Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-05-01839/USCOURTS-ca8-05-01839-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Geoffrey L. Rashaw
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

*

The Honorable Gary A. Fenner, United States District Judge for the Western

District of Missouri.

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 05-1839

___________

United States of America, *

*

Appellee, * Appeal from the United States

* District Court for the Western

v. * District of Missouri.

*

Geoffrey L. Rashaw, * [UNPUBLISHED]

*

Appellant. *

___________

Submitted: March 14, 2006

Filed: March 20, 2006

___________

Before WOLLMAN, FAGG, and RILEY, Circuit Judges.

___________

PER CURIAM.

A jury convicted Geoffrey L. Rashaw on two counts of being a felon in

possession of a firearm and one count of possessing an unregistered firearm. At

Rashaw’s post-Booker sentencing, the government presented evidence that Rashaw

possessed firearms in connection with a double homicide. Based on the evidence, the

district court*

 set Rashaw’s base offense level at 43 under U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(c)(1)(B)

(if defendant used or possessed any firearm in connection with the commission of

another offense and death resulted, apply the most analogous offense guideline from

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chapter two, part A, subpart 1 (homicide)). See U.S.S.G. § 2A1.1 (setting base

offense level of 43 for first-degree murder). With a base offense level of 43 and a

criminal history category of III, the sentencing guidelines set the sentence at life

imprisonment. Because statutory provisions limited the sentence on each count to ten

years, however, the court sentenced Rashaw to three consecutive 120-month terms of

imprisonment under U.S.S.G. § 5G1.2(d). 

Rashaw appeals arguing the 360-month sentence is unreasonable because the

district court expressly based the sentence on a finding that he had committed an

unrelated, uncharged double murder. Rashaw points out the guns he possessed with

respect to his sentence were not involved in the double homicide. The § 2K2.1

enhancement for using a firearm in another felony need not be the same firearm

involved in the offense of conviction, however. United States v. Davis, 360 F.3d 901,

903 (8th Cir. 2004). 

Rashaw also argues that under United States v. Booker, 543 U.S. 220 (2005),

the double murder had to be found by a jury beyond a reasonable doubt, rather than

by a judge on a preponderance of the evidence. Because the district court applied the

guidelines in an advisory manner, the court could find sentence-enhancing facts by a

preponderance of the evidence. United States v. Garcia-Gonon, 433 F.3d 587, 593 (8th

Cir. 2006); United States v. Red Elk, 426 F.3d 948, 951 (8th Cir. 2005) (including

uncharged conduct). 

Rashaw contends that although the court had statutory authority to impose the

360-month sentence, the sentence is unreasonable because the court gave weight to

an improper factor–the uncharged double murder. We disagree. The double murder

was relevant conduct that was properly considered in deciding Rashaw’s guidelines

range and the factors in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a). See Davis, 360 F.3d at 903. 

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Last, we grant Rashaw’s motion to file a supplemental brief, and reject the

contentions raised in the brief because they lack merit. We thus affirm the district

court. ______________________________

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