become
a drug addict soon after defendant’s birth and had never been a part of his life.
Rice spoke of the daily physical abuse she endured from Alonzo, which was
regularly witnessed by, and sometimes involved, defendant. She also described
the incredible lengths to which Alonzo would go to keep her under his control, and
said he raped her in front of defendant on multiple occasions. Rice was able to
move her family out of Alonzo’s house only after she responded to one of his
regular beatings by stabbing him with a pair of scissors. Their relationship ended
a few months later when he died from his burn injuries.
       Subsequently, Rice regularly moved the family between gang-affiliated
neighborhoods, which often resulted in her two sons being attacked. Rice also
described her involvement  Defendant also contends the extremely difficult childhood he endured
militates against imposition of the death penalty. Although the circumstances of
defendant’s early childhood were difficult and sympathetic, the traumatic events

18     Although Carl Bishop claimed at one point that he “[knew] for a fact” that
Leon West shot the woman, he thereafter stated repeatedly that it was very dark in
the hallway, that he had heard a shot, and that he had seen only a flash in the dark.




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he experienced occurred nearly 17 years before