Opinion ID: 2382800
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Issue 4: Proof of defendant's age under Jessica's Law

Text: As mentioned above, in Morningstar, Gonzales, and State v. Bello, 289 Kan. 191, 211 P.3d 139 (2009), this court held the defendant's age had to be submitted to the jury before a defendant could be sentenced to an off-grid offense under K.S.A. 21-4643. Garza was convicted of rape, and he was sentenced to an off-grid offense under K.S.A. 21-3502 and K.S.A. 21-4643. The State concedes Garza's age was not submitted to or determined by the jury. But unlike Morningstar, Gonzales, and Bello, there was evidence regarding Garza's age presented to the jury. In this case, a detective testified Garza was older than 18 years of age. Nevertheless, Garza argues his sentence violates Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466, 490, 120 S.Ct. 2348, 147 L.Ed.2d 435 (2000), because his ageor the determination of whether he was 18 years of age or olderwas an element of both aggravated indecent liberties with a child and rape when sentenced to the off-grid crimes under K.S.A. 21-4643. Bello and its progeny rely on Apprendi and the subsequent cases following Apprendi for their holdings. Garza also argues the harmless error analysis recognized in State v. Daniels, 278 Kan. 53, 91 P.3d 1147, cert. denied 543 U.S. 982, 125 S.Ct. 485, 160 L.Ed.2d 361 (2004), does not apply because of the importance assigned to the right to have a jury determine each element of the offense under Apprendi. The State argues Garza's age is not an element of the offense and it was not required to be submitted to the jury. The State does not address whether the harmless error analysis in Daniels applies. According to Daniels, the failure to instruct a jury on an essential element is harmless error if `a reviewing court concludes beyond a reasonable doubt that the omitted element was uncontested and supported by overwhelming evidence, such that the jury verdict would have been the same absent the error.' 278 Kan. at 62, 91 P.3d 1147. This analysis is based upon Neder v. United States, 527 U.S. 1, 17-19, 119 S.Ct. 1827, 144 L.Ed.2d 35 (1999). In State v. Reyna, ___ Kan. ___, 234 P.3d 761 (2010), we recently considered whether the failure to instruct the jury on this element of the crime was harmless when the trial record actually contained uncontested evidence about the defendant's age that would have permitted the jury to make the appropriate finding, if properly instructed to do so. In Reyna, we concluded that a harmless error analysis was applicable. ___ Kan. at ___ _ ___, 234 P.3d 761. The Reyna court analyzed the issue in light of this court's decisions in Daniels, 278 Kan. at 57, 91 P.3d 1147, and State v. Davis, 275 Kan. 107, 115, 61 P.3d 701 (2003), as well as Apprendi and Washington v. Recuenco, 548 U.S. 212, 126 S.Ct. 2546, 165 L.Ed.2d 466 (2006). In Recuenco, the Court concluded that [f]ailure to submit a sentencing factor to the jury, like failure to submit an element to the jury, is not structural error. 548 U.S. at 222, 126 S.Ct. 2546. After reviewing these decisions, our court in Reyna explained its holding as follows:  Daniels stands for the proposition that this court will apply the harmless error analysis to the omission of an element from the instructions to the jury when a review of the evidence leads to the conclusion beyond a reasonable doubt that the omitted element was uncontested and supported by overwhelming evidence, such that the jury verdict would have been the same absent the error. And Recuenco stands for the proposition that characterizing the omission as an Apprendi -type error, i.e., judicial factfinding of the omitted element when that element enhances the maximum applicable sentence, does not change that analysis. Reyna, ___ Kan. at ___, 234 P.3d 761. In Garza's case, there was testimony Garza was more than 18 years of age. There was no dispute about this as the trial progressed. Therefore, there was uncontested evidence before the jury on which it could have based a finding about Garza's age at the time of the offense, if properly instructed to do so. This evidence distinguishes Garza's case from Morningstar, Gonzales, and Bello. As in Reyna, we are convinced the Apprendi -type error that occurred in Garza's case, i.e., when the trial court made the age determination rather than having the jury make the actual finding, was harmless.