State Of Washington v. Onelio Abun Cardona Hernandez

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedApril 16, 2018
Docket76074-2
StatusUnpublished

This text of State Of Washington v. Onelio Abun Cardona Hernandez (State Of Washington v. Onelio Abun Cardona Hernandez) 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.

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State Of Washington v. Onelio Abun Cardona Hernandez, (Wash. Ct. App. 2018).

Opinion

GOURT i.IF- APPEALS DIV I ,S1ATE OF WASHINGTON

2018 APR 16 AM 8:35

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

STATE OF WASHINGTON, No. 76074-2-1 Respondent, V. DIVISION ONE

ONELIO CARDONA-HERNANDEZ, UNPUBLISHED OPINION

Appellant. FILED: April 16, 2018

LEACH, J. — Onelio Cardona-Hernandez appeals the high-end standard

range sentence and conditions of community custody the trial court imposed after

his conviction for second degree rape. He claims that the sentence was a "penalty"

that violates his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.1 Because

Cardona-Hernandez voluntarily spoke at his sentencing and the sentence falls

within the standard range, we affirm the trial court. Because a condition prohibiting

Cardona-Hernandez from entering sex-related businesses is not sufficiently

related to his conviction, we remand to strike the condition and otherwise affirm.

BACKGROUND

The trial court convicted Cardona-Hernandez of rape in the second degree

and two counts of burglary in the first degree with sexual motivation. Cardona-

1 U.S. CONST. amend. V. No. 76074-2-1/ 2

Hernandez also pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of criminal trespass in the first

degree with sexual motivation.

At sentencing, Cardona-Hernandez faced a standard range for the rape

conviction of 146 to 194 months. For the two counts of burglary, he faced a

standard range of 57 to 75 months. The State recommended the high end of the

standard range for the rape conviction. At the sentencing hearing, the trial court

told Cardona-Hernandez that he had the right of allocution but that he also had the

"absolute right to say nothing." Cardona-Hernandez chose to speak. He explained

that he refused to plead guilty and take a plea offer because he was innocent.

After Cardona-Hernandez's statement, the trial court imposed the high-end

term, 194 months,for the second degree rape. The trial court considered a number

of factors before deciding to impose the high-end term. These included (1) the

defense's argument of lack of relative force,(2) the nature of the crime, including

exploiting his employer for the purpose of victimizing, (3) the nature of the crime

scene (located in the University District which is a place offreedom and innocence

where the defendant undoubtedly observed vulnerability), (4) the vulnerability of

the victim given her infirmity, and (5) "the defendant's apparent lack of remorse

and choice here rather than to apologize, to use this as an opportunity to cross-

examine one of his rape victims."

The trial court sentenced Cardona-Hernandez to 66 months on the two

counts of burglary, concurrent with his sentence for the rape count. The trial court

also imposed lifetime community custody after Cardona-Hernandez's release.

-2 No. 76074-2-1/ 3

Cardona-Hernandez appeals.

ANALYSIS

Standard Range Sentence

Cardona-Hernandez challenges the standard sentence range for the rape

conviction. Under the Sentencing Reform Act of 1981 (SRA),2 a criminal defendant

generally may not appeal the imposition of the standard sentence range.3 But a

defendant may appeal a standard range sentence when a sentencing court does

not comply with procedural requirements of the SRA or constitutional

requirements.4

Cardona-Hernandez contends that the trial court violated his Fifth

Amendment right against self-incrimination by considering his "remorseless"

allocution when imposing the high end of the standard range sentence. The Fifth

Amendment prevents a person from being "compelled in any criminal case to be a

witness against himself."5 A defendant may assert the right against self-

incrimination in any proceeding, "civil or criminal, formal or informal, where the

answers might incriminate him in future criminal proceedings."6 This includes a

sentencing hearing.7

2 Ch. 9.94 RCW. 3 RCW 9.94A.585(1). 4 State v. Osman, 157 Wn.2d 474, 481-82, 139 P.3d 334 (2006). 5 U.S. CONST. amend. V; see McKune v. Lile, 536 U.S. 24, 35, 122 S. Ct. 2017, 153 L. Ed. 2d 47(2002). 6 Lefkowitz v. Turley,414 U.S. 70,77,94S. Ct. 316,38 L. Ed.2d 274(1973). 7 See Mitchell v. United States, 526 U.S. 314, 325-27, 119 S. Ct. 1307, 143 L. Ed. 2d 424(1999).

