Case Name: PEOPLE v. THORNTON
Court: Michigan Court of Appeals
Jurisdiction: Michigan
Decision Date: 1976-08-04
Citations: 70 Mich. App. 508
Docket Number: Docket No. 25452
Parties: PEOPLE v THORNTON
Judges: Before: Bashara, P. J., and V. J. Brennan and T. M. Burns, JJ.
Reporter: Michigan appeals reports; cases decided in the Michigan Court of Appeals.
Volume: 70
Pages: 508–511

Head Matter:
PEOPLE v THORNTON
Opinion of the Court
1. Criminal Law — Plea of Guilty — Reversal of Conviction — Motions — New Trial — Charge upon Retrial — Greater Charge.
The Court of Appeals is reluctant to extend the doctrine that the state may not charge a defendant with a higher offense upon retrial where his plea-based conviction has been reversed on appeal, but Supreme Court precedent seems to mandate that the same result apply where a defendant’s plea-based conviction is vacated by the trial court’s grant of a defense motion for new trial because of error in the plea proceedings.
Concurrence by T. M. Burns, J.
2. Criminal Law — Plea of Guilty — Reversal of Conviction — Motions — New Trial — Greater Charge.
The Supreme Court precedent which holds that after a plea-based conviction is reversed on appeal the state may not upon retrial charge the defendant with a higher offense arising out of the same transaction should also apply where a defendant’s conviction is vacated by the trial court’s grant of a defense motion for new trial because of error in the guilty plea proceedings (GCR 1963, 785.7).
References for Points in Headnotes
[1, 2] 21 Am Jur 2d, Criminal Law §§ 185-187, 189, 212, 494-496.
Conviction of lesser offense as bar to prosecution for greater on new trial. 61 ALR2d 1141.
Appeal from Recorder’s Court of Detroit, Joseph A. Gillis, J.
Submitted March 8, 1976, at Detroit.
(Docket No. 25452.)
Decided August 4, 1976.
Leave to appeal applied for.
Maurice Thornton was convicted, on his plea of guilty, of manslaughter. Defendant moved for new trial. Motion granted. Defendant was convicted of second-degree murder. Defendant appeals.
Judg ment amended to guilty of manslaughter and remanded for resentencing.
Frank J. Kelley, Attorney General, Robert A. Derengoski, Solicitor General, William L. Cahalan, Prosecuting Attorney, Patricia J. Boyle, Principal Attorney, Research, Training and Appeals, and Lee W. Atkinson, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, for the people.
Carl Ziemba, for defendant on appeal.
Before: Bashara, P. J., and V. J. Brennan and T. M. Burns, JJ.

Opinion:
Bashara, P. J., and V. J. Brennan, J.
We concur separately because of our extreme reluctance to extend the holding of People v McMiller, 389 Mich 425; 208 NW2d 451 (1973), any further. However, we agree with Judge T. M. Burns that Guilty Plea Cases, 395 Mich 96; 235 NW2d 132 (1975), seems to mandate the result reached by him. We agree with Justice Lindemer's decision in Guilty Plea Cases, supra, at 144-145, and would urge the Supreme Court to review the McMiller doctrine.