Opinion ID: 2353917
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 12

Heading: ISSUE 3: Did the trial court lack jurisdiction to sentence the defendant under Jessica's Law, K.S.A. 21-4643, because the defendant's age was omitted from the complaint and from the jury instructions?

Text: Some of Inkelaar's charged crimes, such as those related to sodomy, were alleged to have been committed before the July 2006 effective date of Jessica's Law, K.S.A. 21-4643, but the two offenses charging aggravated indecent liberties with a child were alleged to have been committed after the law's effective date. (On one of these counts, the jury found Inkelaar guilty as charged and, on the other count, he was found guilty of the lesser included offense of attempt.) Jessica's Law requires that a defendant be sentenced to a term of imprisonment for life, with a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of not less than 25 years, if (1) the crime is committed on or after July 1, 2006, (2) the defendant is 18 years of age or older, and (3) the defendant is convicted of certain sexually violent crimes, including completed and attempted aggravated indecent liberties with a child who is under the age of 14. K.S.A. 21-4643(a)(1)(C), (G). Inkelaar essentially presents two arguments revolving around the issue of his age. First, he contends the trial court did not have jurisdiction to sentence him under Jessica's Law because the charging document did not state his age at the time of each alleged charge of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. Second, because a defendant's age is an essential element of a Jessica's Law crime, Inkelaar argues the court erred by failing to instruct the jury to find he was 18 years of age or older at the time of each of these offenses. Both contentions are raised for the first time on appeal, and neither contention leads us to the conclusion that reversible error occurred.