Opinion ID: 874885
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Stevens's sentence is reasonable.

Text: Stevens argues the district court violated his Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment rights by punishing him for maintaining his innocence. He also argues the district court abused its discretion by erroneously finding he intentionally killed Casey and by sentencing him to a term of fixed life. We will turn first to Stevens's constitutional arguments. When sentencing Stevens, the district court considered many factors, including the protection of society. It stated: Obviously protection of society is of primary importance. There is certainly increased risk if the defendant were placed on parole because of his unwillingness to take responsibility in this case. Stevens asks this Court to revisit a settled area of Idaho law. He maintains, based on cases from other jurisdictions, that allowing the trial court to consider that he maintained his innocence as a factor when sentencing violates his constitutional rights. However, it has long been the law of Idaho that a court may consider a defendant's continued assertion of innocence when evaluating the possibility of rehabilitation. See, e.g., State v. Grube, 126 Idaho 377, 388, 883 P.2d 1069, 1080 (1994). While in this instance the district court was speaking to the protection of society factor, it is a logical, inferential step to consider whether a defendant's limited rehabilitative potential will increase the risk to society. Therefore, we hold that the district court did not violate the Fifth Amendment or abuse its discretion by considering Stevens's failure to take responsibility for his actions when fashioning the sentence. Next, Stevens maintains the district court abused its discretion by sentencing him to a fixed life term. The Court, when conducting its review of a defendant's sentence, considers the entire length of the sentence under an abuse of discretion standard to determine its reasonableness. State v. Oliver, 144 Idaho 722, 726, 170 P.3d 387, 391 (2007). Where a sentence is within the statutory limits, the appellant bears the burden of demonstrating that it is a clear abuse of discretion. State v. Hedger, 115 Idaho 598, 604, 768 P.2d 1331, 1337 (1989). In examining the reasonableness of a sentence, the Court conducts an independent review of the entire record available to the trial court at sentencing, focusing on the objectives of criminal punishment: (1) protection of society; (2) deterrence of the individual and the public; (3) possibility of rehabilitation; and (4) punishment or retribution for wrongdoing. State v. Cross, 132 Idaho 667, 671, 978 P.2d 227, 231 (1999). Reasonableness of a sentence implies that a term of confinement should be tailored to the purpose for which the sentence is imposed. State v. Broadhead, 120 Idaho 141, 145, 814 P.2d 401, 405 (1991), overruled on other grounds by State v. Brown, 121 Idaho 385, 394, 825 P.2d 482, 491 (1992). In deference to the trial judge, this Court will not substitute its view of a reasonable sentence where reasonable minds might differ. State v. Toohill, 103 Idaho 565, 568, 650 P.2d 707, 710 (Ct.App.1982). To show an abuse of discretion, the defendant must show that the sentence, in light of the governing criteria, is excessive under any reasonable view of the facts. State v. Strand, 137 Idaho 457, 460, 50 P.3d 472, 475 (2002). Stevens argues the court's finding that he intentionally killed Casey was an abuse of discretion because it was based on the court's interpretation of the evidence, rather than on the jury's findings, and that finding was then used to justify a fixed life sentence. He also argues the district court abused its discretion by imposing a fixed life sentence in light of mitigating evidence presented by Stevens. Stevens was charged with felony murder, a crime which lacks a mens rea element. Yet, at sentencing the district court found that Stevens had intentionally killed Casey. It stated: The murder of Casey in this case was an intentional act by the defendant. It was not accidental. Casey did absolutely nothing to provoke the attack by the defendant. Casey was absolutely helpless and totally unable to defend himself or to escape. He was an 11-month-old baby who weighed 20 pounds and was unable to walk. The defendant's attack upon Casey was brutal. .... None of us were there that day and none of us saw what the defendant did, but certainly the most likely cause to that skull fracture was the defendant picking Casey up and slamming him with all his might against a hard surface. .... We know that  it's obvious from the force of the blows and the escalation of the blows, and I think it's certainly  Dr. Brady's hypothesis is certainly reasonable, that the severe blow to the back of Casey's head was the last injury he received that morning. So we know  I think it's from the force, the increasing force of those blows and particularly the amount of force required to deliver the fatal blow, the only reasonable explanation is that at the time the defendant did intend to kill Casey and I find that he did. .... In determining the appropriate punishment for this type of crime, in my opinion the punishment for the intentional killing without provocation of a helpless human being must reflect the value we place on human life. So I will sentence you to a fixed period of incarceration of life in custody of the Idaho Board of Corrections.... Idaho's sentencing scheme requires no [judicial] findings of fact under I.C. § 19-2521. State v. Stover, 140 Idaho 927, 931, 104 P.3d 969, 973 (2005). [A] court is not required to recite or check off the sentencing guidelines [of I.C. § 19-2521] during sentencing, nor is it even required to give reasons for imposing the sentence. State v. Thomas, 133 Idaho 682, 688, 991 P.2d 870, 876 (Ct.App.1999). Nonetheless, judicial fact finding is constitutionally permissible under indeterminate sentencing regimes when the facts do not pertain to whether the defendant has a legal right to a lesser sentence. Stover, 140 Idaho at 931, 104 P.3d at 973 (quoting Blakely v. Washington, 542 U.S. 296, 309, 124 S.Ct. 2531, 2540, 159 L.Ed.2d 403, 417 (2004)) (emphasis in Blakely ). To impose a fixed life sentence requires a high degree of certainty that the perpetrator could never be safely released back into society or that the nature of the offense requires that the individual spend the rest of his life behind bars. Cross, 132 Idaho at 672, 978 P.2d at 232. Here, Stevens had no right to a sentence less than life imprisonment. I.C. §§ 18-4003, 18-4004. Thus, it was constitutionally permissible for the court to find facts related to the objectives of sentencing, although it was not mandatory that it do so. Had the court remained silent at sentencing as to its reasons, the record alone would support its imposition of a fixed life sentence. Casey's injuries were extreme, and the amount of force needed to cause the skull fracture he suffered is amazing. Even looking at the mitigating evidence, such as Stevens's lack of criminal records, family support, and neurological disorder, a fixed life sentence is not unreasonable. Nonetheless, the district court explained the reasons it believed a fixed life sentence was necessary as punishment for this particular crime. It recognized that Stevens showed almost no rehabilitative potential and would be a continuing danger to society if placed on probation. It also noted a desire to fashion a punishment reflecting the value we as a society place on human life. The court's discussion of Stevens's intent was not a finding that he had committed a crime distinct from the one charged and of which he had been found guilty; rather, it was a discussion of the grave nature of the crime and the character Stevens showed by inflicting such extreme injuries on a helpless and innocent child. Once again, the facts and circumstances of this case support the district court's sentencing decision. As such, we hold that the district court did not abuse its discretion at sentencing by discussing Stevens's intent, and we affirm Stevens's sentence.