motion of the defendant, in any case in which
the offense for which the defendant is to be tried may
be punishable by death, if the attorney for the
Commonwealth intends to introduce during a sentencing
proceeding held pursuant to § 19.2-264.4 evidence of
defendant's unadjudicated criminal conduct, the
attorney for the Commonwealth shall give notice in
writing to the attorney for the defendant of such
intention. The notice shall include a description of
the alleged unadjudicated criminal conduct and, to the
extent such information is available, the time and
place such conduct will be alleged to have occurred.

Approximately three weeks prior to trial, the Commonwealth

filed a 12-page notice, detailing numerous incidents of

unadjudicated criminal conduct which it intended to present. The

notice alleged, inter alia, that, during the time that Barnabei
had been married to Paula Barto, he had "engaged in a continuous

9
Also defaulted are Barnabei's generalized claims that the
trial court treated him unfairly and was biased in favor of the
Commonwealth. Further, we find no merit to the claim that the
court had an ex parte communication with the Commonwealth's
witness, Michael Bain.

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course of threatening and assaultive conduct against [her], said

conduct occurring on such a continuous and regular basis that

[she could not] recall each and every specific date and occasion

upon which such threatening and assaultive conduct occurred."

During the penalty phase of the trial, Barto testified about

her marriage to Barnabei and about various threats and acts of

violence he had inflicted upon her. During her testimony, Barto

related one incident when Barnabei had attempted to have anal

intercourse with her, but she successfully had resisted the

attempt. Barnabei then objected and moved for a mistrial,

asserting that the Commonwealth's notice had not adequately

apprised him of that specific incident. The trial court

overruled the objection, and Barto further testified, over

Barnabei's renewed objection, that Barnabei had forced her to

have sexual intercourse with him on other occasions.
Barnabei contends on appeal that the trial court erred in

allowing Barto to testify about incidents that were not

specifically alleged in the notice. We do not agree. We think

the Commonwealth's allegations that Barnabei engaged in

"assaultive conduct" against Barto and that Barto could not

recall "each and every . . . occasion" were sufficient to allow

the admission of her testimony. Moreover, the ruling rested

within the trial court's sound discretion, and, clearly, the

court did not abuse its discretion in admitting the testimony.

F

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 Barnabei asserts that, to the extent his sentence was based

upon a finding of either "vileness" or "future dangerousness,"

"it was in violation of [his] rights as guaranteed by the Sixth,

Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States

Constitution" and that each predicate "of the Virginia death

penalty statute was unconstitutionally used and found by the

sentencer." We interpret Barnabei's assertion to be that his

sentence should be vacated because the aggravating factors set

forth in the capital murder statute are unconstitutionally vague.
We previously have rejected this contention. See, e.g.,

Joseph, 249 Va. at 82-83, 452 S.E.2d at 865-66; Breard v.

Commonwealth, 248 Va. 68, 74, 445 S.E.2d 670, 675, cert. denied,

___ U.S. ___, 115 S.Ct. 442 (1994). Adhering to our previous

holdings, we again reject the contention. 10
VII
SENTENCE REVIEW

Code § 17-110.1(C) requires this Court to review Barnabei's

death sentence to determine whether the sentence (1) was imposed

under the influence of passion, prejudice, or any other arbitrary

factor; or (2) is excessive or disproportionate to the penalty

imposed in similar cases, considering both the crime and the

defendant. We conduct this review even though Barnabei makes no

claim that his sentence was the product of any arbitrary factor
10
Although Barnabei does not explain why the evidence is
insufficient to prove either statutory aggravating factor, we
conclude, nonetheless, that the jury's finding in that regard is
fully supported by the evidence.

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or that it is excessive or disproportionate.

From our independent review of the record, we have found

nothing to suggest that the death sentence was imposed under the

influence of passion, prejudice, or any other arbitrary factor.

Next, in considering whether the sentence is excessive or

disproportionate to the penalty imposed in similar cases, we must

determine whether other sentencing bodies in this jurisdiction

generally impose the death penalty for comparable or similar

crimes, considering both the crime and the defendant. Roach, 251

Va. at 350, 468 S.E.2d at 113. Consequently, we have compiled

and examined the records of all capital murder cases reviewed by

this Court, Code § 17-110.1(E), including both cases in which the

death sentence was imposed and cases in which life imprisonment

was imposed. In doing so, we have given particular attention to

those cases in which the death sentence was based upon both the

"vileness" and the "future dangerousness" predicates.

From this review, we conclude that Barnabei's death sentence

is neither excessive nor disproportionate to penalties generally

imposed by other sentencing bodies in the Commonwealth for

similar and comparable crimes. See, e.g., Goins v.

Commonwealth, 251 Va. 442, 469-70, 470 S.E.2d 114, 132 (1996);

Sheppard v. Commonwealth, 250 Va. 379, 395, 464 S.E.2d 131, 141

(1995), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 116 S.Ct. 1332 (1996); Graham

v. Commonwealth, 250 Va. 79, 89, 459 S.E.2d 97, 102, cert.
denied, ___ U.S. ___, 116 S.Ct. 535 (1995); Breard, 248 Va. at

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89, 445 S.E.2d at 682; Spencer, 238 Va. at 318-20, 384 S.E.2d at

799-800.
VIII
CONCLUSION

We have considered all issues discussed in Barnabei's brief

and find no reversible error. After conducting the sentence

review pursuant to Code § 17-110.1, we hold that the capital

murder conviction and the sentence of death should be affirmed.

Accordingly, we will affirm the trial court's judgments.
Record No. 952168--Affirmed.
Record No. 952169--Affirmed.

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