State v. Auld.

361 P.3d 471, 136 Haw. 244, 2015 Haw. LEXIS 315
Hawaii Supreme Court·Decided November 24, 2015·No. SCWC-13-0002894·Published·Cited by 17 cases

Opinion

Opinion of the Court by

McKENNA, J.

I. Introduction

The primary 1 questions presented in this case are whether the State, in seeking to sentence a defendant to a mandatory minimum sentence as a repeat offender under Hawai'i Revised Statutes (“HRS”) § 706-606.5 (2014) 2 , (1) must include the defen *247 dant’s predicate prior convictions in a charging instrument; and (2) must prove these prior convictions to a jury, beyond a reasonable doubt. We answer both questions in the affirmative.

This appeal surfaces in the wake of the sea change in state sentencing procedure brought on by the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466, 120 S.Ct. 2348, 147 L.Ed.2d 435 (2000). In that case, the Court held, “Other than the fact of a prior conviction, any fact that increases the penalty for a crime beyond the prescribed statutory maximum must be submitted to a jury, and proved beyond a reasonable doubt.” 530 U.S. at 489, 120 S.Ct. 2348. We adopted this holding in State v. Maugaotega, 115 Hawai'i 432, 447, 168 P.3d 562, 577 (2007), with respect to our state’s extended sentencing procedures, which were subsequently codified at HRS §§ 706-661, -662, and-664 (2014).

Recently, the United States Supreme Court extended the Apprendi rule to mandatory minimum sentencing. See Alleyne v. United States, — U.S. -, 133 S.Ct. 2151, 186 L.Ed.2d 314 (2013). Alleyne held

Any fact that, by law, increases the penalty for a crime is an “element” that must be submitted to the jury and found beyond a reasonable doubt. See [Apprendi, 530 U.S. at 483, n. 10, 490, 120 S.Ct. 2348] Mandatory minimum sentences increase the penalty for a crime. It follows, then, that any fact that increases the mandatory minimum is an “element” that must be submitted to the jury.

133 S.Ct. at 2155. Our appellate case law currently holds that the Apprendi rule does not apply to mandatory minimum sentencing. See State v. Gonsalves, 108 Hawai'i 289, 297, 119 P.3d 597, 605 (2005) (“Apprendi does not apply to mandatory minimumst.]”); Loher v. State, 118 Hawai'i 522, 534 n. 8, 193 P.3d 438, 450 n. 8 (App.2008) (“Apprendi only applies to penalties that increase the maximum statutory incarceration period, not set a mandatory minimum like HRS § 706-606.5.”). This holding has now been implicitly called into question by Alleyne.

We acknowledge that Alleyne did not involve mandatory minimum sentencing based on prior convictions, as Auld’s case does. We also acknowledge that the Apprendi rule contains an exception for the “fact of prior conviction” to its requirement that a jury find, beyond a reasonable doubt, those facts enhancing a defendant’s sentence. It was not until this case, however, that we have had the opportunity to directly address whether Apprendi’s “fact of prior conviction” exception has a place within our repeat offender mandatory minimum sentencing scheme. We hold that it does not.

This is because repeat offender sentencing under HRS § 706-606.5 requires more than just a finding of the “fact” of prior conviction. In order to sentence a defendant as a repeat offender, the State must prove (1) that the defendant has a prior conviction (or convictions); (2) that a prior conviction is specifically enumerated under HRS § 706-606.5(1) or (4); (3) that a prior conviction occurred within the time frame set forth under HRS § 706-606.5(2), (3), or (4); and (4) that the defendant was represented by counsel, or *248 had waived such representation, at the time of the prior conviction. See State v. Caldeira, 61 Haw. 285, 290, 602 P.2d 930, 933 (1979) (per curiam); State v. Afong, 61 Haw. 281, 282, 602 P.2d 927, 929 (1979) (per cu-riam). Therefore, as a matter of state law, the Apprendi “fact of prior conviction” exception does not apply to prior convictions forming the basis of repeat offender sentencing pursuant to HRS § 706-606.5. As a result, a defendant is entitled to have a jury find, beyond a reasonable doubt, those facts necessary to show that he or she is subject to repeat offender sentencing under HRS § 706-606.5.

Further, our case law interpreting article I, sections 5 and 10 of the Hawai'i Constitution 3 requires “a charging instrument, be it an indictment, complaint, or information, [to] include all ‘allegations, which if proved, would result in the application of a statute enhancing the penalty of the crime committed.’” State v. Jess, 117 Hawai'i 381, 398, 184 P.3d 133, 150 (2008) (citations omitted). Five years after we issued Jess, the United States Supreme Court in Alleyne clearly held that “[m]andatory minimum sentences increase the penalty for a crime.” 133 S.Ct. at 2155. In the wake of Alleyne, then, we are compelled to hold that repeat offender sentencing under HRS § 706-606.5 “enhanc[es] the penalty of the crime committed.” Consequently, under article I, sections 5 and 10 of the Hawai'i Constitution, a defendant’s predicate prior conviction(s) must be alleged in the charging instrument.

We are aware that our holdings today announce new rules for repeat offender charging and sentencing in Hawai'i pursuant to HRS § 706-606.5. Consequently, our new holdings take effect prospectively only. The ICA’s judgment on appeal, which affirmed the Circuit Court of the Second Circuit’s 4 (“circuit court”) judgment of conviction and sentence, is therefore affirmed.

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State v. Auld., 361 P.3d 471, 136 Haw. 244, 2015 Haw. LEXIS 315 (haw 2015).

361 P.3d 471 (State v. Auld.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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