# 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 6 A0 31 6 . FREDERI CK DW I GHT GREEN v . THE STATE.

In 2 0 0 8

, Fred eri ck Dwi g h t Green w as co nv i ct ed o f a r m e d ro b b ery an d

ag g rav at ed as s au l t

. Th e ju ry , h o wev e r , f o u n d h im n ot g u il t y o f t wo co u n t s o f

p o s s es s i o n o f a fi rea r m d u ri n g t h e co m m i s s i on of a cri m e. W e affi rm ed Green ’ s

co n vi ct i o n s an d s en t en ce i n an u n p u bl i sh ed op i n i o n

. Gr een v. S t a te

, Cas e No

. A0 9 A1 27 3 (d eci d ed Sep t

. 8

, 2 0 0 9 ). Gre e n s u b s eq u en t l y fi l ed a p ro s e m o t i o n,

arg u i n g t h at b ecau s e t h e ju ry fo u n d h i m n o t g ui l t y o f p o s s es s i o n o f a fi rearm , i t

o b v i o u s l y fo un d t h at n o g u n was i n v o l v ed

. Green i n s i s t s t h at

, i n li g h t of t h i s fi n d i n g,

h i s c o n v i ct i o n s fo r ag g rav at ed as sau l t an d arm ed ro b bery are v oi d

. Th e t ri al co u rt

d en ied Green ’ s m o t i o n, an d h e t h en fi l ed t h i s ap p eal

.

“ [A] p et i t io n to v acat e o r m o d i fy a j u d gm en t o f co n v i ct i o n i s n o t an ap p ro p ri at e

rem ed y i n a cri m i nal cas e.” Ha r p er v. S ta t e , 2 8 6 Ga. 2 1 6

, 2 1 8 (1 ) ( 6 8 6 S E 2 d 7 8 6 )
(2 0 0 9)

. An y ap p eal fro m an o rd er d en y i n g o r d i s m is s i n g s uch a m ot i o n m u s t b e

d i s m i s s ed

. See id .; Ro ber t s v. S t a t e , 2 8 6 Ga. 5 3 2 (6 9 0 SE2 d 1 5 0) (2 01 0 ). A d i rect

ap p eal m ay li e fro m an o rd er d en y i ng o r di s m i s s i n g a m o t io n t o v acat e a v o id

s en t en ce, b u t o n l y i f t he d efen dan t rai s es a c o l o r a b l e cl ai m th at t h e sen t en ce i s , in

fact

, v o id

. See Ha r

p er , s u pra at n .1 ; Bu rg v. S t a t e , 2 9 7 Ga. Ap p

. 11 8

, 1 1 9 (6 7 6 SE2 d

4 6 5 ) (2 0 09 ). A sen ten ce i s v o i d o n l y i f i t i m p o s es p u n is h m en t t h at t h e l aw d o es n ot

al l o w. Cr u mb l ey v. S t a t e , 2 6 1 Ga. 61 0

, 6 1 1 (a) (4 0 9 SE2 d 51 7 ) (1 9 91 ). “ M o t i o n s to

v acat e a v o i d s en t en ce g e n e r a l l y are l i m 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 o f t h e co n v i ct i o n fo r wh i ch t he s en t en ce was i m p o s ed

– t h e l aw

d o es n o t au t ho ri ze t h at sen ten ce, m os t t y p i cal l y b ecau s e it ex ceed s t h e m o s t s e v ere

p u n i s h m en t fo r wh i ch t h e ap p li cab l e p en al s t at u te p ro v i d es .” Vo n Th o ma s v. S t a t e , December 09, 20152 9 3 Ga. 5 6 9

, 5 7 2 (2 ) (7 4 8 SE2 d 4 4 6 ) (2 0 1 3 ).

Here, Green d i d n o t co n t en d t h at h i s s en t en ce was o ut s i d e t h e s t at u t o ry

m ax i m u m fo r h i s o ffen s es

. In s t ead

, h e arg u ed t h at hi s co n v ict i o n s are i n v al id b ecau s e

t h ey are b as ed on i n co n si s t e n t v e r d i ct s

. Th i s i s n o t a co l o rab l e v oi d -s en t en ce

arg u m en t . See i d

. M o reo v er, t h e Su p rem e Co u rt recen tl y o v erru l ed i t s pri o r p reced en t b arri n g

m u tu al l y ex cl u s iv e v erd i ct s

. See St a t e v. S p r i n g er , 2 9 7 Ga. 3 7 6 (2 ) (7 7 4 SE2 d 1 0 6 )
(2 0 1 5). See al s o W

i l l i ams v. St a t e ,

__ Ga.

_

_ (Cas e No

. S1 5 A 0 9 3 9

, d eci d ed No v

. 2,

2 0 1 5 ) (ap p l y in g S

p ri n ger ru l e i n a cas e wh ere t he co n vi ct io n was en t ered i n 2 0 0 8 );

Dr i s kel l v. St a t e ,

_

_ G a. Ap p

.

_

_ (Cas e N o

. A1 5 A1 44 3

, d eci d ed Sep t

. 2 3, 2 0 15 ) (W i th

S p r i n g er , “ t h e i nco n s i s t en t v erd i ct ru l e h as b een ab o l i sh ed i n Geo rg i a.”).

Be c au s e Green d id n o t rai s e a co l o rab l e v o i d -s en t en ce arg u m en t

, we l ack
ju r i s d i c t i o n t o rev i ew t he tri al co u rt ’ s den i al o f h i s m o t i on

. See Ro ber t s , s u p ra.

Acco rd in g ly , t h i 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 is a tr 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 t h 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

. 12/09/2015