Opinion ID: 2634837
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: analysis

Text: ¶ 11 A petitioner cannot obtain collateral relief based on nonconstitutional error unless the petitioner shows that he or she is unlawfully restrained due to a fundamental defect that inherently results in a miscarriage of justice. In re Pers. Restraint of West, 154 Wash.2d 204, 209, 110 P.3d 1122 (2005); In re Pers. Restraint of Goodwin, 146 Wash.2d 861, 867, 50 P.3d 618 (2002); In re Pers. Restraint of Cook, 114 Wash.2d 802, 812, 792 P.2d 506 (1990). ¶ 12 The first question is whether Cadwallader affirmatively acknowledged his criminal history, including the 1978 rape conviction, and agreed to his life sentence as a persistent offender. The State argues that Cadwallader's affirmative acknowledgement supplied the necessary facts for the trial court to impose the persistent offender sentence without further evidence from the State. ¶ 13 A sentencing court may rely on a stipulation or acknowledgment of prior convictions without further proof. See RCW 9.94A.530(2). Acknowledgement includes not objecting to information included in presentence reports. Id. If the defendant disputes material facts, the sentencing court either must not consider the facts, or it must grant an evidentiary hearing on the matter. RCW 9.94A.530(2) (formerly RCW 9.94A.370(2)). ¶ 14 However, as Cruz and Goodwin demonstrate, Cadwallader could not agree to a life sentence as a persistent offender under the circumstances in this case. Like in Cruz, Cadwallader's judgment and sentence includes a predicate strike offense that washed out prior to the 1990 amendment to the SRA that eliminated sex offenses from the wash out provisions. When Cruz was decided it became clear that the 1990 amendment applied prospectively only and did not apply to revive washed out convictions. We held in Cruz that the defendant had to be resentenced using an offender score that did not include the washed out conviction. ¶ 15 In Goodwin the petitioner's statement on plea of guilty pursuant to a plea agreement stated that the petitioner agreed that the prosecuting attorney's statement of his criminal history was correct and complete. Goodwin, 146 Wash.2d at 864, 50 P.3d 618. However, petitioner's judgment and sentence showed that one of the prior convictions used to calculate his offender score had washed out. We explained that a sentence based on a miscalculated upward offender score is in excess of statutory authority and generally may be challenged at any time. Id. at 873-74, 50 P.3d 618. The defendant cannot agree to a sentence in excess of that which is statutorily authorized. Id. at 876, 50 P.3d 618. We remanded for resentencing using a correct offender score. ¶ 16 As in Goodwin, Cadwallader's acknowledgement of his criminal history does not prevent him from challenging his sentence where the judgment and sentence shows that one of the prior convictions used to determine his sentence washed out. [3] ¶ 17 Our decision in State v. Ross, 152 Wash.2d 220, 226-27, 229-32, 95 P.3d 1225 (2004), is consistent. Waiver of a challenge to an allegedly invalid sentence can be found where the alleged error involves an agreement to facts, later disputed, or where the alleged error involves a matter of trial court discretion. Goodwin, 146 Wash.2d at 874, 50 P.3d 618. [W]aiver may be found where a defendant stipulates to incorrect facts. Id. In Ross, the criminal history relied on by the State included convictions from other jurisdictions that defense counsel affirmatively acknowledged were properly included in the defendants' offender scores. We held that the defendants had waived any challenges that the State failed to prove their offenses were comparable to Washington crimes. As Cadwallader contends, there is a difference between a stipulation to facts, such as the comparability of an out-of-state offense, which can constitute waiver, and a stipulation to a legal conclusion, which cannot. Cadwallader could not stipulate to a persistent offender life sentence where the State did not allege a prior conviction  the 1985 Kansas conviction  that was a fact necessary to show that the 1978 rape conviction did not wash out. ¶ 18 The next question is whether the State may now prove the 1985 Kansas conviction. The Court of Appeals held that the failure to object to use of the 1978 rape conviction means that the State is entitled to allege and prove the 1985 Kansas conviction to show that the 1978 rape conviction did not in fact wash out and Cadwallader's life sentence was proper. ¶ 19 Unless a defendant is convicted pursuant to a plea agreement, he or she has no obligation to disclose any prior convictions. State v. Lopez, 147 Wash.2d 515, 519, 55 