State Of Washington v. Kevin Lee Garrison

Court of Appeals of Washington·Decided April 16, 2018·No. 75895-1·Unpublished

Opinion

FLED

COURT OF APPEALS OW

STATE OF WASHINGTON

2016 APR 16 ill 8:35

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

STATE OF WASHINGTON, ) No. 75895-1-1 )

Appellant, ) (Consolidated with ) No. 75885-3-1)

v. )

) UNPUBLISHED OPINION KEVIN LEE GARRISON, )

)

Respondent. ) FILED: April 16, 2018 )

LEACH, J. — This is the second appeal challenging Kevin Lee Garrison's

sentence. Both Garrison and the State appeal his sentence. The State challenges the trial court's conclusion that a 1981 Texas conviction for voluntary manslaughter is not comparable to a "most serious offense" in Washington and, therefore, it could not sentence Garrison as a persistent offender. Garrison challenges two provisions in his judgment and sentence about a curfew and sex offender registration.

We agree that the Texas offense is not legally comparable to manslaughter in the second degree. We do not reconsider our earlier conclusion, which is the law of this case, that the Texas offense is not factually comparable to manslaughter in the first degree or assault in the second degree. For these reasons, we affirm the trial court's conclusion that it could not sentence

No. 75895-1-1/ 2

Garrison as a persistent offender.

We remand, however, so the trial court can strike the community custody provision imposing a curfew and amend the sex offender registration notice. We otherwise affirm.

BACKGROUND

A jury found Garrison guilty of child molestation in the second degree, as charged.1 At sentencing, the State presented evidence of three earlier felony convictions, including a 1981 Texas manslaughter conviction. The trial court found the Texas manslaughter conviction comparable to the Washington crime of manslaughter in the first degree, a "most serious offense" in Washington. The trial court relied on this conclusion to sentence Garrison as a persistent offender to life without the possibility of release.

On appeal, we reversed.2 We decided that the Texas offense is not legally comparable to Washington's offense of manslaughter in the first degree or, for purposes of a "most serious offense" analysis, to Washington's assault in the second degree.3 We also concluded that the Texas offense is not factually

The facts of the crime are not relevant to this appeal. They are set forth in detail in our opinion in State v. Garrison, No. 71134-2-1, slip op. at 2-5 (Wash. Ct. App. Sept. 8, 2015)(unpublished), http://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/ pdf/711342.pdf.

2 Garrison, slip op. at 1.

3 Garrison, slip op. at 23, 28-31.

No. 75895-1-1 / 3

comparable to these Washington offenses.4 Finally, after noting that the parties agreed that the Texas offense is comparable to Washington's manslaughter in the second degree, we held that the offense had "washed out" and could not be counted as a "most serious offense."5 Thus, we held that Garrison lacked the prior convictions necessary to sentence him as a persistent offender and remanded for resentencing.6 On remand, the State produced evidence to show that the Texas conviction had not washed out. The trial court decided, however, that the Texas offense was not comparable to second degree manslaughter in Washington and did not reach the washout issue. Because the court decided that the Texas conviction was not comparable to a "most serious offense" in Washington, it did not sentence him as a persistent offender. The court imposed a standard range sentence.

The State appeals Garrison's sentence. It claims that the trial court should have sentenced him as a persistent offender. Garrison also appeals, challenging issues related to his sentence. This court consolidated the appeals.

4 Garrison, slip op. at 23, 31.

5 Garrison, slip op. at 31-33; RCW 9.94A.525(2).

6 Garrison, slip op. at 33.

No. 75895-1-1 /4

ANALYSIS

Persistent Offender Sentencing First, the State challenges the trial court's conclusion that Garrison's Texas manslaughter conviction is not comparable to a "most serious offense" in Washington. We agree with the trial court.

A "persistent offender" is an offender who:

(a)(i) Has been convicted in this state of any felony considered a most serious offense; and

(ii) Has, before the commission of the offense under (a) of this subsection, been convicted as an offender on at least two separate occasions, whether in this state or elsewhere, of felonies that under the laws of this state would be considered most serious offenses and would be included in the offender score under RCW 9.94A.525.rn

To be a strike offense for persistent offender sentencing, an earlier conviction must be included in the defendant's offender score and must be a "most serious offense" as defined by RCW 9.94A.030.8 To decide whether to count an out-of-state conviction, Washington courts use a two-part test.9 A court first considers whether the offenses are legally comparable by comparing the elements of the foreign offense with those of the Washington offense.1° When the elements of the foreign offense are broader than the Washington offense, the

7 RCW 9.94A.030(38).

8 State v. Morley, 134 Wn.2d 588, 603,952 P.2d 167 (1998).

9 State v. Thiefault, 160 Wn.2d 409, 415, 158 P.3d 580 (2007).

10 Thiefault, 160 Wn.2d at 415.

No. 75895-1-1/ 5

court must decide if the offenses are factually comparable." The State has the burden of proving out-of-state convictions are comparable to Washington crimes.12 We review the classification of an out-of-state conviction de novo.13 Here, the law of the case doctrine prevents us from reconsidering our previous holding about factual comparability of Washington's manslaughter in the first degree and assault in the second degree. We also decide that the Texas offense is not legally comparable to manslaughter in the second degree. Thus, the State has failed to show that the Texas offense was a "most serious offense." The trial court properly decided that Garrison was not a persistent offender.

Manslaughter in the First Degree First, the State asks us to reconsider our earlier holding that the Texas offense is not factually comparable to manslaughter in the first degree. Following the law of the case doctrine, we do not reconsider this decision. "The law of the case doctrine provides that once there is an appellate court ruling, its holding must be followed in all of the subsequent stages of the same litigation."14 The doctrine "seeks to promote finality and efficiency in the judicial process."15

11 Thiefault, 160 Wn.2d at 415.

12In re Pers. Restraint of Cadwallader, 155 Wn.2d 867, 876, 123 P.3d 456 (2005); see also Thiefault, 160 Wn.2d at 421 (Sanders, J., concurrin g).

13 State v. Beals, 100 Wn. App. 189, 196, 997 P.2d 941 (2000).

14 State v. Schwab, 163 Wn.2d 664, 672, 185 P.3d 1151 (2008) (citing Roberson v. Perez, 156 Wn.2d 33, 41, 123 P.3d 844 (2005)).

15 Roberson, 156 Wn.2d at 41.

No. 75895-1-1 /6

But under RAP 2.5(c)(2), "[t]he appellate court may at the instance of a party review the propriety of an earlier decision of the appellate court in the same case and, where justice would best be served, decide the case on the basis of the appellate court's opinion of the law at the time of the later review." Courts have recognized two applications of this exception: (1) cases where the court's earlier decision is "'clearly erroneous" and that "erroneous decision would work a manifest injustice to one party" and (2) cases where there has been some intervening change in the law.16 Even then, application of this exception is discretionary.17 Here, the State contends that this court's conclusions were clearly erroneous because they were the result of a misunderstanding of Texas law. We disagree.

We previously concluded that the Texas offense was not legally comparable to Washington's manslaughter in the first degree.18 To prove manslaughter in the first degree, the State had to prove that the defendant knew of and disregarded a substantial risk that a homicide may occur.16 Texas, by contrast, does not require the same culpable mental state.26 The State does not

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