-3 No. 76074-2-1 /4

But no one compelled Cardona-Hernandez to speak. The trial court told

Cardona-Hernandez that he had the right to allocution and the right to remain

silent. The judge's advice eliminates any claim of any compulsion to self-

incrimination.8 Cardona-Hernandez chose to speak after the court told him he

could remain silent. By choosing to speak, he waived his Fifth Amendment right.

"Trial courts may not use a defendant's silence or continued denial of guilt

as a basis for justifying an exceptional sentence."8 Here, the parties concede that

no Washington case law directly addresses the issue of whether a court can

consider a denial of guilt when imposing a standard range sentence. Cardona-

Hernandez relies on a Montana decision, State v. Shreves.1° There,the defendant

maintained his innocence throughout the trial and chose to remain silent during

sentencing.11 The trial court imposed the 100-year sentence recommended by the

State.12 The trial court imposed this sentence in large part due to the defendant's

lack of remorse and equated the defendant's silence to a lack of remorse.13 The

Montana Supreme Court held that the trial court "improperly penalized Shreves for

maintaining his innocence pursuant to his constitutional right to remain silent."14

But the court also made clear that a trial court can consider a defendant's lack of

United States v. Washington, 431 U.S. 181, 188,97 S. Ct. 1814,52 L. Ed. 8 2d 238 (1977)(stating when a respondent was explicitly advised of the right to remain silent, "This advice also eliminated any possible compulsion to self- incrimination which might otherwise exist."). 9 State v. Garibav, 67 Wn. App. 773, 782, 841 P.2d 49(1992). 19 2002 MT 333, 313 Mont. 252,60 P.3d 991. 11 Shreves, 2002 MT 333, ¶ 6. 12 Shreves, 2002 MT 333, ¶ 3. 13 Shreves, 2002 MT 333, 1120. 14 Shreves, 2002 MT 333, 1120.

-4 No. 76074-2-1 / 5

remorse during pretrial, at trial, or posttrial as a sentencing factor.15 But the court

prohibited a sentencing court from drawing "a negative inference of lack of remorse

from the defendant's silence at sentencing where he has maintained, throughout

the proceedings, that he did not commit the offense of which he stands

convicted."16

We distinguish Shreves. Cardona-Hernandez did not remain silent at

sentencing. So the trial court did not penalize him by drawing an impermissible

inference from his silence. Cardona-Hernandez cites no authority for the

proposition that the trial court must ignore the content of his allocution statement

when imposing sentence. Once Cardona-Hernandez chose to speak, the Fifth

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Related

Lefkowitz v. Turley
414 U.S. 70 (Supreme Court, 1973)
United States v. Washington
431 U.S. 181 (Supreme Court, 1977)
Mitchell v. United States
526 U.S. 314 (Supreme Court, 1999)
McKune v. Lile
536 U.S. 24 (Supreme Court, 2002)
United States v. James M. Klotz
943 F.2d 707 (Seventh Circuit, 1991)
State v. Shreves
2002 MT 333 (Montana Supreme Court, 2002)
State v. Byrd
887 P.2d 396 (Washington Supreme Court, 1995)
State v. Garibay
841 P.2d 49 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 1992)
Soundgarden v. Eikenberry
871 P.2d 1050 (Washington Supreme Court, 1994)
State v. Pirtle
904 P.2d 245 (Washington Supreme Court, 1995)
State v. Salinas
829 P.2d 1068 (Washington Supreme Court, 1992)
United States v. Reeves
591 F.3d 77 (Second Circuit, 2010)
State v. Thorgerson
258 P.3d 43 (Washington Supreme Court, 2011)
State v. Bahl
193 P.3d 678 (Washington Supreme Court, 2008)
State v. Sullivan
19 P.3d 1012 (Washington Supreme Court, 2001)
State v. Osman
139 P.3d 334 (Washington Supreme Court, 2006)
City of Spokane v. Douglass
795 P.2d 693 (Washington Supreme Court, 1990)
State v. Dewey
966 P.2d 414 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 1998)
State v. Warren
195 P.3d 940 (Washington Supreme Court, 2008)
State Of Washington v. Samuel Lee Irwin
364 P.3d 830 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2015)

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