P.3d 609 (2002); State v. Ammons, 105 Wash.2d 175, 183, 713 P.2d 719, 718 P.2d 796 (1986) (former RCW 9.94A.100 (1981), [4] which requires the defendant to disclose prior convictions, applies only when he or she enters a plea of guilty pursuant to a plea agreement). Here, Cadwallader did not plead guilty pursuant to a plea agreement. ¶ 20 The State bears the burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence the existence of prior convictions, whether used for determining an offender score or as predicate strike offenses for purposes of the POAA. State v. Ford, 137 Wash.2d 472, 479-80, 973 P.2d 452 (1999) (prior convictions for offender score); Lopez, 147 Wash.2d at 519, 55 P.3d 609 (predicate strike offense). The burden is on the State because it is `inconsistent with the principles underlying our system of justice to sentence a person on the basis of crimes that the State either could not or chose not to prove.' Ford, 137 Wash.2d at 480, 973 P.2d 452 (quoting In re Pers. Restraint of Williams, 111 Wash.2d 353, 357, 759 P.2d 436 (1988)). Where the prior convictions are from another jurisdiction, the State also bears the burden of proving the convictions are comparable to Washington crimes. Id. at 482-83, 973 P.2d 452; State v. McCorkle, 137 Wash.2d 490, 495, 973 P.2d 461 (1999). ¶ 21 Given that Cadwallader had no obligation to disclose his criminal history, it follows that he had no obligation to object to the State's failure to include the 1985 Kansas theft conviction in his criminal history. Regardless of whether it appeared necessary to present the Kansas conviction at the time of sentencing, it was the State's burden to present criminal history, not Cadwallader's. [5] ¶ 22 The State contends, however, that Cadwallader failed to put the court on notice of a defect that needed to be litigated, i.e., whether the 1978 rape conviction washed out, and accordingly under Ford the State must be given the opportunity to present further evidence. ¶ 23 In Ford, the State alleged out-of-state convictions as prior felonies for purposes of determining the defendant's offender score, but failed to provide proof of their existence and classification. At sentencing the defendant did not object to the classification of the convictions but argued on appeal that his sentence was based on an erroneous offender score because the State had failed to prove that the convictions were comparable to Washington felonies. The Court of Appeals affirmed, holding that the defendant had waived any challenge by failing to object to comparability. We reversed. Although a defendant can acknowledge unchallenged facts and information by a failure to object, a defendant does not acknowledge the State's position regarding the classification of prior offenses absent an affirmative agreement. Ford, 137 Wash.2d at 483, 973 P.2d 452. Therefore, if out-of-state convictions are part of the history used to calculate the defendant's offender score, and the defendant neither objects to nor affirmatively agrees to their comparability as in Ross, waiver is not found. In such cases, however, the defendant's failure to raise deficiencies will lead to remand for an evidentiary hearing to allow the State the opportunity to prove the classification of the disputed convictions. Id. at 485-86, 973 P.2d 452. ¶ 24 Ford does not control, contrary to the State's contention. In Ford the State alleged the out-of-state convictions used to determine the defendant's offender score. In contrast, here the State did not even allege the 1985 Kansas conviction, much less present proof of it. A defendant is simply not obligated to disprove the State's position, at least insofar as the State has failed to meet its primary burden of proof. Id. at 482, 973 P.2d 452. And, absent the 1985 Kansas conviction, Cadwallader's criminal history, listed in both his statement on plea of guilty and the judgment and sentence, shows that his 1978 rape conviction washed out. ¶ 25 Both Cadwallader and the State rely on Lopez in support of their arguments. In Lopez, the prosecuting attorney alleged prior convictions but failed to provide any supporting evidence for one of them. The defendant objected to his life sentence as a persistent offender absent proof of the prior offense. Lopez, 147 Wash.2d at 521, 55 P.3d 609. We determined that the State had failed to prove the offense, but unlike in Ford, declined to permit the State a second opportunity to prove it. We held that remand for an evidentiary hearing is appropriate only when the defendant has failed to specifically object to the state's evidence of the existence or classification of a prior conviction. Id. at 520, 55 P.3d 609. If the defendant has objected, and the disputed issues