# 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 D0 09 1 . J AMES OTI S BURDEN v . THE STATE.

J am es O t i s Bu rd en w as co n v i ct ed o f two co un t s o f arm ed ro b b ery i n 2 0 0 6 an d

s en t en ced to l i fe wi t h o u t p aro l e as a reci d i v i st p u rs uan t t o OCGA § 1 7 -1 0 -7

. W e

affi rm ed h i s co nv i ct i on s o n d i rect ap p eal

. See Bu r d en v. S t a t e, 2 96 Ga. Ap p. 4 4 1 (6 7 4

SE2 d 6 68 ) (2 0 0 9 ). In 2 0 1 4

, Bu rd en beg an ch al l en g in g hi s s en t en ce. 1 M os t recen t l y

, Bu rd en fi l ed a m o t i o n to co rrect a v o i d s en ten ce i n wh i ch h e rel i ed o n S t a t e v.

In g r a m

, 2 6 6 Ga. 3 2 4 (4 6 7 SE2 d 5 2 3 ) (1 99 6 ), d i sap p ro ved o f b y Ki mb r o u g h v. S t a t e

, 3 0 0 Ga. 5 1 6 (7 9 6 SE2 d 6 9 4 ) (2 0 1 7 ), t o arg u e t hat h e was n ot el i g i bl e fo r a s en t en ce

o f li fe wi t h o u t p aro l e b ecau se t h e St at e d i d n o t fi l e a n o t i ce o f i n t en t t o s eek th e d eat h

p en al t y

. On M arch 13

, 2 01 7

, th e t ri al co u rt d is m i ss ed Bu rd en ’ s m ot i o n

, an d h e fi l ed

a d i s cret i o n ary ap p l i cat i o n i n t h e Su p re m e Co u rt o n Au g u st 1

, 2 0 1 7

, wh i ch

t ran s ferred t h e ap p l i cat i o n t o t h is Co urt

. See Cas e N o. S1 7 D 2 0 14 (t ran s ferred Au g u s t

2 4 , 2 0 1 7 ). W e, h o wev er, l ack ju ri s d i 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 ng o r di sm i s s i n g a m o t io n t o v acat e

o r co rrect a v o i d s en t en ce o n l y i f th e d efen d an t rai ses a co l orab 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

, 28 6 Ga. 2 1 6

, 2 1 7 n .1 (6 8 6 SE2 d 7 8 6 )

(2 0 0 9); Bu r

g v. S t a t e

, 2 9 7 Ga. Ap p

. 11 8

, 1 19 (6 7 6 SE2 d 4 6 5 ) (2 00 9 ). Ord in ari l y

, we

wi l l g ran t a t im el y ap p l i cat i o n wh en t h e l o wer co u rt ’ s o rd er i s s u b ject to d i rect ap p eal

. See OCGA § 5 -6 -3 5 (j). Here, h o wev er, t h e tri al co u rt ’ s o rd er i s n o t s ub ject t o d i rect

ap p eal an d Bu rd en ’ s ap p l i cat i o n i s n o t t i m el y

.

“ M o t i o n s t o v acat e a vo i d s en t en ce gen eral l y are l im it ed to cl ai m s t h at

– ev en

as s u m in g t h e ex i s t en ce an d v al i d i t y o f t h e c o n v i ct i o n fo r wh i ch t he s en t en ce was

1 In 2 0 1 4

, Bu rd en fi l ed a m o t i o n t o vacat e a v o i d s en t en ce, ch al l en g i n g t h e

p ro ced ure em

p l o y ed in i m

p o s i n g h i s s en t en ce. Th e t ri al co u rt d en i ed h i s m o t i o n

, an d

h e fi l ed a d i rect ap p eal i n t h i s Co u rt

, wh i ch was d i s m i s s ed fo r fai l u re t o s t at e a v al id

v o i d -s en t en ce cl ai m

. See Cas e No

. A1 4 A1 18 3 (d i s m i s s ed M arch 1 7

, 2 0 14 ). In 2 0 1 6,

Bu rd en fi l ed a m ot io n t o co rrect a v o i d s en t en ce, wh i ch t h e t ri al co u rt d i s m i s s ed

. October 03, 2017i m

p o s ed

– t h e l aw d o es no t au t h o ri ze t hat s en t en ce, m os t t y p i cal l y b ecau s e it ex ceed s

t h e m os t s ev ere p u n i s h m en t fo r w h i ch th e ap p li cab l e p en al s t at u t e p ro vi des .” vo n

Th o ma s v. S t at e , 2 9 3 Ga. 5 69 , 5 7 2 (2 ) (7 4 8 SE2 d 4 4 6 ) (2 0 13 ). Bu t o u r p reced en t i s

cl ear t h at In g r a m d o es no t p ro h i b i t reci d i v i s t sen t en ces o f l i fe wi th o ut p aro l e i m p o s ed

u n d er OCGA § 1 7 -1 0 -7 an d

, t h erefo re, s u ch a s en t en ce i s n o t v o i d

. See Ki mb r o u g h

, 3 0 0 Ga. at 5 1 8 -5 2 0 (3 ); Red d en v. S t a t e

, 29 4 Ga. Ap p

. 8 7 9

, 8 8 1 (2 ) (6 7 0 SE2 d 5 5 2 )

(2 0 0 8). Th us , Bu rd en h as fai l ed t o rai se a v al i d v o i d-s en t en ce cl ai m

. Fu rt herm o re, a d i s cret i o n ary ap p l i cat i o n m u s t b e fi l ed wi t h i n 30 d ay s o f en t ry

o f t h e ju dg m en t s o u g h t t o b e ap p eal ed

. OCGA § 5 -6 -3 5 (d ). Th e req u i rem en ts o f

OCGA § 5 -6 -3 5 are ju ri s d i ct i o n al

, an d t hi s Co u rt can n o t accep t an ap pl i cat i o n fo r

ap p eal n o t m ad e i n co m

pl ian ce t h erewi t h

. Bo

yl e v. S t a t e

, 1 9 0 Ga. A p p

. 7 3 4

, 7 3 4 (3 8 0

SE2 d 5 7 ) (1 9 8 9); acco rd In t h e In t er es t of B. R. F.

, 3 3 8 Ga. Ap p

. 7 6 2

, 7 62 (7 9 1 SE2 d

8 5 9 ) (2 0 16 ). Becau s e Bu rd en fi l e d h i s ap p l i cat i o n i n t he Su p rem e Co u rt 1 4 1 day s

aft er en t ry o f t h e ju d g m en t h e s eek s t o ap p eal , i t i s u n t i m el y

. Fo r t h es e reas on s , t h i s ap p l i cat i o n i s h ereb y DISM ISSED.

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

. 10/03/2017