Opinion ID: 1133529
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: whether the trial court erred by revoking house's probation and whether the plea agreement was subsequently breached.

Text: ¶ 28. House argues that his plea agreement was breached when the trial judge erroneously revoked his probation. The record, however, makes it clear that House was not on probation. The court entered an order conditionally deferring sentencing. The judge made it abundantly clear to House that if circumstances so warranted, House could be brought back before the court and sentenced to life imprisonment. ¶ 29. However, it was improper for the trial court for indefinitely deferring House's sentencing. Miss.Code Ann. § 97-3-21 (1994) requires that every person convicted of murder shall be sentenced to imprisonment for life in the State Penitentiary. There is no statutory authority which allows a trial court to defer indefinitely sentencing or simply not sentence a convicted murderer. ¶ 30. Nevertheless, House sought and received an order conditionally deferring sentencing, benefitted from it, and, unfortunately, violated the conditions of the order, which is why a sentencing hearing was subsequently held. House cannot now be heard to complain that the plea agreement was breached. This issue is without merit.