# 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 :

A2 1 A0 47 3 . MARK STEPHAN NEW SOME, J R . v

. THE STATE.

In 2 0 08

, M ark St ep h an News o m e

, J r. was co n vi ct ed o f t wo co u n t s o f

ag g rav at ed as s au l t (OCGA § 1 6 -5 -2 1 ), o n e co u n t of arm ed ro b bery (OCGA § 1 6 -8

-

4 1 ), t w o co u nt s o f fa l s e i m p ri s o n m en t (OCGA § 1 6-5 -4 1 ), o n e co u n t of b u rg l ary

(OCGA § 1 6

- 7 -1 ), o n e co u n t o f t h eft by t ak in g (OCGA § 1 6 -8 -2 ), an d o ne co u n t o f

p o s s es s i o n o f a fi rearm d u ri n g a fel o n y (OCGA § 1 6 -1 1 -1 0 6 ). W e affi rm ed h i s

co n vi ct i o n s o n ap p eal b u t rem an d ed fo r res en ten ci n g o n Co u nt 2 (ag g rav at ed as s au l t )

an d Co un t 3 (arm ed ro b bery ). See News o me v

. S t a t e

, 3 2 4 Ga. Ap p

. 6 6 5 (7 5 1 SE2 d

4 7 4 ) (2 0 13 ). In 2 0 16

, N ews o m e, ap p eari n g p ro s e, fi l ed a m o t io n t o v a c a t e a v o id

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

, an d News o m e ap p eal s fro m t h at o rd er.

W e, h o wev er, l ack ju ri s d i ct i o n

.

Un d er OCGA § 1 7 -1 0 -1 (f), a co u rt m ay m o d ify a s en t en ce d u r i n g t h e y ear

aft er it s i m

p o s i t i o n o r wi t h i n 1 2 0 d ay s aft er rem i t t i t u r fo l lo wi n g a di rect ap p eal

,

wh i ch ev er i s l at er. Fr a z i er v. S t a t e , 3 02 Ga. Ap p . 3 46 , 3 4 8 (6 9 1 SE2 d 2 4 7 ) (2 0 1 0 ).

On ce, as h ere, th i s s t at ut o ry p eri o d has ex p i red

, a t ri al co u rt m ay m od i fy o n l y a v o id

s en t en ce. Id

. A s en ten ce is v o id i f t h e co u rt i m p o s es p u n i s h m en t t hat t h e l aw d o es n ot

al l o w. Jo n es v. S t a te

, 2 7 8 Ga. 6 6 9 , 6 7 0 (6 0 4 SE2 d 4 8 3 ) (2 0 0 4 ). “ M o t i o n s 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 t o cl ai m s t h at

– ev en as s u m i n g t he ex i s t en ce an d

v al i d i t y o f t h e co nv i ct i o n fo r wh i ch t h e s en t en ce was i m po s ed

– t h e law d o es n ot

au t h o ri ze t h at s en t en ce, m os t ty p i cal l y b ecau s e i t ex ceed s th e m o s t s ev 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 t e p ro vi des .” vo n Th o ma s v. S t a t e

, 2 9 3 Ga. 5 6 9,

5 7 2 (2 ) (7 4 8 SE2 d 4 4 6 ) (2 01 3 ). W h en a s en t en ce i s w i t hi n th e s t a t u t o r y ran g e o f

p u n i s h m en t

, i t i s n o t v oi d

. Jo n es

, 2 7 8 Ga. at 6 7 0

. Mo reo v er, a d i rect ap p eal d o es n ot November 13, 2020l i e fro m t h e d en i al o f a m o t io n t o m o d i fy a s en t en ce fi l ed o u ts i d e t h e s t at u t o ry t i m e

p eri o d un l es s t h e m o t i o n r a i s e s a co l o rab le cl ai m t h at th e s en t en ce i s

, in fact

, v o i d.

Fr a zi er , 3 0 2 Ga. Ap p . at 3 4 8

.

