Case Title: State v. Shawn L. Spivey

Citation: 

Docket Number: a-8-03

State: new-jersey

Court: New Jersey Supreme Court

Date: 2004-04-01T00:00:00Z

Document:
(This syllabus is not part of the opinion of the Court. It has been prepared by the Office of the Clerk for the convenience of the reader. It has been neither reviewed nor approved by the Supreme Court. Please note that, in the interests of brevity, portions of any opinion may not have been summarized). Plaintiff-Respondent, v. SHAWN L. SPIVEY, Defendant-Appellant. Argued January 21, 2004 Decided April 1, 2004 On certification to the Superior Court, Appellate Division, whose opinion is reported at 358 N.J. Super. 578 (2003). Michael J. Confusione, Designated Counsel, argued the cause for appellant (Yvonne Smith Segars, Public Defender, attorney). Steven J. Kaflowitz, Assistant Prosecutor, argued the cause for respondent (Theodore J. Romankow, Union County Prosecutor, attorney). JUSTICE ALBIN delivered the opinion of the Court. A person who possesses a firearm while in the course of possessing with intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance within 500 feet of a public park commits a second-degree crime. N.J.S.A. 2C:39-4.1a. In this case, defendant was arrested outside his apartment building as the police began a search of his apartment that uncovered a sizeable stash of drugs and a loaded gun. We must determine whether that evidence was sufficient to convict defendant under N.J.S.A. 2C:39-4.1a. Ordinarily evidence of prior convictions should be admitted and the burden of proof to justify exclusion rests on the defendant. Id. at 144. Defendant did not meet that burden. The lapse in time between his prior convictions and his current crime did not exceed the permissible threshold for admissibility. Cf. id. at 146 (admitting numerous convictions occurring between 1950 and 1971 in trial for incident occurring in 1973); State v. Morris, 242 N.J. Super. 532, 544-45 (App. Div.) (admitting ten-year-old murder convictions), certif. denied, 122 N.J. 408 (1990); State v. Harkins, 177 N.J. Super. 397, 400-01, 403 (App. Div. 1981) (admitting thirteen-year-old conviction for assault with intent to rob and ten-year-old convictions for breaking and entering and malicious damage to property). The trial court did not commit error by admitting defendant s prior convictions. STATE OF NEW JERSEY, Plaintiff-Respondent, v. SHAWN L. SPIVEY, Defendant-Appellant. DECIDED April 1, 2004 Chief Justice Poritz PRESIDING OPINION BY Justice Albin CONCURRING/DISSENTING OPINIONS BY DISSENTING OPINION BY Any person who has in his possession any firearm while in the course of committing, attempting to commit, or conspiring to commit a violation of N.J.S. 2C:35-3, N.J.S. 2C:35-4, N.J.S. 2C:35-5, section 3 or section 5 of P.L. 1997, c. 194 (C. 2C:35-5.2 or 2C:35-5.3), N.J.S. 2C:35-6, section 1 of P.L. 1987, c. 101 (C. 2C:35-7), section 1 of P.L. 1997, c. 327 (C. 2C:35-7.1), N.J.S. 2C:35-11 or N.J.S. 2C:16-1 is guilty of a crime of the second degree.