Opinion ID: 852650
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Davidson's Sentence

Text: The trial court found three mitigating circumstances, but balanced them out with one aggravating circumstancethe imposition of a reduced sentence would depreciate the seriousness of the crimein arriving at the presumptive sentence of fifty-five years. Davidson contends that the court's finding of this aggravator violates Blakely v. Washington, [3] and alternatively, that the trial court was wrong to mention it because it was not really contemplating a sentence less than the presumptive. Blakely does not prohibit a trial court from finding aggravating circumstances. What it does prohibit is a trial court finding an aggravating circumstance and enhancing a sentence beyond the statutory maximum. Id. at 301, 124 S.Ct. 2531. See also Smylie v. State, 823 N.E.2d 679, 685 (Ind.2005) (Indiana's sentencing system allowing judicial fact-finding and deviation from fixed term violates Sixth Amendment). [4] Counsel has lifted up one of the logical conundrums created by Blakely : if a trial judge cannot find an aggravator to support more than a presumptive sentence, how can it use such a factor to offset mitigators, leading to a presumptive sentence? As far as we can tell, the Blakely court's answer would be: because the Sixth Amendment is not violated when, through whatever judicial action, the defendant receives the presumptive sentence. As for the legitimacy of the aggravator [i]mposition of a reduced sentence... would depreciate the seriousness of the crime, it is an aggravating circumstance the trial court may consider in sentencing. IND.CODE ANN. § 35-38-1-7.1(b)(4)(West 2004). [5] This circumstance is properly considered only when the trial court is considering imposing a sentence below the presumptive term. Jones v. State, 780 N.E.2d 373, 380 (Ind.2002). It is apparent from the record that the trial court did in fact consider a reduced sentenced, by virtue of its statement, that for the Court to consider a reduced sentence would depreciate the value or depreciate the seriousness of the crime, so I find that aggravating factor. (Tr. at 704.) The trial court did not err in sentencing Davidson.