State Of Washington v. Kero Riiny Giir

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedApril 28, 2014
Docket69393-0
StatusUnpublished

This text of State Of Washington v. Kero Riiny Giir (State Of Washington v. Kero Riiny Giir) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State Of Washington v. Kero Riiny Giir, (Wash. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

STATE OF WASHINGTON, DIVISION ONE £5 <-'~ O CO —iC Respondent, No. 69393-0- 5; ™<-> v. UNPUBLISHED OPINION KERORIINYGIIR, ,;-5G*S \X> Appellant. FILED: April 28, 2014

Dwyer, J. — Kero Giir pleaded guilty to murder in the first degree and

assault in the third degree. On this, his fourth appeal, Giir contends that the trial

court erred by imposing a community custody condition that directed mental

health evaluation and treatment. This is so, he asserts, because a sentencing

report prepared by the Department of Corrections (DOC) after his second appeal

does not qualify as a presentence report. In his statement of additional grounds,

Giir also asks this court to remand for reconsideration of his request for an

exceptional sentence downward. We reject both contentions and affirm.

I

In 2007, Giir pleaded guilty to murder in the first degree and assault in the

third degree, after stabbing his girl friend to death and cutting a bystanderwho attempted to stop him. At Giir's initial sentencing hearing, Giir requested an No. 69393-0-1/2

exceptional sentence below the standard range. The trial court denied Giir's

request and imposed a standard range sentence.

The trial court sentenced Giir to 300 months in custody for the murder

conviction and 8 months in custody for the assault conviction, to be served

concurrently. The trial court also imposed 24 to 48 months of community custody

and, as a condition thereof, ordered Giir to obtain a mental health evaluation and

follow treatment recommendations. Giir appealed. In an unpublished opinion,

we held that the trial court had erred by not making findings as to whether Giir

was a mentally ill person and that his condition likely influenced his offenses, as

required by statute. State v. Giir, noted at 153 Wn. App. 1015, 2009 WL

4024840, at *1 (2009) (Giir I). We remanded for further proceedings related to

the imposition of the community custody condition. Giir I, 2009 WL 4024840, at

*5.

On April 23, 2010, the trial court entered a sentence modification, again

imposing mental health evaluation and treatment as a condition of community

custody. Giir appealed. We again held that the trial court had erred by imposing

the condition, this time because DOC had not prepared a statutorily-required

presentence report. State v. Giir, noted at 160 Wn. App. 1026, 2011 WL 768839,

at *2 (2011) (Giir II). We reversed the condition and remanded. Giir II, 2011 WL

768839, at *4.

Upon remand, the trial court ordered DOC to prepare a presentence

report. The trial court's order was entered on March 22, 2011. DOC submitted

its presentence investigation report on July 28, 2011. On August 16, 2011, the

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trial court issued Appendix F, entitled "Additional Conditions of Sentence."

Because the trial court had not held a sentencing hearing before issuing the

conditions, Giir appealed for the third time. This appeal was dismissed as moot

after the trial court struck Appendix F.

On September 19, 2012, the trial court held its final sentencing hearing.

The DOC employee who had prepared the presentence report testified at this

hearing. At the conclusion of the hearing, the trial court stated, "I would be

remiss as a trial judge not to order some type of mental health treatment which

this man so desperately needs." The trial court once again imposed mental

health evaluation and treatment as a term of community custody. In its order,

filed on September 19, 2012, the trial court held,

This condition of sentence is based on the Department of Corrections report, the evaluations conducted by Dr. Wheeler and Dr. Kriegler, as well as the presentence reports submitted by both counsel. The Court additionally orders this condition because it finds, based on the same, that the defendant is a mentally ill person as defined in RCW 71.24.025 and that this condition is likely to have influenced the underlying offense.

Giir once again appeals.

II

Giir contends that the trial court erred by ordering a mental health

condition of community custody, because the trial court did not have the benefit

of a DOC presentence report when it imposed the condition. This is so, he

asserts, because the presentence report must be written before any sentencing

hearing occurs, which in this case was 2007. Giir argues, in the alternative, that

3- No. 69393-0-1/4

the 2012 hearing was not a "resentencing" hearing. Giir's contentions are not

well taken.

Where a trial court determines that mental health evaluation and treatment

may be a desired condition of community custody, the trial court must order DOC

to complete a presentence report before imposing such a condition. Former

RCW 9.94A.500(1) (2006). If a trial court imposes mental health conditions

without considering a DOC presentence report, it errs. State v. Lopez. 142 Wn.

App. 341, 353-54, 174 P.3d 1216 (2007).

Giir contends that the trial court did not have the benefit of a DOC

presentence report when it imposed a mental health condition in 2012 because

only a report filed before the 2007 hearing would qualify as a "presentence

report." Giir's assertion simply has no basis in law. A final sentence can be

rendered in more than one sentencing hearing. State v. Kilqore. 167 Wn.2d 28,

37, 216 P.3d 393 (2009) ("'[T]he finality of that portion of the judgment and

sentence that was correct and valid at the time it was pronounced' is unaffected

by the reversal of one or more counts." (quoting In re Pers. Restraint of Carle, 93

Wn.2d31.34, 604 P.2d 1293 (1980))): accord State v. Rowland, 160 Wn. App.

316, 331,249P.3d635(2011)affd, 174Wn.2d 150, 272 P.3d 242 (2012)

("Unlike the exceptional sentence (which we authorized the resentencing court to

leave intact in Rowland II), Rowland's standard range sentence was not final.").

Any event that occurs prior to the relevant final sentencing decision is a "prior"

event with respect to that decision. CI State v. Collicott. 118 Wn.2d 649, 664-65,

827 P.2d 263 (1992) (holding that a conviction entered before the date of

-4- No. 69393-0-1/5

resentencing, although entered after the date of the initial sentencing, was a

"prior conviction" for purposes of calculating an offender score). Thus, a report

prepared before the hearing at which the relevant, final sentencing decision is

made qualifies as a "presentence report."

When we reversed and remanded Giir's condition of community custody,

that portion of Giir's sentence was not yet final. The sentencing hearing at which

the relevant, final condition of community custody was entered occurred on

September 19, 2012. Any report submitted before that date that related to the

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Related

State v. Wade
979 P.2d 850 (Washington Supreme Court, 1999)
State v. Collicott
827 P.2d 263 (Washington Supreme Court, 1992)
Bulzomi v. Department of Labor & Industries
864 P.2d 996 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 1994)
State v. Rowland
272 P.3d 242 (Washington Supreme Court, 2012)
State v. Lopez
174 P.3d 1216 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2007)
State v. Kilgore
216 P.3d 393 (Washington Supreme Court, 2009)
In Re the Personal Restraint of Carle
604 P.2d 1293 (Washington Supreme Court, 1980)
State v. Wade
979 P.2d 850 (Washington Supreme Court, 1999)
State v. Kilgore
167 Wash. 2d 28 (Washington Supreme Court, 2009)
State v. Lopez
142 Wash. App. 341 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2007)
State v. Rowland
249 P.3d 635 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2011)

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