In h i s m ot i o n , News o m e arg u ed t h at h i s s en t en ce i s v o i d d u e to t h e fai l u re t o

m erg e Co u n t 1 (ag g rav at ed as s au l t ) wi t h Co u n t 3 (arm ed ro b b ery ). Su ch a m e r g er

arg u m en t i s a c h a l l en ge t o a co n v i ct i o n rat h er t h an a sen t en ce, an d t h u s d o es n ot

co n st i t u t e a v al i d v o id s en t en ce cl ai m . See W i l l i a ms v. S t a te

, 2 87 Ga. 1 9 2 , 1 9 3 -1 9 4

(6 9 5 SE2 d 2 44 ) (2 0 1 0 ). News o m e al s o arg u ed t h at t h e ev i d en ce i n s u pp o rt o f h i s

b u rg lary co n v i ct i on i s i n s u ffi ci en t

, wh i ch is al s o a ch al l en ge t o h i s co n v i ct i o n rat h er

t h an h i s s en t en ce. Th e S u p r e m e C o u r t has m ad e cl ear t h at a m o t i o n s eek i n g to

ch al l en g e an al l eg ed l y i n v al id o r v o i d ju d g m en t o f c o n v i c t io n “ i s n o t o n e o f t h e

es t ab l i s h ed p ro ced u res fo r ch al l en g i n g t h e val i d i t y o f a ju d g m en t i n a cri m i n al cas e”

an d t h at an ap peal fro m

t h e d en i al o f s uch a m o t i o n i s s u b ject t o d i s m i s s al

. Ro b er 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 ).

News o m e’ s rem ai n in g cl ai m s

– t hat hi s s en t en ce was u n d u l y h ars h an d t h at t h e

t r i a l co u rt s h o u l d h av e i m po s ed co n cu rren t s en t en ces

– are al s o n ot val i d v o id

s en t en ce arg u m en t s

. A rg u m en t s p ert ai n i n g t o t h e s ev eri t y o f s en ten ces d o n ot

co n st i t u t e v al i d v oi d s e n t en ce cl ai m s ab s en t a co l o rab l e cl ai m t h at a s en ten ce li es

o u t s i d e t he s t at ut ory ran g e o f p u n i s h m en t

. See Fr a z i er

, s u p ra. A d d i t i o nal l y

, a t ri al

co u rt h as d i s cret io n t o i m p o s e c o n s e cu ti ve o r co n cu rren t s en t en ces fo r s ep arat e

o ffen s es

, as l o ng as t h e sen ten ce fo r each o ffen s e i s w i t h i n t h e st at ut o ry li m i t s

. See

Ro o ney v. S t a t e

, 2 8 7 Ga. 1, 3 -6 (3 ) (6 9 0 SE2 d 8 0 4 ) (2 0 10 ); s ee al s o OCGA § 1 7 -1 0

-

1 0 (a); Do wl i n g v. S t at e

, 2 7 8 Ga. A p p

. 9 0 3

, 9 0 4 (6 3 0 SE2 d 1 4 3 ) (2 00 6 ). Here, each

s en t en ce News o m e recei v ed i s wi t h in t h e s t at u t o ry l i m i ts : 2 0 years fo r ag g rav at ed

as s au l t

, 1 5 y ears fo r arm ed ro bb ery

, 5 y ears fo r fal s e i m p ri so n m en t

, 1 5 y e ars fo r

b u rg lary

, 1 0 y ears fo r t h eft b y t ak i n g

, an d 5 y ears fo r p o s s es s i o n o f a fi rearm d u ri n g

t h e co m m i s s i o n o f a fel o n y

. See OCGA § § 1 6 -5 -2 1 (b ); 1 6-8 -4 1 (b ); 16 -5 -4 1 (b ); 1 6

-7 -1 (b ); 16 -8 -1 2 (a) (1 ); 1 6 -1 1 -1 06 (b ). Acco rd i n g l y

, News o m e’ 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 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

. 11/13/2020