# 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 7 A1 62 9 . RON O. YOUNG v . THE STATE.

Du ri n g t h e s u m

m er an d earl y fal l o f 2 0 0 4, Ro n O. Yo u n g rap ed an d / o r s ex u al l y

as s au l t ed fi v e wo m en

. In Oct o b er 2 0 0 6

, h e was t ri ed an d co nv i ct ed fo r m u l t i p l e

o ffen s es

, i n cl u d i n g fo ur co u n ts of rap e, an d t he t ri al co urt s en t en ced h i m t o l i fe

wi t h o u t p aro l e. Yo u n g ap peal ed

, an d h i s co n vi ct i o n s were affi rm ed i n an u n p u b l i s h ed

o p i n i o n

. See Cas e Nu m

b er A0 8 A 0 5 9 1 ( d e ci d ed Ap ri l 2

, 2 0 0 8 ). In 2 0 1 6

, Yo u n g

p u rp ort ed t o fi l e a “ M o t io n t o Co rrect Vo i d Sen t en ce,” arg u i n g t h at h i s s en t en ce o f

l i fe wi th o u t p aro l e i s i m

perm i s s i b l e. Th e St at e m o v ed t o d i sm i s s t h e m o t i o n

, arg u i n g

t h at i t was fi l ed b y

a fel l o w p r i s o n er. Th e t ri al co urt g ran t ed t h e m o t i o n t o d i s m i s s

,

an d Yo u ng fi l ed t hi s ap p eal

.

Pret erm it t i n g wh et her d i s m i s s al was p ro p er, Yo u n g i s n o t en ti t led to a d i rect

ap p eal

. A d i rect ap p eal m ay b e t ak en fro m an o rd er d en y i n g o r d is m i ss i n g a m o t i o n

t o v a c a t e a v o i d s en t en ce o nl y i f t h e d efen d an 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 te

, 28 6 Ga. 2 1 6

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

(2 0 0 9); B u rg v. S t at e

, 29 7 Ga. A p p

. 1 18

, 1 1 9 (6 7 6 SE2 d 4 6 5 ) (2 0 09 ). A s en t en ce i s

v o i d o n l y i f i t i m

p os es p u n i s h m en t t h at t h e l aw do es no t al l o w. Cr u m b l e y v. S t a t e

,

2 6 1 Ga. 61 0

, 6 11 (1 ) (4 09 SE2 d 5 1 7 ) (1 9 9 1). “ M o t i o ns t o v acat e a v o id s en t en ce

g en eral l y are l i m i t ed to cl ai m s th at

– ev en as s um i n g t h e ex i s t en ce an d v al i d i t y o f 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 os ed

– t h e l aw do es n o t au t ho ri ze t h at

s en t en ce, m o s t t y

pi cal l y becau se i t ex ceed s t h e m o s t s ev ere p u ni s h m en t fo r wh i ch t h e

ap p li cab l e p en al s tat u t e p ro v i d es .” Vo n Th o ma s v. S t a t e

, 2 9 3 G a. 56 9

, 5 7 2 (2 ) (7 4 8

SE2 d 4 4 6) (2 0 1 3). May 16, 2017Co n trary t o Yo u n g ’s co nt en t i o n, l i fe wi t h o u t paro l e is a l awfu l s en t en ce fo r

rap e. See OCGA § 1 6-6 -1 (b ) (“ A p ers o n co n vi ct ed o f t h e o f f e n s e o f rap e s h al l b e

p u n i s h ed b y d eat h

, b y i m

p ri s o n m en t fo r l i fe wi th o u t p aro l e, b y i m p ri s o n m en t fo r l i fe,

o r b y a s p l i t s en t en ce th at i s a t erm o f i m pri s o n m en t fo r no t l es s t h an 2 5 y ears an d n ot

ex ceed in g li fe i m

p ri s on m en t

, fo l l o wed b y p ro bat i o n fo r l i fe.”). Acco rd i n gl y

, Yo u n g

h as fai l ed t o ra i s e a c ol o rab l e v o i d s en ten ce cl ai m

, an d t hi s ap p eal 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 t n 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

. 05/16/2017