Opinion ID: 2028047
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: rust's cross-appeal

Text: In his cross-appeal, Rust asserts that the sentencing panel erred in not crediting the life sentence it imposed with the time he spent imprisoned on the earlier sentence of death for the first degree felony murder conviction. First, he urges that as the original sentencer did not specify whether the death sentence on the murder conviction was to be served concurrently or consecutively with the sentences on the shooting convictions, the death sentence was to be served concurrently with those other sentences. But it is clear that one cannot concurrently serve a term of years with a death sentence. One may, while alive, simultaneously serve time to be applied to two sentences. He may not, however, be at the same time alive and dead, as the definition of one condition excludes the other. Consequently, any rule that in the absence of a consecutiveness direction two sentences pronounced at the same time by the same court are to be served concurrently can have no application when death has been imposed as one of the sentences. State v. Jones, 218 Neb. 713, 715, 358 N.W.2d 765, 767 (1984). Thus, there is no merit to that argument. Rust next argues that Neb.Rev.Stat. § 83-1,106 (Reissue 1994) mandates that credit be given for time an offender has spent in custody. That statute provides that an offender be given credit against the maximum term and any minimum term for time spent in custody as a result of the criminal charge for which a prison sentence is imposed. However, on being sentenced to life imprisonment for first degree murder, a defendant is not entitled to credit for time in custodial detention pending trial and sentence. State v. Masters, 246 Neb. 1018, 524 N.W.2d 342 (1994); State v. Secret, 246 Neb. 1002, 524 N.W.2d 551 (1994); State v. Lynch, 215 Neb. 528, 340 N.W.2d 128 (1983). The purpose of credit under § 83-1,106 is to avoid the situation where one convicted of a crime is incarcerated for a period greater than the maximum term of years prescribed as punishment for the particular offense.... By its very nature [a life] sentence is indefinite.... In the case of a life sentence, it is impossible to impose punishment exceeding the term prescribed by statute. Lynch, 215 Neb. at 537, 340 N.W.2d at 134. Thus, neither is there any merit to Rust's second argument. Finally, Rust attempts to make an argument that by virtue of the manner in which, under the policy and procedure manual of the Nebraska Board of Parole, a prisoner becomes eligible for having a life sentence commuted to a definite number of years and thereby becomes eligible for parole consideration, he is disadvantaged by the fact that the correction of his death sentence occurred after he had already spent a number of years in prison. But not only was the manual not made a part of the record below, the record is silent as to how the policy is to be applied to Rust. We thus do not reach the argument. In so ruling, we are not unmindful that we earlier rejected the parties' joint stipulation to expand the record to include a portion of the manual. But the proper place to make a record is in the trial court, not in an appellate court. See, In re Estate of Trew, 244 Neb. 490, 507 N.W.2d 478 (1993) (absent plain error, issue raised for first time in appellate court disregarded, as trial court could not have committed error on issue not presented and submitted); State v. Brockman, 231 Neb. 982, 439 N.W.2d 84 (1989); Dunbier v. Rafert, 170 Neb. 570, 103 N.W.2d 814 (1960). Nor does the fact that Rust included part of the manual in his brief change the situation, for a party's brief may not expand the evidentiary record. See, Gables CVF v. Bahr, Vermeer & Haecker Architect, 244 Neb. 346, 506 N.W.2d 706 (1993); Home Fed. Sav. & Loan v. McDermott & Miller, 243 Neb. 136, 497 N.W.2d 678 (1993). An appellate brief must limit itself to arguments supported by the appellate record. Scott v. Hall, 241 Neb. 420, 488 N.W.2d 549 (1992); Father Flanagan's Boys' Home v. Goerke, 224 Neb. 731, 401 N.W.2d 461 (1987).