Opinion ID: 807749
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Additional Background as to Sentencing

Text: The presentence report (PSR) prepared by the Probation Office first discussed the facts of the only offense charged in the indictment and the only offense of which Horton was convicted—the August 10, 2007 events at Ms. Bryant’s home. Nonetheless, the bulk of the sentencing proceeding was devoted to testimony regarding a second incident, which the PSR determined—and the district court agreed—was relevant conduct. According to the PSR, this second incident occurred on August 17, 2007, one week after Horton possessed the firearm and fired the shots outside Ms. Bryant’s home. On August 17, five adults and five children were present in an apartment in Raleigh when one of the adults, Charmeka Harris, opened the door in response to knocking. Three masked individuals, at least two of whom were armed, then barged into the apartment and robbed the occupants of various belongings at gunpoint. Upon entering the residence, one of the assailants shot 16 UNITED STATES v. HORTON Ms. Harris in the stomach with a sawed-off shotgun and she later died from the injury. There were numerous inconsistencies in the victim and witness statements regarding various aspects of the home invasion, including how many assailants participated, how many of them were armed, and what they looked like, to the extent that they were not disguised. The attempts by victims to identify the assailants through subsequent line-ups were unsuccessful and the shotgun was never recovered. In addition to the victims and some non-victim witnesses at the apartment complex, several other individuals provided statements to authorities concerning their knowledge of the robbery/murder. Most of these were from persons who indicated they had heard the alleged perpetrators of the robbery discussing it, or heard second-hand of comments made by them. Some of these statements implicated Horton, either as being involved in the robbery or being the shooter, and others indicated that he was not present or involved and instead identified others as the perpetrators. Ultimately, the police investigation into the incident identified Horton and four others whom the investigators believed were participants in the robbery.10 Based on the foregoing, the PSR concluded that the preponderance of the evidence supports that [Horton] possessed a firearm during the rob- bery/home invasion on August 17, 2007, and he is responsible for the murder of Charmeka Harris. As such, he possessed a firearm as a convicted felon in connection with another felony offense, First Degree 10 A grand jury for Wake County, North Carolina returned indictments against Horton and three other individuals, charging them with the murder of Ms. Harris on August 17, 2007. This state court murder charge against Horton was dismissed shortly after his sentencing in this case. UNITED STATES v. HORTON 17 Murder, and a cross-reference to the substantive offense is warranted. (JA 935, ¶ 5.) Accordingly, the PSR computed and explained Horton’s base offense level as follows: The United States Sentencing Commission Guide- line for violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) is found in 2K2.1; however, 2K2.1(c)(1) provides that if the defendant used or possessed any firearm or ammunition in connection with the commission or attempted commission of another offense . . . apply 2X1.1 in respect to that other offense, if the resulting offense level is greater than that determined under 2K2.1. If death resulted, apply the most analogous offense guideline from Chapter 2, Part A, Subpart 1, if the resulting offense level is greater than that determined above. Pursuant to 2X1.1(a), the base offense level is determined from the guideline for the substantive offense, plus any adjustments from such guideline for any intended offense conduct that can be established with reasonable certainty. [Horton] possessed a firearm in connection with the robbery on August 17, 2010. As Horton is responsible for the shooting death which occurred during the robbery, the guideline for First Degree Murder ([USSG §] 2A1.1) has been used and calls for a base offense level of 43. (JA 947, ¶ 46.) At sentencing, the district court heard testimony from two police detectives who had investigated the home invasion and shooting concerning their investigation and the various statements they received. The court ultimately concluded that the preponderance of the evidence supported the finding that Horton possessed a firearm during the August 17, 2007 robbery/home invasion. 18 UNITED STATES v. HORTON The district court further found the August 17 murder was relevant conduct to the August 10 instant offense, which led to the significant increase in Horton’s base offense level based on the cross-referencing provision. The district court thus adopted the PSR’s computation of Horton’s base offense level, which used the Guideline for First Degree Murder (USSG § 2A1.1) instead of the lower offense level for a simple felon-in-possession charge. (Id. at 947, ¶ 46.) This resulted in a base offense level of 43 instead of the lower offense level applicable to § 922(g)(1) violations.11 Horton had 15 criminal history points, establishing a criminal history category of VI. He was also an armed career criminal, which provides an independent ground for establishing a criminal history category of VI. The advisory Guidelines range, as determined by the district court, called for life imprisonment, and the applicable statutory provision (18 U.S.C. § 924(e)) required a mandatory minimum of not less than 15 years. The district court imposed a sentence of life imprisonment.