BRYANT (KHALID) VS. COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY
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RENDERED: JANUARY 21, 2011; 10:00 A.M.
NOT TO BE PUBLISHED
Commonwealth of Kentucky
Court of Appeals
NO. 2009-CA-001244-MR
KHALID BRYANT
v.
APPELLANT
APPEAL FROM LYON CIRCUIT COURT
HONORABLE CLARENCE A. WOODALL, III, JUDGE
ACTION NO. 07-CR-00003
COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY
APPELLEE
OPINION
AFFIRMING
** ** ** ** **
BEFORE: COMBS AND DIXON, JUDGES; ISAAC,1 SENIOR JUDGE.
ISAAC, SENIOR JUDGE: Khalid Bryant appeals from a June 17, 2009, order of
the Lyon Circuit Court which denied his motion for relief pursuant to Kentucky
Rules of Criminal Procedure (RCr) 11.42. Bryant argues that he was denied his
right to effective assistance of counsel when he entered a plea of guilty to an
1
Senior Judge Sheila R. Isaac sitting as Special Judge by assignment of the Chief Justice
pursuant to Section 110(5)(b) of the Kentucky Constitution and KRS 21.580.
assault charge. Because Bryant failed to raise this issue in the motion that was
denied by the trial court, and because the trial court correctly held that Bryant had
not complied with the requirements of RCr 11.42(2), we affirm.
Bryant, who is an inmate at the Kentucky State Penitentiary, was indicted
for first-degree assault against a fellow inmate. He entered a plea of guilty to
assault under extreme emotional disturbance pursuant to an agreement with the
Commonwealth. Under the terms of the agreement, which Bryant and his attorney
both signed, the Commonwealth offered to amend the charge to assault under
extreme emotional disturbance and to recommend a sentence of two and a half
years “consecutive to any sentence the defendant is now serving.” Bryant also
signed a motion to enter a plea of guilty, in which he acknowledged that he
understood the rights he was waiving by entering the plea, that the plea was
“freely, knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily made,” that he had been
represented by competent counsel, and that he understood the nature of the
proceeding and all matters contained in the document. On March 7, 2008, the
circuit court entered a final judgment and sentence in accordance with the terms of
the plea agreement.
On May 11, 2009, Bryant filed a form styled “Motion to Amend Sentence”
requesting the court to run his two and a half year sentence on the assault charge
concurrently with the five-year sentence he was already serving for receiving
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stolen property and fleeing and evading police. As grounds for the request, he
pointed out that prior to the assault charge, he had been a non-violent offender.
Since the charge, he contended that he had reformed, and had been moved to a
larger housing unit which allowed him to interact and be social with his peers. He
also stated that he held down jobs in prison as a janitor and librarian and had
completed several Bible study classes.
On May 11, 2009, Bryant filed an RCr 11.42 motion to vacate his conviction
and sentence for assault under extreme emotional disturbance. The motion was
also submitted on a preprinted form, but Bryant did not fill out the section which
asked him to state why the court should vacate his conviction and sentence.
On June 17, 2009, the circuit court entered two orders denying the motions.
The first order addressed Bryant’s motion to amend sentence, which it treated as a
motion made pursuant to Kentucky Rules of Civil Procedure (CR) 60.02. The
court stated that insufficient grounds existed to modify the sentence and denied
that motion. In its other order, the court denied RCr 11.42 relief for failure to
comply with section (2) of the rule, which provides for summary dismissal if the
movant fails to state specifically the grounds and supporting facts on which the
sentence is being challenged.
Bryant mailed a notice of appeal dated June 23, 2009, to the Lyon Circuit
Clerk stating that he was appealing from the trial court’s order of June 17, 2009,
that dismissed with prejudice his RCr 11.42 motion for relief. The notice was filed
by the Lyon Circuit Court Clerk on July 1, 2009.
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On June 25, 2009, Bryant filed a second, handwritten RCr 11.42 motion
requesting the court to alter, amend or vacate the two orders it had entered on June
17, 2009. For the first time, Bryant argued that he was deprived of effective
assistance of counsel in entering his guilty plea. He contended that his counsel was
ineffective for failing to discuss a defense of insanity or extreme emotional distress
and for failing to investigate his case and interview witnesses to obtain statements
on Bryant’s behalf. On August 5, 2009, the circuit court denied this second RCr
11.42 motion. The record on appeal does not contain a notice of appeal from this
order.
Bryant then filed an appellate brief which raised his claims of ineffective
assistance of counsel, and also argued that the trial court had erred in failing to
hold an evidentiary hearing on the RCr 11.42 motion.
We are unable to review Bryant’s claims of ineffective assistance of counsel
because the order from which he appealed denied a motion which did not raise
these issues. “The function of the Court of Appeals is to review possible errors
made by the trial court, but if the trial court had no opportunity to rule on the
question, there is no alleged error for this court to review.” Kaplon v. Chase, 690
S.W.2d 761, 763 (Ky.App. 1985). At the time the trial court entered the June 17,
2009, order from which Bryant appeals, Bryant had not yet submitted his second
RCr 11.42 motion setting forth his claims of ineffective assistance of counsel.
The trial court’s reason for denying the first motion was Bryant’s failure to
comply with the requirements of RCr 11.42(2), which provides that
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[t]he motion shall be signed and verified by the movant
and shall state specifically the grounds on which the
sentence is being challenged and the facts on which the
movant relies in support of such grounds. Failure to
comply with this section shall warrant a summary
dismissal of the motion.
The trial court’s denial of the motion was fully in compliance with this statutory
provision. “The RCr 11.42 motion must set forth all facts necessary to establish
the existence of a constitutional violation. The court will not presume that facts
omitted from the motion establish the existence of such a violation.” Hodge v.
Commonwealth, 116 S.W.3d 463, 468 (Ky. 2003), overruled on other grounds by
Leonard v. Commonwealth, 279 S.W.3d 151 (Ky. 2009). No evidentiary hearing
was required because the motion failed to raise any issues of fact “that cannot be
determined on the face of the record.” Stanford v. Commonwealth, Ky., 854
S.W.2d 742, 744 (1993), aff’d, Stanford v. Kentucky, 492 U.S. 361, 109 S.Ct.
2969, 106 L.Ed.2d 306 (1989).
The June 17, 2009, order denying Bryant’s RCr 11.42 motion is therefore
affirmed.
ALL CONCUR.
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BRIEF FOR APPELLANT:
BRIEF FOR APPELLEE:
Khalid Bryant, pro se
Eddyville, Kentucky
Jack Conway
Attorney General of Kentucky
Michael L. Harned
Assistant Attorney General
Frankfort, Kentucky
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