# C o u rt o f

A p p ea ls

o f t h e S t a te o f

G eo rg ia

ATLANTA,_

_ _ __ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _

Th e Co u rt

o f Ap p ea l s h er eb y p a s s es t h e f

o ll owi n g o r der :

A1 8 A1 69 0 . DAVI D LEON KI RKLAND v . THE STATE.

Dav i d Ki rk lan d w as co n v i ct ed o f arm ed ro b b ery an d s en t en ced t o l i fe wi t h o ut

t h e p o s s ib i l i t y o f p aro l e, an d hi s co n v i ct i o n w as affi rm ed o n ap peal

. See Ki r kl a n d v.

S t a t e

, 3 1 5 G a. Ap p

. 1 4 3 (7 2 6 SE2 d 6 4 4 ) (2 0 12 ). In Jan u ary 20 1 8, he fi l ed a “ m o t i o n

t o v a cat e v o i d an d i l l eg al s en t en ce,” arg ui n g th at h e was i l l eg al l y s en t en ce d a s a

reci di v i s t

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

, an d Ki rk l an d t h en fi l ed t h i s ap p eal

. W e,

h o wev er, l ack ju ri s di ct i o n.

A d i rect ap p eal m ay l i e fro m an o rd er d en y i n g o r d i s m is s i n g a m o t i o n t o v acat e

a v oi d s en t en ce, b u t o n l y i f t h e d efen dan t rai s es a co l o rab l e cl ai m t h at t h e s en t en ce

i s

, i n fact , v o i d . See Ha r

p er v. S t a t e , 2 8 6 Ga. 2 1 6 , 2 1 7 n .1 (6 86 SE2 d 7 86 ) (2 0 0 9 );

Bu r g v. S t a t e

, 29 7 Ga. Ap p

. 11 8

, 1 1 9 (6 7 6 SE2 d 4 6 5 ) (2 0 0 9 ). “ M o t i on s t o v acat e a

v o i d s en t en ce g en eral l y are l im i t ed t o cl ai m s t h at

– ev en as su m i n g t h e ex i s t en ce an d

v al i d i t y of t h e co n v i ct i o n fo r wh i ch t h e s en t en ce was i m p o se d

– t h e law d o es n ot

au t h o ri ze t h at s en t en ce, m ost t y pi cal l y b ecau s e i t ex ceed s th e m os t s ev ere p u n i s h m en t

fo r wh i ch t he ap p l i cab l e p en al s t at u t e p ro vi d es

. ” vo n Th oma s v. S t a t e

, 2 9 3 Ga. 5 6 9,

5 7 2 (2 ) (7 4 8 SE2 d 4 46 ) (2 0 1 3 ).

Ki rk l an d co n t en ds t h at h i s s en t en ce i s v o i d b ecau se t h e t ri al co u rt im p ro p erl y

s en t en ced h i m t o l i fe wi t h o u t paro l e wi t h o u t fi rs t s eek i n g t h e d eat h p en al t y an d fi l i n g

t h e ap p ro p ri at e n o t i ce as req u i red u n d er OCGA § 1 7 -1 0 -1 6 (a). As n o ted b y t h e t ri al

co u rt

, h o w ev er, Ki rk l an d wa s n o t sen t en ced u n d er § 1 7 -1 0 -1 6 (a). Rat h er, b ecau s e

Ki rk l an d h ad at l eas t t hree pri o r fel o n i es at t h e t i m e h e co m m i tt ed th e arm ed ro b b ery

o ffen s e, t h e t ri al co u rt was au t h o ri zed t o s en t en ce h im u n d er OCGA § 1 7 -1 0 -7 (c) as

a reci di v i s t an d i m

p o s e a l i fe s en t en ce wi t ho u t th e p o s s i b il i ty o f p aro le. See OCGA June 14, 2018§ 1 7 -1 0 -7 (c) (h o l d i n g t h at a p ers o n hav i n g been co n v i ct ed o f th ree o r m o re fel o n i es

s h al l b e sen ten ced t o s er v e t h e m ax i m u m t im e fo r a s ub s eq u en t o ffen s e wi t h o ut

el i g i b i l i t y fo r p aro l e).

M o reo v er, K i rk l an d h as al read y fi l ed a m o t i on rai s i n g t h e s am e arg u m en t

, an d

t h i s Co u rt d i s m i s s ed h i s ap peal fro m t h e t ri al co u rt ’ s d en i al of t h at m ot i o n

. See

A1 8 A0 09 4 (Di s m i s s ed on Au g u s t 18

, 2 0 1 7 ). W e are, t herefo re, p recl u d ed fro m

r e v i s i t i n g t h e i s s u e. See Pa r a di s e v. S t a t e

, 3 21 Ga. Ap p

. 3 7 1, 3 73 (7 4 0 SE2 d 2 3 8 )

(2 0 1 3) (“ Al t h o u g h a v o i d s en t en ce m ay b e ch al l en ged at an y ti m e, ‘ t hi s i m p o r t a n t

l eg al p ri n ci p l e i s

, n ev ert hel es s

, s u bject t o t h e eq u al l y wel l es t ab l i s h ed p ri nci p l es o f

res ju d i cat a an d th e law-o f-t h e-cas e ru l e o n c e t h e i s s u e h as b een rai s ed an d ru l ed

u p o n .’ ”); Ro s s v. S ta t e

, 31 0 G a. Ap p

. 3 2 6

, 3 2 8 (7 1 3 S E 2 d 43 8 ) (2 0 1 1) (wh i l e v o id

s en t en ce i s n u l l i t y an d m ay b e v acat ed at an y t im e, i t i s s t i l l s u b ject t o res ju di cat a an d

l aw-o f-t h e-cas e ru l e; d efen d an t “ n ot en t i tl ed t o m u l t i p l e b i tes at t h e ap p l e”).

Fo r t h e reas o n s s tat ed ab o v e, t h i s ap p eal i s h e reb y DISM ISSED fo r l ack o f

ju ri s d i ct i o n

.

C o u r t o f A p p e a l s o f t h e S t a t e o

f G e o r g ia

C le r k ’ s O f f i c e

, A t la n t a

,

_

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I c e r ti fy t h a t t h e a b o v e i s a t r u e e x t r a c t f r o m

t h e m i n u t e s o

f t h e C o u r t o

f A p p e a l s o f G e o r g i a

.

W i tn e s s m y s i g n a t u r e a n d th e s e a l o

f s a i d c o u r t

h e r e t o a f f i x e d t h e d a y a n d y e a r l a s t a b o v e w r i t t e n

.

, C l e r k

. 06/14/2018