Court Opinion

ID: 9915760
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-01-08 15:06:10.298018+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:19:25.310867
License: Public Domain

NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT THE
                               APPROVAL OF THE APPELLATE DIVISION
        This opinion shall not "constitute precedent or be binding upon any court ." Although it is posted on the
     internet, this opinion is binding only on the parties in the case and its use in other cases is limited. R. 1:36-3.

                                                        SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY
                                                        APPELLATE DIVISION
                                                        DOCKET NO. A-3707-21

STATE OF NEW JERSEY,

          Plaintiff-Respondent,

v.

NATASHA WHITE,

     Defendant-Appellant.
________________________

                   Submitted December 19, 2023 – Decided January 8, 2024

                   Before Judges Rose and Perez Friscia.

                   On appeal from the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law
                   Division, Essex County, Indictment No. 07-10-3478.

                   Joseph E. Krakora, Public Defender, attorney for
                   appellant (Andrew Robert Burroughs, Designated
                   Counsel, on the briefs).

                   Theodore N. Stephens, II, Acting Essex County
                   Prosecutor, attorney for respondent (Matthew E.
                   Hanley, Special Deputy Attorney General/Acting
                   Assistant Prosecutor, of counsel and on the brief).

PER CURIAM
      Defendant Natasha White appeals from a June 30, 2022 Law Division

order, which denied her second petition for post-conviction relief (PCR) without

an evidentiary hearing. We affirm because the petition was untimely filed and

otherwise lacked merit.

      We incorporate by reference the facts and procedural history set forth in

our prior opinion, affirming defendant's convictions and sentence on direct

appeal. State v. White (White I), No. A-0304-09 (App. Div. July 10, 2012) (slip

op. at 3-11). Defendant's "convictions arose out of two related incidents." Id.

at 3. "In the first incident, defendant purposefully rammed her vehicle" into her

paramour Zachary Sanders's vehicle after they argued outside of a bar. Id. at 3-

4. She then "attempted to hit Sanders" before driving off. Id. at 4. The second

incident occurred several days later at the same bar. Id. at 5. Defendant and

Sanders had another argument and exited the bar. Id. at 6. While intoxicated,

defendant intentionally drove her vehicle into Sanders and another individual.

Id. at 7-8. Sanders "landed on the middle of the [vehicle's] hood," and defendant

nonetheless continued to drive, dragging Sanders under her vehicle, which

resulted in his death. Ibid.

      In 2009, a jury convicted defendant of multiple offenses charged in an

Essex County indictment, including murder and vehicular homicide by

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recklessly operating a motor vehicle, and related offenses.           The trial judge

sentenced defendant to an aggregate sentence of forty-four-and-one-half years

in prison with a period of parole eligibility of thirty-four years.

      Defendant appealed, challenging the admission of trial testimony, jury

charges, causation, and sentencing, among other issues. See id. at 11-12. We

affirmed defendant's convictions and sentence. Id. at 2.

      In March 2013, defendant filed a timely petition for PCR, asserting trial

counsel was ineffective for failing to:        "assert an intoxication defense";

"adequately cross-examine and impeach witnesses"; "properly advise defendant

about a plea offer"; and "preserve evidence[,]her vehicle[,]for inspection by an

expert." State v. White (White II), No. A-4595-13 (App. Div. Sept. 14, 2016)

(slip op. at 3). We affirmed the denial of her PCR petition. Id. at 7.

      In May 2018, defendant filed a self-represented motion to correct an

illegal sentence. In July 2019, a different judge denied the motion without

prejudice because the motion was improperly filed.

      In the Fall of 2019, defendant filed her second PCR petition and a motion

requesting appointment of counsel for her second petition. In December 2021,

a new PCR judge denied defendant's application but thereafter vacated the order,

permitting appointment of counsel on the refiling of the second PCR.

