Carlton Reashard Lane v. State of Alabama

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REL: 12/17/2010 Notice: T h i s o p i n i o n i s s u b j e c t t o formal r e v i s i o n b e f o r e p u b l i c a t i o n i n t h e advance s h e e t s o f Southern R e p o r t e r . R e a d e r s a r e r e q u e s t e d t o n o t i f y t h e R e p o r t e r o f D e c i s i o n s , Alabama A p p e l l a t e C o u r t s , 300 D e x t e r A v e n u e , M o n t g o m e r y , A l a b a m a 3 6 1 0 4 - 3 7 4 1 ((334) 2 2 9 - 0 6 4 9 ) , o f a n y t y p o g r a p h i c a l o r o t h e r e r r o r s , i n o r d e r t h a t c o r r e c t i o n s may b e made b e f o r e t h e o p i n i o n i s p r i n t e d i n Southern R e p o r t e r . ALABAMA COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OCTOBER TERM, 2010-2011 CR-07-1354 C a r l t o n Reashard Lane v. S t a t e o f Alabama Appeal After PER from Calhoun C i r c u i t (CC-07-552) Remand f r o m Court t h e A l a b a m a Supreme Court CURIAM. The A l a b a m a S u p r e m e C o u r t i n L a n e v . S t a t e , September 24, 2010] Court's 18, So. 3d d e c i s i o n i n Lane v. S t a t e , 2009] So. 3d (Ala. 2010), [Ms. 1 0 9 1 1 1 7 , reversed [Ms. C R - 0 7 - 1 3 5 4 , ( A l a .Crim. App. 2009), this December and adopted CR-07-1354 the views expressed i n the dissenting J u d g e Windom a n d J u d g e M a i n . year s e n t e n c e was w i t h i n opinions authored The C o u r t h e l d the s t a t u t o r y range 5 - 9 ( b ) ( 3 ) , A l a . Code 1 9 7 5 , a n d t h a t L a n e , offender, was correctly term i n excess case to this that h i s 120-year punishment States sentenced o f 99 y e a r s . Court sentence in violation Lane's Eighth proportionality sentences." f o r a Class A felony that we Court address constitutes Lane's cruel and principle' v. ... contains that unusual a 'applies California, limited principle (Ala. Crim. In Wilson, offender's possibility morphine that claim o f t h e E i g h t h Amendment t o t h e U n i t e d Amendment Ewing recognized this time to a remanded t h e to 538 11, U.S. of App. 17 sentence constituted (1991). i n W i l s o n v. S t a t e , of this of life Court held that imprisonment for selling cruel i n order t o conduct (2003), We 830 S o . 2001). a majority parole 'narrow noncapital q u o t i n g H a r m e l i n v . M i c h i g a n , 501 U.S. 9 5 7 , 9 9 6 - 9 7 765 felony Constitution. "The 2d 120- s e t o u t i n §13A- a third-time The S u p r e m e and d i r e c t e d that by a 2 first- without substance and u n u s u a l punishment. a full-scale a the containing We noted S o l e m v . H e l m , 463 U.S. CR-07-1354 277 (1983), sentence the analysis i s grossly defendant we must first disproportionate i s being determine to the whether crime for the which sentenced. " A p p l i c a t i o n o f H a r m e l i n [ v . M i c h i g a n , 501 U.S. 957 (1991),] mandates t h a t we make a threshold d e t e r m i n a t i o n i n t h i s c a s e by c o n s i d e r i n g whether the mandatory sentence of l i f e imprisonment without parole imposed in Wilson's case is grossly disproportionate to her crime. To perform this analysis, we must c o n s i d e r the gravity of the o f f e n s e and t h e h a r s h n e s s o f t h e p u n i s h m e n t . Solem [v. H e l m , ] 463 U.S. [ 2 7 7 ] a t 2 9 0 - 9 1 , 103 S . C t . 3001 [ ( 1 9 8 3 ) ] . The U n i t e d S t a t e s S u p r e m e C o u r t n o t e d i n Solem that no single factor determines when a s e n t e n c e i s g r o s s l y d i s p r o p o r t i o n a t e , and i t o f f e r e d a nonexhaustive l i s t o f f a c t o r s t o be c o n s i d e r e d when a c o u r t i s a s s e s s i n g t h e s e v e r i t y o f a c r i m e . These factors include consideration of the c i r c u m s t a n c e s of the c r i m e , the harm c a u s e d t o the victim or to society, the culpability of the o f f e n d e r , and t h e o f f e n d e r ' s m o t i v e i n c o m m i t t i n g the c r i m e . I d . a t 2 9 0 - 9 4 , 103 S . C t . 