Opinion ID: 853884
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Requested Review and Revision of Sentence

Text: Although this Court has the constitutional authority to review and revise sentences, IND. CONST. art. VII, § 4, it will not do so unless the sentence imposed is manifestly unreasonable in light of the nature of the offense and the character of the offender. Ind. Appellate Rule 17(B). The Court has further addressed this standard: the issue is not whether in our judgment the sentence is unreasonable, but whether it is clearly, plainly, and obviously so. Brown v. State, 698 N.E.2d 779, 783-84 (Ind.1998) (citing Prowell v. State, 687 N.E.2d 563, 568 (Ind.1997), cert. denied ___ U.S. ___, 119 S.Ct. 104, 142 L.Ed.2d 83 (1998)). Accordingly, the trial court's assessment of the proper weight of aggravating and mitigating circumstances and the appropriateness of the sentence as a whole are entitled to great deference and will be set aside only upon a showing of a manifest abuse of discretion. Willsey v. State, 698 N.E.2d 784, 796 (Ind.1998). To overcome this hurdle, Thacker must demonstrate that the trial court's finding that the aggravating circumstances outweighed the mitigating circumstances was a manifest abuse of discretion or, in other words, that his total sentence is clearly, plainly, and obviously unreasonable. Thacker argues that the trial court did not give enough weight to the mitigating circumstance that Thacker had no prior criminal history and as a result under these circumstances the sentence of almost three times the maximum for murder is manifestly unreasonable. As it was entitled to do, the trial court considered Thacker's lack of prior criminal history but declined to accord it significant weight. See Bunch v. State, 697 N.E.2d 1255, 1258 (Ind.1998); Kingery v. State, 659 N.E.2d 490, 498 (Ind. 1995). The trial court is not required to give the same weight to proffered mitigating circumstances as defendant does. Montgomery, 694 N.E.2d at 1142; Battles v. State, 688 N.E.2d 1230, 1236 (Ind.1997). In contrast with cases where this Court has reduced sentences for failure to consider a mitigating circumstance entirely, the trial court in this case acknowledged the mitigating circumstances offered by Thacker and concluded that the circumstances of the crime outweighed the mitigating circumstances. Cf. Mayberry v. State, 670 N.E.2d 1262, 1271 (Ind.1996) (where sentencing court failed to find mental illness as a significant mitigating circumstance, sentence was manifestly unreasonable); Widener, 659 N.E.2d at 534 (enhanced and consecutive sentences were manifestly unreasonable where trial court failed to consider several significant mitigating circumstances). In light of the convictions for murder, conspiracy to commit murder and burglary, none of which Thacker contests in this appeal, and the trial court's proper consideration of aggravating and mitigating circumstances, Thacker's sentence does not reach the egregious circumstances required before this Court will reduce a sentence. Page v. State, 689 N.E.2d 707, 712 (Ind.1997) (We are not persuaded that his sentence was so egregious as to be manifestly unreasonable.); see also Holmes v. State, 642 N.E.2d 970, 973 (Ind. 1994) (sentence not manifestly unreasonable in light of heinous nature of the offenses and appropriate weighing of aggravating circumstances by the trial court). Although very severe, Thacker's sentence is not clearly, plainly and obviously unreasonable. Finally, Thacker contends that the 195 year sentence found on the Abstract of Judgment and Chronological Case Summary (CCS) is erroneous because the trial court sentenced Thacker to twenty years on Count IV, not forty. The State agrees that the Abstract and CCS contain typographical errors. Because we remand to vacate the conviction on that count, the issue is moot.