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      In the refiled second PCR petition, defendant mainly alleged ineffective

assistance of counsel (IAC) of prior motion counsel, stating: "[m]otion counsel

lacked diligence and failed to zealously represent" her; "[c]umulative [e]rrors

denied [her] of the effective assistance of motion counsel"; and the application

was "timely and properly filed and should be considered on the merits." In her

self-represented supplemental brief, defendant additionally argued her

convictions should be vacated and a new trial granted because "the trial court's

instructions to [the jury] were unduly confusing and did not accurately reflect

the state of [the law]" on the charges for murder and vehicular homicide; "thus[,]

the sentences . . . are illegal because the verdicts are inconsistent and mutually

exclusive." In support of her petition, defendant submitted a certification from

one of her two trial attorneys.

      After hearing argument, the PCR judge reserved decision and thereafter

issued a written statement of reasons that accompanied the June 30, 2022 order

denying defendant's petition. The judge accurately summarized the procedural

history regarding defendant's prior PCR applications and squarely addressed the

issues raised in view of the governing law. The judge succinctly addressed the

timeliness of defendant's present petition and concluded:

            Here, defendant's second PCR petition was clearly
            untimely.   Indeed, she does not assert a newly

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            recognized constitutional right, [R.] 3:22-12(a)(2)(A),
            or that her ineffectiveness claim is based on
            information or evidence that could not have been
            discovered earlier through the exercise of reasonable
            diligence. [R.] 3:22-12(a)(2)(B). Further, defendant's
            second PCR petition was not timely under [Rule] 3:22-
            12(a)(2)(C) because she does not allege IAC of her first
            PCR counsel and in any event, it was not filed within
            one year of November 30, 2016, the date the Supreme
            Court denied her first PCR petition.

      The judge, "[f]or completeness," then addressed the issues defendant

raised, finding the contentions "were previously decided in her direct appeal and

her first PCR," vaguely asserted, or without merit. The judge specifically

addressed defendant's IAC claims against motion counsel and the alleged

resulting illegal sentence:

                   It is apparent that by styling this motion as one to
            correct an illegal sentence, defendant attempted to
            circumvent the limitations established in R[ule] 3:22-
            4(b) and R[ule] 3:22-12(a)(2), for a second PCR
            petition. While an order to correct an illegal sentence,
            "may be entered at any time," R. 3:21-10(b)(5),
            recasting the arguments does not permit them to be
            reasserted. Defendant's claims are based on substantive
            challenges to her convictions that were or could have
            been raised in her direct appeal. Absent the limited
            circumstances in which a second PCR petition is
            permitted, none of which are present here for the
            reasons stated above, defendant has exhausted the legal
            avenues for challenging the evidence supporting her
            convictions or the validity of the jury instructions at her
            trial.

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                  ....

            Therefore, based on the facts of . . . defendant's case,
            where the jury found that . . . defendant drove her car
            at the victim with the intent to kill him and in doing so
            drove the vehicle in a reckless manner that resulted in
            the victim's death, properly supports a conviction on the
            vehicular charge. There is nothing inconsistent in those
            findings.

Finding the assertions time-barred and without merit, while noting the

substantial evidence adduced at trial, the PCR judge denied the claims without

an evidentiary hearing.

      On appeal, defendant raises the following points for our consideration:

                                   POINT I

            DEFENDANT'S SENTENCE WAS ILLEGAL AS IT
            WAS THE PRODUCT OF MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE
            AND     INCONSISTENT      VERDICTS       IN
            CONTRAVENTION OF N.J.S.A. 2C:11-8(a)(3).

                                   POINT II
            AS DEFENDANT HAD SHOWN THAT SHE HAD
            RECEIVED INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF FIRST
            PCR COUNSEL AND THAT SHE HAD BEEN
            PREJUDICED THEREBY, THE PCR COURT ERRED
            BY DENYING HER SECOND PCR PETITION
            WITHOUT AN EVIDENTIARY HEARING.

                  (1) The interests of justice and fundamental
                  fairness require[] relaxation of the procedural
                  bars in this case.