3 0 0 1 . " 830 So. 2d at Johnson, 73 F.3d Harmelin [ v . M i c h i g a n , 501 Solem to is 'gross added). 1347-48 only ( 5 t h C i r . 1996) U.S. when See 957 a to the sentence Smallwood v. ("In of light (1991)], i t appears threshold imposed comparison l e a d s t o an of that the inference disproportionality.'") Clearly, inquiry (emphasis 1343, apply crime committed of 778 Lane's sentence does not meet -- i t i s n o t g r o s s l y d i s p r o p o r t i o n a t e 3 this threshold to the crime f o r CR-07-1354 which Lane was sentenced -- m u r d e r . Lane was convicted and s e n t e n c e d u n d e r t h e H a b i t u a l F e l o n y O f f e n d e r A c t t o 120 y e a r s ' imprisonment shooting be cruel, sense, f o r i n t e n t i o n a l l y murdering him i n the chest. but having they been Nation's history." "Severe, are not unusual employed C h r i s t o p h e r Toson by mandatory p e n a l t i e s i n the i n v a r i o u s forms may constitutional throughout our H a r m e l i n v . M i c h i g a n , 501 U.S. 9 5 7 , 9 9 4 - 9 5 (1991). " ' I t i s w e l l s e t t l e d that "[w]here a t r i a l judge imposes a sentence within the statutory range, this Court will not d i s t u r b t h a t s e n t e n c e on a p p e a l a b s e n t a s h o w i n g o f an a b u s e o f t h e t r i a l judge's d i s c r e t i o n . " A l d e r m a n v . S t a t e , 615 S o . 2 d 640 , 649 ( A l a . Crim. A p p . 1992 ) . "The e x c e p t i o n t o t h i s g e n e r a l r u l e i s that 'the a p p e l l a t e c o u r t s may r e v i e w a s e n t e n c e , which, although within the prescribed l i m i t a t i o n s , i s so d i s p r o p o r t i o n a t e t o t h e offense charged that i t constitutes a v i o l a t i o n o f a d e f e n d a n t ' s E i g h t h Amendment rights.'" Brown [v. State, 611 S o . 2 d 1194,] 1 1 9 7 , n. 6 [ ( A l a . C r i m . A p p . 1 9 9 2 ) ] , q u o t i n g E x p a r t e M a d d o x , 502 S o . 2 d 7 8 6 , 789 ( A l a . 1 9 8 6 ) . " "Adams v . S t a t e , A p p . 20 0 1 ) . 815 So. 2d 5 8 3 , 585 (Ala. Crim. "Ware was g i v e n a h e i g h t e n e d s e n t e n c e u n d e r t h e H a b i t u a l F e l o n y O f f e n d e r A c t , § 13A-5-9, A l a . C o d e 1975. Legislatively mandated sentences carry a p r e s u m p t i o n o f v a l i d i t y . M c L e s t e r v . S t a t e , 460 S o . 2 d 8 7 0 , 874 ( A l a . C r i m . App. 1984). '"Reviewing 4 CR-07-1354 courts, of course, should grant substantial deference to the broad a u t h o r i t y that l e g i s l a t u r e s n e c e s s a r i l y possess i n d e t e r m i n i n g t h e t y p e s and l i m i t s o f p u n i s h m e n t s f o r c r i m e s . . . . " ' 460 S o . 2 d a t 8 7 4 , q u o t i n g S o l e m v . H e l m , 463 U.S. 2 7 7 , 2 9 0 , 103 S.Ct. 3 0 0 1 , 77 L . E d . 2 d 637 ( 1 9 8 3 ) . '"'Where t h e punishment p r e s c r i b e d by t h e l e g i s l a t u r e i s s e v e r e m e r e l y b y r e a s o n o f i t s e x t e n t , as d i s t i n g u i s h e d f r o m i t s n a t u r e , t h e r e i s no c o l l i s i o n w i t h t h e E i g h t h A m e n d m e n t . ' " ' W i l s o n v . S t a t e , 427 S o . 2 d 1 4 8 , 152 ( A l a . C r i m . A p p . 1 9 8 3 ) ( q u o t i n g W a t s o n v . S t a t e , 392 S o . 2 d 1 2 7 4 , 1277 ( A l a . C r i m . A p p . 1 9 8 0 ) , q u o t i n g i n t u r n E x p a r t e M e s s e l t v . S t a t e , 351 S o . 2 d 6 3 6 , 639 ( A l a . C r i m . A p p . 1 9 7 7 ) ) . L i k e w i s e , t h i s Court has h e l d t h a t t h e H a b i t u a l F e l o n y O f f e n d e r A c t does n o t v i o l a t e t h e C r u e l and Unusual Punishment C l a u s e o f t h e E i g h t h Amendment. See W a t s o n v . S t a t e , 392 S o . 2 d 1274 ( A l a . C r i m . A p p . 1 9 8 0 . ) " Ware v. State, Lane's 120-year punishment; 949 S o . 2 d 1 6 9 , 183 (Ala. Crim. App. 2006). s e n t e n c e does n o t c o n s t i t u t e c r u e l and u n u s u a l therefore, Lane i s d u e no r e l i e f on t h i s claim. AFFIRMED. Wise, P . J . , and Welch, Windom, concur. 5 Kellum, and Main, J J . ,

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