Washington v. Mutch
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Appellant Richard Mutch appealed his sentence of 400 months' imprisonment on rape and kidnapping charges. After his life sentence was vacated several years after his conviction, the trial court imposed an "exceptional" sentence of 400 months at re-sentencing. On appeal to the Supreme Court, Appellant challenged the trial court's authority to impose such a sentence. In particular, Appellant argued that the trial court miscalculated his "offender score," and because of the miscalculation, his 400-month sentence should be invalidated. Upon careful consideration of the trial record and the applicable legal authority, the Supreme Court affirmed the trial court's sentence. The Court found that Washington law gives trial courts the authority to impose "exceptional" sentences, and that the court did not miscalculate Appellant's "offender score." Accordingly the Court affirmed Appellant's sentence.
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