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                  (2) Defendant's first PCR counsel failed to
                  properly investigate the case and present all of
                  defendant's cognizable issues.

      We affirm substantially for the reasons set forth in the PCR judge's cogent

statement of reasons. We add only the following comments.

      In the absence of an evidentiary hearing, on the claims defendant now

raises on appeal, we "conduct a de novo review." State v. Jackson, 454 N.J.

Super. 284, 291 (App. Div. 2018) (quoting State v. Harris, 181 N.J. 391, 421

(2004)).

      Rule 3:22-4(b) places strict limitations on second and subsequent petitions

for PCR. The Rule compels dismissal of a subsequent PCR petition unless the

defendant can satisfy the time requirement under Rule 3:22-12(a)(2), and alleges

the following grounds for relief:

            (A)     that the petition relies on a new rule of
            constitutional law, made retroactive to defendant's
            petition by the United States Supreme Court or the
            Supreme Court of New Jersey, that was unavailable
            during the pendency of any prior proceedings; or

            (B) that the factual predicate for the relief sought could
            not have been discovered earlier through the exercise
            of reasonable diligence, and the facts underlying the
            ground for relief, if proven and viewed in light of the
            evidence as a whole, would raise a reasonable
            probability that the relief sought would be granted; or

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             (C) that the petition alleges a prima facie case of [IAC]
             that represented the defendant on the first or subsequent
             application for [PCR].

             [R. 3:22-4(b).]

      In turn, Rule 3:22-12(a)(2) imposes a time limitation for subsequent PCR

petitions. Under the Rule, a second or subsequent petition for PCR must be filed

within one year after the latest of:

             (A) the date on which the constitutional right asserted
             was initially recognized by the United States Supreme
             Court or the Supreme Court of New Jersey, if that right
             has been newly recognized by either of those Courts
             and made retroactive by either of those Courts to cases
             on collateral review; or

             (B) the date on which the factual predicate for the relief
             sought was discovered, if that factual predicate could
             not have been discovered earlier through the exercise
             of reasonable diligence; or

             (C) the date of the denial of the first or subsequent
             application for [PCR] where [IAC] that represented the
             defendant on the first or subsequent application for
             [PCR] is being alleged.

             [R. 3:22-12(a)(2).]

      Although the time limitations are not absolute and may be waived to

prevent a fundamental injustice, the Rules must be viewed in light of their dual

key purposes: "to ensure . . . the passage of time does not prejudice the State's

retrial of a defendant" and "'to respect the need for achieving finality.'" State v.

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DiFrisco, 187 N.J. 156, 166-67 (2006) (quoting State v. Mitchell, 126 N.J. 565,

576 (1992)). However, the Rule makes it clear that this relaxation rule only

applies to first PCR petitions, not to second or subsequent ones. See R. 3:22-

12(b); Jackson, 454 N.J. Super. at 293; see also R. 1:3-4(c) (prohibiting the court

and the parties from enlarging the time to file a petition for PCR under Rule

3:22-12).

      Here, we denied defendant's first PCR appeal in September 2016, White

II, slip op. at 1. Yet, defendant did not file her second petition until 2019.

Defendant acknowledged her second petition was untimely.                  We are

unpersuaded by defendant's argument that her claims should not be "dismissed

out of hand based on procedural technicalities."

      We conclude, as did the PCR judge in his cogent written decision, that

defendant's present petition was time-barred.          See R. 3:22-12(a)(2)(B).

Additionally, the PCR judge correctly recognized, Rule 3:22-5 bars defendant's

contentions against trial counsel, which were previously decided. Rule 3:22-5

provides: "[a] prior adjudication upon the merits of any ground for relief is

conclusive whether made in the proceedings resulting in the conviction or in any

post-conviction proceeding brought pursuant to this rule . . . or in any appeal

taken from such proceedings."       A PCR petition is not "an opportunity to

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relitigate cases already decided on the merits." State v. Preciose, 129 N.J. 451,

459 (App. Div. 1999).

