Opinion ID: 2607357
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Existence Of The Agreement

Text: The district court found that when Lankford was first sentenced there was a binding sentencing agreement whereby the prosecution agreed to recommend an indeterminate life sentence in exchange for his cooperation in the prosecution of his brother, Mark Lankford. The district court held that the original agreement was still binding at the resentencing. It is necessary to review the district court's finding that an agreement originally existed, because the state now maintains that such an agreement was never entered into. [2] During the trial of Mark Lankford, Bryan Lankford was questioned about the existence of an agreement for a favorable sentence recommendation in exchange for his testimony and cooperation. Bryan Lankford's answers, although somewhat ambiguous and equivocal, made clear his belief that such a recommendation was forthcoming. At that point Bryan Lankford's trial counsel and the prosecutor both testified that no such agreement existed. The judge presiding at Mark Lankford's trial initially stated his belief that no such agreement existed and that Bryan Lankford was simply mistaken. However, the judge made no findings of fact to that effect and, despite Lankford's testimony that he believed such an agreement was in effect, the state proceeded to allow Lankford to testify without first making a record establishing that Lankford correctly understood the state of affairs. When the judge did make findings of fact in Mark Lankford's post-conviction proceeding, the judge's understanding had also apparently changed, because he found that in fact Bryan Lankford's testimony at Mark Lankford's trial was induced by a life-sentence recommendation at sentencing. In 1993 Bryan Lankford's trial counsel filed an affidavit in the present case stating that Bryan Lankford's decision to cooperate was motivated by the prosecutor's promise not to seek the death penalty. On the basis of this record, and in conjunction with the fact that in 1984 the state did actually make an affirmative recommendation that Lankford receive an indeterminate life sentence, the district court in this case found that an agreement had been entered into whereby the state agreed to recommend an indeterminate life sentence in exchange for Lankford's cooperation in the state's case against Mark Lankford. The state points to no basis in the record for reversing the district court's conclusion about the existence of the agreement. The state proceeded with the testimony of Bryan Lankford during Mark Lankford's trial knowing that Bryan Lankford believed it was pursuant to an agreement for a recommendation of an indeterminate life sentence. Moreover, the state apparently made no effort to challenge the finding of the trial court in Mark Lankford's post-conviction proceeding that such an agreement existed. Also unrebutted by the state is the 1993 affidavit filed in this case by Bryan Lankford's trial counsel. In summary, two different district courts have concluded that an agreement existed whereby Lankford was entitled to a recommendation for an indeterminate life sentence. The state has submitted no basis upon which to conclude otherwise.