Opinion ID: 1198943
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 14

Heading: Bolin was properly sentenced.

Text: Bolin argues that his due process rights were violated when the district court denied his motion to be sentenced on the sexual assault and kidnapping charges prior to the penalty hearing. [10] In support of his argument, Bolin relies on Russell v. State, 607 So.2d 1107, 1118-19 (Miss.1992), wherein the Mississippi Supreme Court vacated the defendant's death sentence after concluding that due process mandated that the habitual offender status of a defendant be determined prior to the capital penalty hearing. During the penalty phase, the district court instructed the jury regarding the sentencing of Bolin's non-capital offenses as follows: In the present case, you have also convicted the defendant of the crimes of sexual assault and kidnapping. This Court shall consider a sentence atthis Court shallstrike that. This Court shall conduct a sentencing hearing and impose a sentence on those crimes. Prior to the sentencing hearing on those crimes, the State has indicated that it will file a motion which requests this Court find that the defendant is a habitual criminal. If this Court does find that the defendant is a habitual criminal, then the sentence which will be imposed for each crime, sexual assault and kidnapping, shall be life with or life without the possibility of parole. If this Court imposes a sentence of life with the possibility of parole, the defendant will be required to serve at least 20 years in prison before he is eligible to be considered for parole. If this Court imposes a sentence of life without the possibility of parole, the defendant will not be eligible for parole. In the event that the Court does not find the defendant to be a habitual criminal, then the possible sentence for first degree kidnapping is life imprisonment with eligibility for parole when a minimum of five years have been served or a definite term of 15 years with eligibility of parole beginning when a minimum of five years has been served. The possible sentence for sexual assault is life imprisonment with eligibility for parole when a minimum of 10 years has been served or a definite sentence of 25 years with eligibility of parole beginning when a minimum of 10 years has been served. The sentences to be imposed for the commission of sexual assault and kidnapping may be ordered to run concurrently to each other or consecutively to each other. The sentences to be imposed for the commission of sexual assault and kidnapping, may also be ordered to run consecutiveto run concurrentlystrike that. May also be ordered to run concurrent. I'm going to read the sentence over again. The sentences to be imposed for the commission of the sexual assault and kidnapping may also be ordered to run concurrently or consecutively to the sentence you impose for first degree murder. In People v. Rodriguez, 914 P.2d 230, 281 (Colo.1996), the Colorado Supreme Court concluded that the trial court's failure to impose sentence on the defendant's non-capital offenses prior to the penalty phase did not violate the defendant's due process rights because the submitted jury instructions provided the jury with a fundamental understanding of the defendant's potential sentencing. As in Rodriguez, we hold that the extensive instruction quoted above provided the jury with a fundamental understanding of Bolin's potential sentencing. Accordingly, we conclude that Bolin was properly sentenced and that the district court did not err in denying Bolin's motion to be sentenced on the sexual assault and kidnapping charges prior to the penalty hearing.