have been fully argued at sentencing, the State will be held to the existing record, the unlawful portion of the sentence will be excised, and the case will be remanded for resentencing without allowing the State to produce furthered evidence. Id. at 520-21, 55 P.3d 609 (citing Ford, 137 Wash.2d at 485, 973 P.2d 452). We observed, as we did in Ford, that the State does not meet its burden by bare assertions and that `[t]o uphold procedurally defective sentencing hearings would send the wrong message to the trial courts, criminal defendants, and the public.' Id. at 523, 973 P.2d 452 (quoting Ford, 137 Wash.2d at 484, 973 P.2d 452). It would send an equally wrong message to allow the State a second opportunity to prove its allegations of the defendant's history. Id. at 523, 973 P.2d 452. ¶ 26 The State maintains that because Cadwallader did not object to inclusion of the 1978 rape conviction as part of his criminal history, unlike the defendant in Lopez who did object to use of the prior offense as a predicate strike, the State is not foreclosed from now proving the Kansas conviction. Cadwallader contends, on the other hand, that where the prosecution does even less than in Lopez, i.e., it does not even allege a necessary prior conviction, here the 1985 Kansas theft conviction necessary to show that the 1978 rape conviction did not wash out, the defendant has no obligation to object and the State should not be allowed the remedy of an evidentiary hearing to correct its failure. We agree. At sentencing, unlike in both Ford and Lopez, the State failed even to allege the out-of-state conviction. ¶ 27 The State next argues that Cadwallader cannot meet his burden on collateral review of establishing that he is restrained due to a fundamental defect inherently resulting in a complete miscarriage of justice, Goodwin, 146 Wash.2d at 867, 50 P.3d 618, because in fact the 1985 Kansas conviction interrupted the wash out period for the 1978 rape. Before this argument may even be considered, however, there must be some legal basis for permitting the State to prove the Kansas conviction when it did not even allege the 1985 Kansas conviction at sentencing, i.e., there must be some legal justification for entry of findings regarding the 1985 Kansas conviction. ¶ 28 The State first urges us to follow the course that the Court of Appeals took, which was to consider the CrR 7.8 hearing to be essentially a reference hearing. Cadwallader, 2004 WL 1559782, slip op. at 17. As mentioned, the Court of Appeals granted the State's motion pursuant to RAP 7.2(e) for entry of the trial court's findings and conclusions. The Court of Appeals concluded that it was not in the interest of judicial economy to require a trial court to rehear the issue and accepted the trial court's findings and found they were supported by substantial evidence. Id. ¶ 29 If a personal restraint petitioner presents a prima facie case of error, but the issues cannot be resolved on the existing record, the case will be transferred to superior court for a reference hearing. RAP 16.11(b); In re Pers. Restraint of Rice, 118 Wash.2d 876, 885, 828 P.2d 1086 (1992). However, only competent, admissible evidence may be considered at a reference hearing. See In re Pers. Restraint of Lord, 123 Wash.2d 296, 303, 868 P.2d 835 (1994) (to obtain an evidentiary hearing, a personal restraint petitioner must present competent, admissible evidence to establish facts entitling him to relief). The evidence of the 1985 Kansas conviction would not be admissible on direct appeal to overcome Cadwallader's claim of an unlawful sentence because the State completely failed in its burden of proving that prior conviction at sentencing  it did not even allege the conviction. The evidence does not become admissible simply because this case is now on collateral review. Accordingly, we will not consider evidence of the 1985 conviction offered at the CrR 7.8 hearing. ¶ 30 The State also contends that the superior court's decision on the CrR 7.8(b)(3) should be upheld as a CrR 7.8 decision. We disagree. A decision on a CrR 7.8 motion is reviewable for abuse of discretion. State v. Hardesty, 129 Wash.2d 303, 317, 915 P.2d 1080 (1996). CrR 7.8 allows for vacation or amendment of a final judgment on certain grounds, including mistake, excusable neglect, newly discovered evidence, and fraud. Here, the State alleged fraud. It is error, however, to vacate a judgment on the ground of fraud absent a hearing and findings on the elements of fraud. Id. at 317-18, 915 P.2d 1080. The trial court said that fraud was not established and thus did not have grounds to decide that the judgment and sentence should be amended to include the 1985 Kansas theft conviction. [6]