Opinion ID: 1522080
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Procedure for Resentencing Appellant

Text: Having decided that appellant is entitled to have his sentence reviewed, however, this Court finds itself on novel grounds: Three separate 1990 provisions replaced the one 1986 provision under which appellant was sentenced. In both State v. Reiley, 476 S.W.2d 473 (Mo.1972), and State v. Hawkins, 482 S.W.2d 477 (Mo. 1972), once this Court established that the amended act applied to the appellant, there was no dispute over the appropriate sentence. In this case, there is a significant dispute about the appropriate sentence. Both sides in the dispute have legitimate points. On the one hand, no judge or jury has yet found that appellant possessed a sufficient amount of cocaine to authorize sentencing him under § 195.223 (1990) rather than § 195.202 (1990). On the other hand, while there appears to be evidence to support such a finding, that issue was not before the jury or the judge under the governing statutes at time of trial. To automatically reduce appellant's sentence would give a windfall to a small group of defendantsthose with appeals pending when the provision was amendedby granting a sentence reduction that they would not have received if the provision had been amended before trial. While § 1.160 clearly allows defendants to be sentenced under more lenient provisions adopted while their cases are pending, there is no reason to construe § 1.160 to give defendants an added sentencing bonus beyond such lenient amendments. As such, while the appellant is entitled to have the 1990 provisions applied to this case, he is only entitled to have both § 195.202 (1990) and § 195.223 (1990) applied to his sentence, rather than just § 195.202 (1990). This determination creates a procedural issue of first impression. No appellate court has faced a provision like § 1.160 in a case where the appropriate sentence to be imposed on remand is disputed, and this case is sui generis. Neither the Revised Statutes of Missouri nor the Supreme Court Rules expressly specify the type of sentencing hearing required to resolve this issue. If this Court simply directed the court of appeals to vacate appellant's conviction, appellant would be entitled to have a jury determine his guilt or innocence and recommend his sentence (unless he is a prior offender, persistent offender, dangerous offender, or persistent misdemeanor offender). See § 557.036 (1990). Because § 1.160 authorizes the reduction of sentence but the prosecution for the crime in the repealed provision, appellant could only be charged with violating § 195.020 (1986). Therefore, the instructions regarding guilt would allow only a finding of the fact of possession rather than the amount. The instructions on sentencing, and the verdict form, should require the jury to find whether it is proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the amount of cocaine possessed was above the minimum amounts established in § 195.223 (1990). There is clear authority to support a remand to the trial level for resentencing only. Appellant's motion, while originally filed in the court of appeals is substantively equivalent to a motion to vacate sentence under Rule 29.15. As such, Rule 29.15(i) allows the motion court to resentence defendant. In addition, Rule 30.22 provides, as an alternative to ordering a new trial, that an appellate court can direct the trial court concerning further proceedings to be taken in the case. Furthermore, in Thurston v. State, 791 S.W.2d 893, 898 (Mo.App.1990), the court of appeals remanded the case for resentencing when the only invalid portion of the judgment was the sentence. Therefore, there is no legal impediment to granting a new sentencing hearing without also granting a new trial. The appropriate new sentencing hearing for appellant is clear. Rule 30.29 dictates that if remanded back to the trial court for a new trial, the trial court shall proceed as if the case had not been removed to the appellate court. Here, though there is no full-blown trial, it is logical to proceed in a similar manner for a new sentencing hearing. Therefore, the appellant is entitled to have a jury make a finding on the amount of cocaine under the provisions of §§ 195.202, 195.223 (1990) unless he chooses to waive that right. [8] He is not entitled to have the jury recommend a sentence, as the determination was made at his original trial, which is not challenged, that appellant is a prior offender. After the jury makes this finding, the trial judge would then impose a new sentence, which cannot be greater than appellant's current sentence. [9] Therefore, this case is retransferred to the Court of Appeals, Southern District, with directions to sustain the motion, vacate the sentence, and remand the case to the circuit court for resentencing under the 1990 statutes in accordance with this opinion. ROBERTSON, C.J., and COVINGTON, HOLSTEIN, JJ., and SHANGLER, Special Judge, concur. BLACKMAR, J., concurs in part and dissents in part in separate opinion filed. RENDLEN, J., concurs in part and dissents in part in concurring in part and dissenting in part opinion of BLACKMAR, J. THOMAS, J., not participating because not a member of the Court when case was submitted. BLACKMAR, Judge, concurring in part and dissenting in part. I concur in Parts I, II, and III of Judge Benton's opinion, and in that portion of Part IV that holds that the 1989 act amends §§ 195.020 and 195.200, RSMo 1986. I dissent to the extent that the opinion authorizes an additional jury trial to determine the amount of cocaine possessed, which was not a material element of the offense of which the defendant was convicted. Section 195.202.1 of the new act is the statutory equivalent of §§ 195.020-195.200. Section 195.223 of the new act introduces a new element. I am inclined to believe that the principal opinion is correct in finding no constitutional objection. I also applaud its recognition that an additional factual element cannot be established without a jury trial. But I cannot endorse the novel procedure, authorized neither by statute nor by rule, which the Court now mandates. I agree that the defendant might receive a windfall. As the principal opinion recognizes, § 1.160 cannot be applied without inconsistency or inequity. But the General Assembly adopted the 1990 act with § 1.160 on the books and must be deemed to have been aware of State v. Reiley, 476 S.W.2d 473 (Mo.1972), and State v. Hawkins, 482 S.W.2d 477 (Mo.1972). It also had available Onken v. State, 803 S.W.2d 139 (Mo.App.1991), which taught the means for avoiding the effect of Reiley and Hawkins , even if § 1.160 remains in place. I would hold the legislature to the effect of its enactments and would not load the judicial system with an extra jury trial simply to avoid the possibility of a windfall. The remand should simply be for resentencing under § 195.202.1.