Opinion ID: 2457938
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Did the district court's determination of the penalty range in imposing sentence violate the appellant's right to trial by jury?

Text: [¶ 28] Once again, this is not a contention that the district court abused its discretion in the particular sentence it imposed upon the appellant. Instead, it is a contention that the district court violated the appellant's right to trial by jury by determining which sentencing rangewhich statutory subsectionwas applicable in sentencing the appellant. Because this constitutional issue was not raised below, we review for plain error. Zumberge v. State, 2010 WY 111, ¶ 4, 236 P.3d 1028, 1030 (Wyo.2010). Even when constitutional error is alleged, each criterion must be satisfied or a claim for review under the plain-error doctrine will fail. To establish plain error, the appellant must prove (1) the record clearly reflects the alleged error; (2) the existence of a clear and unequivocal rule of law; (3) a clear and obvious transgression of that rule of law; and (4) the error adversely affected a substantial right resulting in material prejudice to him. Id. (quoting Snow, 2009 WY 117, ¶ 13, 216 P.3d at 509 (citations, quotation marks, and footnotes omitted)). [¶ 29] The parties' positions in regard to this issue are clear and straightforward. The appellant argues that, by sentencing him under Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-201(d), rather than § 6-2-201(c), the district court violated the holding of United States v. Booker, 543 U.S. 220, 234-35, 125 S.Ct. 738, 751, 160 L.Ed.2d 621 (2005), that a sentencing judge may not find facts that take a sentence beyond the sentencing range supported by the jury's verdict alone. To the contrary, the State argues that Booker has not changed the law of Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466, 490 n. 16, 120 S.Ct. 2348, 2363 n. 16, 147 L.Ed.2d 435 (2000), wherein it was held that, while facts in aggravation of sentence must be found by a jury, facts in mitigation of sentence may be found by the judge. [6] The point of Apprendi is this: if a required finding of fact exposes the defendant to a greater penalty than that authorized by the jury's guilty verdict, that finding must be made by the jury. Id. at 530 U.S. at 494, 120 S.Ct. at 2365. [¶ 30] We conclude that the sentencing structure of Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-201(c) and (d), as previously interpreted by this Court in Loomer, is a structure that is authorized by Apprendi. [7] There is one crimekidnappingfor which the maximum sentence is as stated in Subsection (d). Where there has been a completed kidnapping, the defendant is at liberty to produce evidence to prove, in mitigation of sentence, that he or she voluntarily released the victim substantially unharmed. If that is not accomplished, the sentencing range remains as it is stated in Subsection (d). Of even more significance to the instant case is the inescapable conclusion, from the clear language of the statute, that any evidence in mitigation can only be evidence of post-kidnapping conduct, meaning that Subsection (c) does not apply to attempted kidnapping. Thus, there was no constitutional violation in the procedure by which the appellant was sentenced.