FI FTH DI VI SI ON
M CFA DDEN, P. J.

, BRA NCH and BETHEL, JJ.

N O T IC E : M otions for r e c ons i de r a tion m us t be ph y sic a l ly r e ce iv ed i n our c le r k ’s offic e w ithin te n da y s of the da te of de c is ion to be de e m ed tim e ly file d.

http://w w w .ga a ppe a l s .us /r ule s

June 1, 2017



# I n th e Co u r t o f

A p p eals o f

G eo r g ia

A1 7 A0 16 6 . W A LKER v

. THE STATE.

B E T H E L , J u d g e.

An t h o n y W al k er, p ro s e, ap p eal s t h e den i al o f h i s m o t i o n t o co rrect an i l l eg al

an d /o r vo i d s en t en ce. W al k er co n t en d s t h at t h e i m p o s ed s en t en ce o f l i fe wi t h p aro l e

i s v o i d b ecau s e t h e t ri al co u rt d i d n o t u s e i t s d i scret i o n wh en s en t en ci ng hi m , an d t h e

s en t en ce i t s el f i s i n d et erm i nat e. W e ag ree wi t h t h e t ri al c o u r t t h at W al k er’ s

al l eg at i o n s are wi t h o u t m eri t an d affi rm

.

In J u n e 19 9 1

, W al k er w as s en t en ced t o l ife wi th p aro l e f o l l o wi n g h i s arm ed

ro b b ery co n vi ct i o n

. He ap p eal ed

, an d t h is Co u rt affi rm ed h is co n v i ct i on i n M ay

1 9 9 2

. 1 In J u n e 2 0 16

, W al k er fi l ed a p o s t-co nv i ct i o n m ot i o n t o v o i d h i s s en ten ce an d

1 W a l ker v. S t a t e, 2 04 Ga. Ap p . 2 6 9 , 2 6 9 (4 1 9 SE2 d 5 4 2 ) (1 9 92 ).as k ed t h e t ri a l c o u r t t o co n d uct a re-s en t en ci n g h eari n g

. T he t ri al co u rt d en i ed t h e

m o ti o n b ecau s e t h e s en t en ce i m p o s ed was al l o w ed b y l aw, an d t h i s ap p eal fo l l o wed

.

1

. W al k er co nt en d s t h e t ri al co u rt erred b ecau s e i t di d no t u s e i t s di s cret i o n to

s e n t e n c e h i m t o l es s t i m e, an d b ecau s e i t rel i ed o n t h e St at e’ s arg u m en t t h at h i s

cri m i n al reco rd co ns t it u t ed ag grav at i n g ci rcu m st an ces , res u l ti n g i n s ev ere

p u n i s h m en t . W e d i s ag ree.

OCGA § 1 6-8 -4 1 (b ) 2 as i t ex i s t ed o n M arch 6

, 1 9 91

— t h e d at e th e cri m e was

co m m i t t ed

— p ro v i ded t h at “ [a] p ers o n co n v i c te d of the of f e ns e o f arm ed ro b b ery s h al l

b e pu n i s h ed b y d eat h o r i m p ri s o n m e n t fo r l i

f e o r b y i m

p ri s o n m en t fo r n o t l es s t h an

fi ve n o r m o re t h an 2 0 y ears .” (em p h as is su p pl i e d )

. Li fe wi t h p aro l e was a v al id

s en t en ce wh i ch fel l wi t h in t he st at u t o ry ran g e of p u n i s h m en t fo r arm ed ro b b ery , an d

req u i red n o ag g rav at i n g ci rcu m s t an ces i n o r d e r t o be im p o s ed

. Fu rt her, W al k er’ s

co n ten t i o n t h at th e tri al co u rt co n fu s ed t h e t erm s “ ag g rav at i o n” w i th “ reci d i v i s m ” i s

wi t h o u t s u p p o rt

. 3 “ As s ert i on s t ak i n g i s s u e wi t h th e p ro ced u re em pl o y ed i n i m

p o s i n g

a v al i d s en t en ce o r q u es t i o n in g t h e f ai rn es s o f an i m

p o s ed s en t en ce.

. . are n o t a

2 See Ga. L. 1 9 8 5

, p . 1 0 36 , § 1

.

3 T h e t ran s cri p t o f th e p re-s en t en ci n g h e ari n g was n o t i n cl u d ed in t h e reco rd

o n ap p eal

.

2m ean s fo r.

. . s en t en ce m o d i fi cat i o n .” Jo n es v. S t a t e, 27 8 G a. 6 6 9

, 6 7 0 ( 6 0 4 SE2 d

4 8 3 ) (2 0 04 ) (ci t at i o ns an d p u n ct u at i o n o m it t ed ). “ So lo n g as t h e s en t en ce i m p o s ed i s

wi t h i n t h e s t a t u t o ry l i m i t s, we wi l l n o t d i s t u rb i t .” Gi l l es p i e v. S t a t e , 3 1 1 Ga. Ap p.

4 4 2 , 4 4 2 (7 1 5 SE2 d 83 2 ) (2 0 1 1 ) (ci tat i o ns o m i t t ed ).

