Opinion ID: 2324363
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Lester's Convictions for Armed First-Degree Premeditated Murder and Armed First-Degree Felony Murder, and the Associated PFCV Convictions, Merge

Text: Finally, the government agrees with Lester that his armed first-degree premeditated murder and armed first-degree felony murder convictions must merge under the Double Jeopardy Clause. A defendant cannot remain convicted of premeditated murder and felony murder of the same decedent. Green v. United States, 718 A.2d 1042, 1063 (D.C.1998) (citing Parker v. United States, 692 A.2d 913, 918 n. 9 (D.C.1997)). Lester also argues that before his murder convictions are merged, his attempted armed robbery conviction should merge into his armed first-degree felony murder conviction. The government disagrees, proposing that because the trial court sentenced Lester to consecutive sentences for, inter alia, the armed first-degree premeditated murder charge and the attempted armed robbery charge and made Lester's sentence for the armed first-degree felony murder charge run concurrent to the other sentences, the felony murder conviction should be vacated, thereby allowing both the attempted armed robbery and armed first-degree premeditated murder convictions to stand. We agree with the government's position. Vacating the felony murder conviction, not the premeditated murder and attempted armed robbery convictions, best effectuates the trial court's sentencing plan. See Lane v. United States, 737 A.2d 541, 544 n. 6 (D.C.1999) (Because the trial court imposed identical concurrent sentences. . . on each of the murder convictions, we vacate the conviction of felony murder while armed . . ., leaving undisturbed the convictions of premeditated [first-degree] murder while armed . . . and armed kidnapping.). See also Baker v. United States, 867 A.2d 988, 1010 (D.C. 2005) (where the government requested that the felony murder conviction be vacated, allowing the underlying burglary and first-degree premeditated murder convictions to stand, the trial court was ordered to vacate the felony murder conviction). And as the government concedes, the PFCV conviction predicated on the armed felony murder conviction must also be vacated. See Morris v. United States, 622 A.2d 1116, 1130 (D.C.1993) (where two of appellant's convictions merge to become one crime of violence or dangerous crime, there can be only one associated offense of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence (quotation marks omitted)). Accordingly, we remand for the trial court to vacate Lester's convictions for felony murder and the associated PFCV. In all other aspects, the judgment of the trial court is affirmed. So ordered.