Case Name: COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania v. Quinterio SMART, Appellant
Court: Superior Court of Pennsylvania
Jurisdiction: Pennsylvania
Decision Date: 1989-10-04
Citations: 387 Pa. Super. 518
Docket Number: No. 733
Parties: COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania v. Quinterio SMART, Appellant.
Judges: Before BROSKY, BECK and HOFFMAN, JJ.
Reporter: Pennsylvania Superior Court Reports
Volume: 387
Pages: 518–531

Head Matter:
564 A.2d 512
COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania v. Quinterio SMART, Appellant.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania.
Argued June 13, 1989.
Filed Oct. 4, 1989.
Thomas L. Kearney, York, for appellant.
H. Stanley Rebert, Dist. Atty., York, for Com., appellee.
Before BROSKY, BECK and HOFFMAN, JJ.

Opinion:
BROSKY, Judge.
This is an appeal from a judgment of sentence imposed upon appellant after he was convicted of burglary but acquitted on charges of robbery, two counts of rape and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse. Appellant raises one issue for our consideration: whether the sentencing court abused its discretion by imposing a sentence which was too severe and excessive under the circumstances. Upon considerable reflection and consideration of all arguments and considerations, we vacate the judgment of sentence and remand for resentencing.
Appellant participated in the burglary of a home used as a shelter for abused women. Two women testified that they were raped during the commission of the crime and that appellant participated in the rapes. The appellant, however, testified that he had been drinking when approached by two individuals to commit a burglary and/or robbery. According to his testimony appellant led the individuals to the home but then indicated an unwillingness to participate further and left. At the conclusion of a jury trial, appellant was convicted of burglary but acquitted of the remaining charges.
At sentencing it was indicated that at the age of 14 or 15, appellant had knocked a five year old off a bicycle and ridden off on it. Appellant was discharged from a home for boys for this behavior. However, according to the record, other later juvenile placements resulted in satisfactory adjustments. Despite the fact that the guideline sentences for burglary were 12-29 months in the standard range and 29-36 months in the aggravated range, appellant was sentenced to eight to twenty years imprisonment; thus representing a minimum sentence of two and a half times the outside of the guideline sentence in the aggravated range. This sentence was imposed despite a recommendation in the pre-sentence investigation report of a sentence of imprisonment in a two and one half to five years range. The report also mentioned that it was the practice of the local court to impose a long county or short state prison sentence for such convictions of burglary. It is further noteworthy that appellant had charges pending against him for other serious offenses.
Upon considerable review of appellant's contention, that the trial court abused its discretion in imposing sentence, we are inclined to agree with that contention and therefore vacate the sentence imposed. We believe this conclusion should be reached simply in consideration of the sentence imposed, the conviction returned and the so-called aggravating circumstances offered by the trial court to justify the sentence imposed. However, we believe this conclusion is further compelled in light of the fact that appellant was acquitted of several other charges. The circumstances of the present case, in our opinion, invite a tremendous amount of suspicion that the trial court was simply disregarding the jury's verdict of not guilty of the various charges other than burglary and imposing sentence as if appellant had been convicted of those charges. This is a situation which can erode the confidence in the jury trial system and violates the convicted individual's fundamental right to be judged by a jury of his peers.
We start our discussion with a recitation of the general standard to be applied to our review. It is axiomatic that sentencing is within the discretion of the sentencing court and that the sentence imposed will not be disturbed absent an abuse of discretion. Commonwealth v. Edrington, 490 Pa. 251, 416 A.2d 455 (1980). However, this deference paid to the trial court does not necessitate a rubber stamped approval of the sentences imposed by the sentencing court. Appellate review of sentencing matters would become a mockery and a sham if all sentences were routinely affirmed under the guise of discretion of the trial court. Further, it must be considered our function to review sentences in a more detached manner so that we can ensure not only a fair and impartial sentence under the circumstances, but also to protect against grossly disparate treatment of like offenders throughout the Commonwealth. It should also be understood that a finding of an abuse of discretion does not necessarily equate with a finding of bias or wrongdoing on the part of the sentencing court, but rather is consistent with a finding that a reviewing body believes the sentence inappropriate under the circumstances to a degree beyond the bounds of reasonable discretion and deference to the sentencing court. Thus, among other things, an abuse of sentencing discretion can be found if the sentencing court issues a sentence which is manifestly excessive. See, Commonwealth v. Simpson, 353 Pa.Super. 474, 510 A.2d 760 (1986), and cases cited therein.
