# 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 A1 76 7 . J ESSI E J . ASKEW , J R. v . THE STATE.

In 1 99 8

, a j u r y fo u n d J es s i e As k ew, J r., gu i l t y of arm ed ro b bery an d o t h er

o ffen s es , an d t he t ri al co u rt s en t en ced h i m , as a reci d iv i s t

, t o l ife i n p ri s o n wi th o u t t h e

p o s s i b i l i ty o f p aro l e. W e affi rm ed hi s co n v i ct i o n s an d s en t en c e s o n d i rect ap p eal

,

co n cl u d in g , i n rel ev an t p art

, t hat

, u n d er t he ap p l i cab l e s t at u t o ry sch em e, “ t h e t ri al

co u rt was m an d at ed i n t h i s c a s e t o s en t en ce As k ew t o li fe i m p ri so n m en t wi t h o ut

p aro l e.” As kew v. S ta t e , 2 5 4 Ga. Ap p. 1 3 7, 1 4 4 (1 1 ) (5 6 4 SE2 d 7 2 0 ) (2 0 0 2 ).

In Ap ri l 2 0 21

, As k ew fi l ed a “ M o t i o n fo r Res en t en ci n g Un d e r Su b s t an t i v e

Ch an g e i n Law,” in wh i ch h e co n t en ded t h at h e s h o ul d recei ve t h e b en efi t o f OCGA

§ 1 7-1 0 -6 .1 (e), wh i ch was en act ed i n 2 0 1 3 an d g r a n t s a t r i al co u rt th e au t h o ri t y to

i m p o s e a s en t en ce b el o w t h e m an d at o ry m i n i m u m i n cert ai n ci rcu m s t an ces

. See Ga.

L. 2 0 1 3

, p p

. 22 2

, 2 3 3, § 8

. Th e t ri al co u rt d en ied t h e m o t i on , an d As kew fi l ed t h i s

d i rect ap p eal . W e l ack ju ri sd 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 ur 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 l o w i n g a d i re c t 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 0 2 Ga. Ap p

. 34 6

, 3 4 8 (6 9 1 SE2 d 2 4 7 ) (2 0 1 0 ).

O n c e , a s h ere, t h is s t at u t o ry p eri o d ex p i res , a tri al co u rt m ay m o d i fy o n l y a v o i d

s en t en ce. Id

. “ A s en t en ce i s v o i d i f t h e co urt i m po s es p u n is h m en t t h at t h e l aw d o es

n o t a l l o w.” Jo n es v. St a t e , 2 7 8 Ga. 6 6 9

, 6 7 0 (6 0 4 SE2 d 48 3 ) (2 0 0 4 ) (p u n ct u at i o n

o m it t ed ). W h en a s en t en ce fal l s wi t h i n t h e s t at u t o r y r an g e o f p u ni s h m en t

, i t i s n ot

v o i d an d i s n o t s u b

ject t o m o d i fi cat i on b ey o n d t he t i m e p ro v i d ed in § 1 7 -1 0 -1 (f). See

i d

. M o reo v er, a d irect ap p eal d o es n o t l i e fro m t h e d en i al o f a m o t i o n t o m o d i fy a July 19, 2021s en t en ce fi l ed ou t s i de t h e s t at u t o ry t im e p eri o d u n l es s t h e m o t i o n 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

. Fr a z i er , 3 02 Ga. Ap p . at 3 48

. A cri m i n al d efen d an t m

u s t b e s en t en ced acco rd i n g t o t h e s en t e n c i n g l a w in

effect at t h e t i m e t h e cri m e was co m m it t e d

. S e e R e ed v. S ta t e , 3 5 2 Ga. Ap p

. 3 0

, 3 1

n

. 1 (8 3 3 SE2 d 7 1 2 ) (2 0 1 9 ) ; S e a r cy v. S ta t e , 1 6 2 Ga. Ap p

. 6 9 5

, 6 9 8 (2 ) (2 9 1 SE2 d

5 5 7 ) (1 9 8 2 ). Co n s e q u e n t l y, § 1 7 -1 0 -6 .1 (e)

– wh i ch w as en act ed aft er As k ew was

s en t en ced i n t h i s cas e

– h as n o b eari n g o n wh et h er t h e tri al co u rt h ad t h e au t h o ri t y to

i m p o s e a s en t en ce of l i fe i n pri s o n w i t h o u t t h e p o s s ib i l i ty o f p aro l e, p ret erm i t t i n g

wh et h er (a) t h at s t at u t e wo u l d h av e an y b eari n g o n As k ew’ s s en ten ce i f i t h ad b een

i n effect wh en t h e cri m es u n d erl y i n g h i s co n vi ct i o n s were co m m i t t ed or wh en h e was

s en t en ced

, an d / o r (b ) A s k ew’ s req ues t fo r a s en t en ce m o d i f i cat i o n i s b arred b y t h e

l aw o f th e cas e, g i v en o u r ru l i n g i n As k ew’ s d i rect ap peal t h at t he t ri al co u rt was

req u i red t o i m

p o s e th e s en t en ce i t di d

. See Ro ss v. S t at e , 3 1 0 Ga. Ap p

. 32 6

, 3 2 7 (7 1 3

SE2 d 4 3 8 ) (2 0 1 1) (“ [A] n y i s s u e t h at was rai s ed an d res o l v ed i n an earl ier ap p eal i s

t h e l aw o f t h e cas e an d i s b i n d in g o n t h i s Co u rt . . . .”) (p un ct u at i o n o m it ted ).

Fo r t h e ab o v e reas o n s , As k ew h as n o t rai s ed a co lo rab l e v o i d -s en t en ce cl ai m ,

as a res u l t o f wh i ch t h i s ap p eal i s h ereb y DISM ISSED. See Fr a z i er , 3 0 2 Ga. Ap p

. at

3 4 8 -3 4 9

.

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 t i f y t h a t th 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 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

. 07/19/2021