Case Name: STATE of Vermont v. Donald SHEPERD
Court: Vermont Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Vermont
Decision Date: 2011-04-11
Citations: 189 Vt. 636
Docket Number: No. 10-336
Parties: STATE of Vermont v. Donald SHEPERD
Judges: 
Reporter: Vermont Reports
Volume: 189
Pages: 636–637

Head Matter:
2011 VT 44
[21 A.3d 694]
STATE of Vermont v. Donald SHEPERD
No. 10-336
April 11, 2011.

Opinion:
¶ 1. Defendant seeks full-Court review of a previous single-justice decision requiring a waiver "on the record in open corut," pursuant to V.R.A.P. 3(b)(2), before this Court will accept the parties' stipulation to dismissal of this automatic appeal from a sentence of life imprisonment. We conclude that Rule 3(b)(2) applies regardless of whether a defendant sentenced to life imprisonment seeks to waive the right to an automatic appeal before or after the appeal is docketed in this Court. Accordingly, we will not accept the parties' stipulation to dismissal of this appeal unless defendant waives the right to appeal on the record in open court. That requirement may be satisfied through a video or telephonic conference.