Looking first to the conviction of burglary, we do not believe the so-called aggravating circumstances justified the sentence imposed here. The minimum side of eight years, as it happens, was more than two and a half times greater than the outside of the aggravated range of 29-36 months. The trial court indicates that it was an aggravating factor that the target of the burglary was a home for abused women. Yet burglary is, at least considering its common law roots, a crime against a dwelling, not a crime against an individual, and it would seem rather immaterial who occupies the dwelling.
The court also indicates as an aggravating factor appellant's action, at 15 years of age or less, in knocking a five year old off a bicycle and stealing it. Although such behavior is not to be condoned and is most definitely anti-social, (as noted by the trial court), imprisonment for such behavior could lead to the incarceration of many a neighborhood bully. Meanwhile, the trial court apparently gave little credit to appellant for withdrawing from the criminal venture and the evidence that he was intoxicated at the time of the incident. Although these factors cannot be considered excuses for committing a crime they could be considered factors depreciating the voluntariness of the enterprise or depicting a reconsideration of the criminal endeav- or. In either case they would seem to be factors tending to mitigate the gravity of the offense.
Furthermore, the fact that appellant was acquitted of all of the offenses which could be classified as those against the person would seem to be a mitigating factor as well. Certainly, we do not see the justification in imposing an 8 to 20 year sentence when the standard sentencing range was 12 to 29 months and the sentence recommended to the court by the pre-sentencing investigator was two and a half to five years imprisonment.
We are further concerned because the facts of the present case create a strong suggestion that appellant is being punished for crimes of which he was acquitted. We note the trial court's insistence that he was sentenced only for the burglary charge. Yet it is entirely possible that the charges appellant was acquitted of, along with those charges pending disposition, were working subconsciously to make the trial court take a particularly hardened stance on sentencing. When these factors are put completely out of mind, the sentence imposed makes little sense and seems very harsh when considered relative to the guidelines. However, were one to consider, in a hypothetical sense, that appellant had been convicted for all of the crimes charged, the sentence might be considered appropriate. Thus, regardless of the actual influence the acquittal had upon the trial court, the situation has, at the minimum, an appearance of a make-up type of sentence. Similar to the area of law regarding judicial bias, which compels against even the appearance of partiality, bias or interest, we believe sentences imposed under the present circumstances must be closely scrutinized to prevent not only the appearance that an individual is being sentenced, in reality, for crimes the jury rendered an acquittal verdict, but also to protect against a possible subconsciously influenced sentence. To allow even an appearance of such a practice would erode the integrity of our criminal justice system.
Because we believe the circumstances presented here do not warrant such excessiveness of sentencing beyond the standard range, we must conclude that the sentence imposed here constitutes an abuse of discretion. Thus, we vacate the sentence imposed here and remand for resentencing in conformity with this opinion.
Judgment of sentence vacated, remanded for resentencing.
BECK, J., files a dissenting opinion.
. We make reference to the sentencing guidelines despite their invalidation on procedural misgivings in Commonwealth v. Sessoms, 516 Pa. 365, 532 A.2d 775 (1988). In addition, we believe the guidelines, despite their invalidation, remain a useful reference guide to sentencing practices on a statewide basis. Thus, although the guidelines do not require compliance currently, they still remain a helpful guide to not only fashioning an appropriate sentence but in reviewing the reasonableness of an imposed sentence.