Opinion ID: 1188992
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: consecutive hard 40 sentences

Text: Stafford contends that the sentencing judge abused his discretion in imposing consecutive hard 40 sentences for the two counts of first-degree murder. K.S.A. 1993 Supp. 21-4608(a) vests the sentencing judge with authority to determine whether sentences for different crimes imposed on the same day should run concurrently or consecutively. Whether separate sentences imposed on the same day should be concurrent or consecutive is discretionary with the trial court. State v. Strauch, 239 Kan. 203, 219, 718 P.2d 613 (1986). State v. Pioletti, 246 Kan. 49, 68, 785 P.2d 963 (1990). One who asserts that the court has abused its discretion bears the burden of showing such abuse of discretion. Judicial discretion is abused when judicial action is arbitrary, fanciful, or unreasonable. Stated another way, discretion is abused only where no reasonable person would take the view adopted by the trial court. If reasonable persons could differ as to the propriety of the action taken by the trial court, then it cannot be said that the trial court abused its discretion. State v. Heywood, 245 Kan. 615, 621, 783 P.2d 890 (1989). See State v. Brown, 249 Kan. 698, Syl. ¶ 10, 823 P.2d 190 (1991). The sentencing criteria set forth in K.S.A. 21-4606 apply to a trial court's determination of the sentence to be imposed and the sentence includes whether multiple terms of imprisonment are to be served consecutively or concurrently. State v. Adkins, 236 Kan. 259, 264, 689 P.2d 880 (1984). See Pioletti, 246 Kan. at 68; State v. Strauch, 239 Kan. 203, Syl. ¶ 8, 718 P.2d 613 (1986). The criteria set forth in K.S.A. 1993 Supp. 21-4606(b) include: (1) The defendant's history of prior criminal activity; (2) The extent of the harm caused by the defendant's criminal conduct; (3) Whether the defendant intended that the defendant's criminal conduct would cause or threaten serious harm; (4) The degree of the defendant's provocation; (5) Whether there were substantial grounds tending to excuse or justify the defendant's criminal conduct, though failing to establish a defense; (6) Whether the victim of the defendant's criminal conduct induced or facilitated its commission; (7) Whether the defendant has compensated or will compensate the victim of the defendant's criminal conduct for the damage or injury that the victim sustained. The trial judge found that the evidence in the case supported the findings made by the jury in recommending the hard 40 sentence, and he did impose the hard 40 sentence for both counts of first-degree murder. The trial judge then adopted the presentence investigation (PSI) report and thoroughly evaluated the sentencing factors set forth in 21-4606. He sentenced Stafford to consecutive terms of life imprisonment without eligibility for parole for 40 years for each first-degree murder conviction, to a concurrent sentence of 5 to 20 years' imprisonment for the aggravated burglary conviction, and to a concurrent sentence of 3 to 10 years for the unlawful possession of a firearm conviction. Stafford contends that imposing consecutive sentences for the first-degree murder convictions was an abuse of discretion. He argues: The court stated that consecutive sentences were imposed because there were separate crimes involving separate victims. This fact, however, was already factored into the sentencing decision. The jury's decision to recommend the hard 40 was based in part upon the fact that Mr. Stafford allegedly killed more than one person. Mr. Stafford's punishment was thus already enhanced for this reason. Stafford's argument is inaccurate. The court thoroughly evaluated the requisite factors under 21-4606. Although the fact that Stafford killed two people was one factor in the jury's decision to recommend the hard 40 sentence, this fact was not the sole reason the trial court imposed consecutive sentences on the murder counts. Other factors recognized by the court in sentencing Stafford included: Stafford had two prior offenses, one of which was for voluntary manslaughter (the other aggravating circumstance relied upon by the jury in recommending the hard 40 sentence); Stafford intended to cause or threaten serious harm as evidenced by the fact that multiple gunshot wounds were inflicted; there was no provocation; there were no substantial grounds tending to excuse or justify the offenses; and the victims' conduct did not induce or facilitate the offenses. It was for all of these reasons that the court imposed consecutive sentences on the two counts of murder. There was no abuse of discretion in imposing consecutive sentences for the murder convictions. Moreover, relying upon a particular aggravating circumstance in imposing consecutive sentences when that circumstance has already been relied upon in imposing the hard 40 sentence, even if that circumstance is the sole reason for imposing consecutive sentences, is not inappropriate. Stafford argues: The Kansas legislature has chosen to make the fact that the defendant's conduct caused the death of more than one person [an] aggravating factor to be considered in the determination of whether the `hard 40' should be imposed. K.S.A. [1993] Supp. 21-4625(2). Because this factor is set forth as a specific statutory basis for determining whether a more onerous sentence should be imposed, the court's reliance upon the same factor to also order two `hard 40' sentences to run consecutively constitutes impermissible multiple punishments. He recognizes, however, that a somewhat similar argument, though not in a consecutive sentencing context, was rejected by the United States Supreme Court in Lowenfield v. Phelps, 484 U.S. 231, 98 L.Ed.2d 568, 108 S.Ct. 546 (1988). There, the defendant was convicted of first-degree murder, an element of which under the facts of the case was that he had a specific intent to kill more than one person. This element was also relied upon by the jury in imposing the death penalty. The Supreme Court stated: [T]he fact that the aggravating circumstance duplicated one of the elements of the crime does not make this sentence constitutionally infirm. 484 U.S. at 246. The Kansas Legislature has indicated when it does not want elements of a crime also used to enhance the sentence for the crime involved. The legislature has provided for enhanced sentences where a defendant has had particular previous felony convictions, but at the same time it created an exception for those defendants convicted of a felony of which a prior felony conviction is a necessary element. K.S.A. 1993 Supp. 21-4504(e)(1). The new sentencing guidelines also specify that [p]rior convictions of the present crime, regardless of number, shall not be included in the criminal history score when they are elements or enhance the severity level of the present crime of conviction. K.S.A. 1993 Supp. 21-4712. Thus, if the legislature had intended to preclude an aggravating factor relied upon by the jury in recommending the hard 40 sentence from also being relied upon by the trial judge as a factor in imposing sentence or in determining whether sentences imposed should run concurrently or consecutively, the legislature would have so stated. Stafford also argues that imposing consecutive sentences based on a factor relied upon in imposing a mandatory term of incarceration violates the Fifth Amendment double jeopardy protection against multiple punishments for the same offense. He states, In Ohio v. Johnson, [467 U.S. 493, 499, 81 L.Ed.2d 425, 104 S.Ct. 2536 (1984),] the United States Supreme Court noted that the double jeopardy protection against cumulative punishments `is designed to ensure that the sentencing discretion of courts is confined to the limits established by the legislature.' Stafford's reliance on this principle is misplaced. Stafford is not being punished more than once for the same offense. As discussed in the above paragraph, had the legislature intended to limit the factors justifying imposition of consecutive sentences to factors not relied upon in imposing a hard 40 sentence, the legislature would have done so. The criteria set forth in K.S.A. 1993 Supp. 21-4606 are to be considered by the court both in imposing a sentence and in determining whether sentences should be served consecutively or concurrently. Nothing limits the use of the same factors both in imposing sentence and in making that sentence consecutive to another. The fact that one of the factors considered by the jury in recommending the hard 40 sentence was also one of the factors, or even the only factor, considered by the court in imposing consecutive sentences does not constitute an abuse of discretion in imposing consecutive sentences. There was no error.