      Although we agree defendant's second PCR petition is untimely, for the

sake of completeness, we address defendant's illegal sentence contention. It is

clear a sentencing error may be corrected at any time before the sentence is

completed and "relief may be granted to a PCR applicant based on the

'[i]mposition of [a] sentence in excess of or otherwise not in accordance with

the sentence authorized by law.'" State v. Murray, 162 N.J. 240, 246 (2000)

(alterations in original) (quoting R. 3:22-2(c)).       Our Supreme Court has

recognized "th[e] two [discrete] categories of illegal sentences have been

'defined narrowly.'" State v. Hyland, 238 N.J. 135, 145 (2019) (quoting Murray,

162 N.J. at 246).

      Defendant argues her sentence "was illegal," and the "sentences should

not have been imposed" for murder and vehicular homicide because the

convictions resulted from "conflicting verdicts" and were "mutually exclusive."

We conclude, as did the PCR judge that defendant's contention that the trial

judge failed "to instruct the jury that it must find one or the other states-of-mind

but not both and then apply the facts to determine what crime, if any, was

committed by defendant" is without merit. Defendant was convicted of the

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separate and distinct charges of: murder, first-degree vehicular homicide, and

second-degree vehicular homicide. Defendant does not dispute the jury was

instructed on the required elements for each offense but argues "a defendant may

[not] be convicted of different offenses requiring different states-of-mind." As

the PCR judge correctly noted, "the jury instructions were held adequate on

direct appeal and reframing the argument here does not preclude the substantive

bar to issues previously decided." Again, defendant has not alleged an illegal

sentence because her sentence was neither excessive nor unauthorized by law.

      Defendant has not cited, nor has our research revealed, any authority for

her contention that N.J.S.A. 2C:1-8(a) provides "a defendant may [not] be

convicted of two different offenses requiring different states-of-mind." N.J.S.A.

2C:1-8(a) also provides: "When the same conduct of a defendant may establish

the commission of more than one offense, the defendant may be prosecuted for

each offense[,]" unless certain exceptions apply. None is applicable here.

      Further, defendant's convictions were not based on "[i]nconsistent

findings of fact . . . required to establish the commission of the offenses." See

N.J.S.A. 2C:1-8(a)(3). Simply because the charged offenses have different

requisite states of mind does not make them mutually exclusive. A defendant

may be convicted of separate offenses with separate elements, including

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different states of mind. See N.J.S.A. 2C:2-2(c)(2) ("When the law provides

that a particular kind of culpability suffices to establish an element of an offense

such element is also established if a person acts with higher kind of culpability").

As the PCR judge correctly found, defendant has recast her prior arguments

posited in her direct appeal as an alleged illegal sentence. We are unpersuaded

and see no reason to disturb the PCR judge's well-reasoned decision.

      We also reject defendant's claims, raised for the first time on appeal, that

her first and second PCR counsel were ineffective in their representation.

Defendant argues first PCR counsel neglected to "investigate and timely raise

all of her cognizable claims" and specifically failed to: "inform her she must

file a second PCR within one year"; raise "why trial counsel failed to investigate

and advance a Battered Women Syndrome defense"; interview her second trial

counsel; investigate trial counsel's inadequate preparation and examination of

the "defense accident reconstructionist expert"; and examine why "trial counsel

failed to engage with defendant." As defendant raised or could have raised these

issues in her prior applications, they are barred under Rule 3:22-12(a)(2)(C).

      Finally, defendant's contention that second PCR counsel was ineffective

for failing to argue her first PCR attorney was ineffective is equally unavailing.

As defendant indirectly acknowledges, her IAC claims against first PCR

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                                        12
attorney are raised for the first time on this appeal. As such, those claims are

barred under Rule 3:22-12(a)(2)(C).

      To the extent we have not addressed defendant's remaining arguments, we

determine they lack sufficient merit to warrant discussion in a written opinion.

R. 2:11-3(e)(2).

      Affirmed.

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