2

. W a l k e r f

u r t h er co n ten d s t h at u n d er O CGA § 1 7 -1 0 -1 t h e s en ten ce o f l i fe

wi t h p aro l e i s vo i d b ecau se i t i s an i n det erm in at e p u n i s h m en t

. U n d e r G eo rg i a l aw,

“ [a] s en ten ce i s v o i d i f t h e co urt i m p o s es p u n i sh m en t t hat t h e l aw d o es n o t al l o w.”

Jo n es
, 2 7 8 Ga. at 6 7 0 (ci t at i o ns an d p u n ct u at i o n o m i t t ed ). Th i s m ean s t h at i n s u p p o rt

o f h i s m o t i o n , W al k er was req u i red t o d em o n s t r a t e t h at t h e s en t en ce o f l i fe wi th

p aro l e is a pu n i s h m en t n o t al l o wed b y l aw. Bu r g v. St a t e, 2 9 7 Ga. A p p

. 1 1 8, 1 1 8 -1 9

(6 7 6 SE2 d 4 6 5 ) (2 0 0 9 ). W al k er al l eg es t h at t h e t ri al co u rt erred b ecau s e i t was

req u i red t o p res cri b e wi t h s peci f i c i t y th e m ax i m

u m t i m e h e was t o s erv e an d fai l ed

t o d o s o

. W e d i s ag ree.

In s u p p o r t o f h i s arg um en t

, W al k er fo cu s es on t h e l an g u ag e o f OCGA §

1 7

– 1 0

– 1 (a) (1 ) as i t ex i s t ed o n M arch 6

, 1 9 9 1

, w h i ch p ro v i d ed i n p art th at “ [e] x cep t

i n cas es i n wh i ch l i fe im p ri s o nm en t o r t h e d eat h p en al ty mu s t b e i m p o s e d

. . . t h e

ju d g e fi x i n g t h e s en t en ce s h al l p res cri b e a d et er mi n a t e s en ten ce

fo r a s p eci fi c n u mb er

o f mo n t h s o r yea r

s

. . . .” (em

p has i s s u p p l ied ). Ho wev er, W al k er fai l s t o reco g n i ze t h at

3OCGA § 1 6-8 -4 1 (b ) was al s o i n effect an d ap p l i cab l e at t h e s am e t i m e an d al l o wed

fo r a s en t en ce o f l i fe im

p ri s o n m en t

, o r a s en t en ce fro m fi v e t o t wen t y y ears fo r arm ed

ro b b ery

. Ev en if we co n ced e t h at read i n g OCGA § 1 6 –8

– 4 1 (b ) a n d O CGA §

1 7

– 1 0

– 1 (a) (1 ) to g et h er, as t h ey ex i s t ed at t h e ti m e, creat es a n a m b i g u i t y , in

res o l vi n g an y am

b i gu i t y we l o o k t o t he m o re s p eci fi c co d e s ect i o n an d ag ree wi t h t h e

t ri al co urt t hat W al k er’ s s en t en ce i s l eg i t i m at e. S ee S t o va l l v. St a t e , 2 1 6 Ga. Ap p

. 1 3 8,

1 4 1 (7 ) (4 5 3 SE2 d 1 10 ) (1 9 9 5 ).

In ad d res s i ng t h e s co p e o f t h ei r ap p l icab i l it y , OCGA § 1 7 –1 0

– 1 (a) (1 ) i s a

g en eral s en t en ci n g s t at u t e wh i l e OCGA § 1 6 –8

– 4 1 (b ) es t ab l i s h es t h e ran g e o f

s en t en ces au t h o ri zed s p eci fi cal l y fo r t h e cri m e o f arm ed ro b bery

. 4 Becau s e t h e

s p eci fi c s t at u t e p rev ai l s o v er t h e g en eral st at ut e, ab s en t an y in d icat i o n o f a co n t rary

l eg i s lat i v e i n t en t , a s en t en ce o f l i fe wi t h p aro l e i s a l awfu l s en t en ce. Bu r ke v. S t a t e ,

2 7 4 Ga. Ap p

. 4 0 2

, 4 0 4

– 0 5 (6 18 SE2 d 3 6 ) (2 0 0 5) (ci tat i o n s o m i t t ed ). Acco rd i n g l y ,

W al k er’ s s en t en ce fo r arm ed ro b b ery i s n o t v o id as a m at t er o f l aw, an d t h i s Co u rt h as

n o b as is t o d i s tu rb t h e s en t en ce o n ap p eal

.

Ju d g men t a f f i r m ed . McFa d

d en , P. J., a n d

Br a n ch , J., co n cu r

.

4 S t o va l l

, 2 1 6 Ga. Ap p

. at 1 4 1 (7 ). (“ OCGA § 1 6

– 8

– 4 1(b ) creat es a s en t en ci n g

s ch em e s peci fi cal l y fo r t he o ffen s e o f arm ed ro b b ery , wh ereas t h e fo rm er (as wel l as
t h e n o w am en d ed ) OCGA § 1 7

– 1 0

– 1 (a)(1 ) rel at ed t o s en t en ci n g g en eral l y

. ”).

4