Byers v. Premo

296 P.3d 659, 255 Or. App. 208, 2013 WL 541139, 2013 Ore. App. LEXIS 151
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedFebruary 13, 2013
Docket07C12086; A146672
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 296 P.3d 659 (Byers v. Premo) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Byers v. Premo, 296 P.3d 659, 255 Or. App. 208, 2013 WL 541139, 2013 Ore. App. LEXIS 151 (Or. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

ARMSTRONG, P. J.

Petitioner appeals a judgment denying his petition for post-conviction relief. He contends, among other things, that he did not receive in the criminal case that is the subject of this post-conviction proceeding the legal representation to which he was entitled under Article I, section 11, of the Oregon Constitution.1 We write to address only petitioner’s argument that his trial counsel provided constitutionally deficient representation to him in his criminal case by failing to tell him that the trial court could impose consecutive sentences based on petitioner’s stipulation to certain facts at trial. We reject all of petitioner’s other arguments without discussion and affirm the judgment.

We summarize the facts from the post-conviction court’s findings and from the record.2 Petitioner was charged with one count of first-degree burglary, ORS 164.225; three counts of first-degree rape, ORS 163.375; six counts of first-degree sodomy, ORS 163.405; one count of first-degree unlawful sexual penetration, ORS 163.411; and one count of second-degree assault, ORS 163.175; based on an incident in which petitioner broke into the victim’s house and repeatedly sexually assaulted her.

On the day that petitioner’s criminal trial was scheduled to begin, petitioner’s trial counsel advised him that it was unlikely that he would be acquitted of the charges against him if he proceeded to trial and told him that one of his options was to agree to a trial on stipulated facts. Counsel explained that, by agreeing to do that, petitioner would almost certainly be found guilty of the charged crimes. However, counsel advised petitioner that, if he stipulated to the facts, the court might impose a shorter sentence than it would if petitioner elected to proceed through a full trial. [211]*211Nonetheless, counsel told petitioner that he would likely receive a long prison sentence and explained to him that his sentences for each of the charged crimes could be imposed consecutively.

When petitioner appeared before the trial court, the court explained to petitioner that, if petitioner agreed to a trial on stipulated facts, the prosecutor would recite the facts and petitioner could choose to try the case on them without presenting any evidence to the contrary and without confronting the witnesses for the state. Petitioner confirmed to the court that he understood that.

The prosecutor recited the facts underlying each of the twelve counts. He also stated that, except for the burglary count, the acts that provided the basis for each count were separate and distinct from the acts that provided the basis for each of the other counts. Petitioner agreed to try the case on the facts that the prosecutor recited, and the court found petitioner guilty of all counts.

After the stipulated-facts hearing, petitioner moved to withdraw his stipulation, but the court denied the motion, concluding that petitioner’s agreement to try the case on stipulated facts had been knowing and voluntary because he had been informed about the nature of such a trial by his counsel and by the court. At the sentencing hearing, petitioner contended that the court should impose his sentences for each of the convictions concurrently because the crimes occurred during one continuous, uninterrupted criminal episode.

The court imposed the sentences for each conviction, excluding the burglary conviction, consecutively pursuant to ORS 137.123(5),3 and thereby imposed a total sentence of 1,070 months. It concluded that the acts that provided [212]*212the basis for each of petitioner’s convictions indicated his willingness to commit more than one criminal offense and that they were not incidental violations of separate statutory provisions.

Petitioner petitioned for post-conviction relief, contending that he had received inadequate assistance of counsel because, among other things, his counsel had failed to tell him that the trial court could sentence him consecutively based on the facts to which he had stipulated. In his deposition, petitioner’s trial counsel explained that he had advised petitioner to proceed with a stipulated-facts trial based on the prospect that the trial court would impose a more lenient sentence as a result of petitioner’s decision not to dispute the facts underlying the charges. He stated that he had told petitioner that he could be sentenced consecutively but admitted that he had not calculated the maximum sentence that petitioner faced. When asked if he had told petitioner that he was stipulating to facts on which the trial court could rely in imposing consecutive sentences under ORS 137.123, counsel said that it was unlikely that he had explained that to petitioner; rather, his advice had consisted of a general explanation that the court could impose consecutive sentences.

Petitioner contended that he had received inadequate legal assistance because his trial counsel had not told him that he was stipulating to facts on which the court could rely in imposing consecutive sentences. Specifically, he contended that he had not been told that, by stipulating that each count except the burglary count had arisen from acts that were separate and distinct from the acts of the other counts, the court could sentence him consecutively under ORS 137.123(2).4

[213]*213The post-conviction court denied petitioner relief, concluding that petitioner’s agreement to a stipulated-facts trial had been knowing, intelligent, and voluntary because, among other things, petitioner’s counsel had told him the maximum sentences that he could receive for each count and that his sentences could be imposed consecutively. The court also concluded that petitioner was not a credible witness and that he had failed to sustain his burden of proof.

Petitioner appeals, contending that the post-conviction court erred in denying his petition for post-conviction relief. To obtain post-conviction relief on the ground of inadequate assistance of counsel, petitioner must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that his counsel failed to exercise reasonable professional skill and judgment and that petitioner suffered prejudice as a result. See ORS 138.620(2); Koch v. State of Oregon, 252 Or App 657, 662, 288 P3d 582 (2012).

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Related

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337 Or. App. 782 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2025)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
296 P.3d 659, 255 Or. App. 208, 2013 WL 541139, 2013 Ore. App. LEXIS 151, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/byers-v-premo-orctapp-2013.