State v. Branch

930 N.W.2d 455
CourtCourt of Appeals of Minnesota
DecidedJune 10, 2019
DocketA18-1055
StatusPublished

This text of 930 N.W.2d 455 (State v. Branch) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Branch, 930 N.W.2d 455 (Mich. Ct. App. 2019).

Opinion

REYES, Judge

On direct appeal from a final judgment of conviction, appellant argues that the district court erred in imposing a sentence for second-degree assault because it arose out of the same behavioral incident as his conviction of drive-by shooting, and no "exception" to Minn. Stat. § 609.035, subd. 1 (2016), applies. We affirm.

*457FACTS

In April 2017, appellant Deveon Marquise Branch met C.R.G. at a location in Minneapolis to drop off their son. After appellant gave the child to C.R.G., another individual named J.L.T., the child, and C.R.G. entered C.R.G.'s vehicle. A fifth individual, C.L.G., stood outside, next to the vehicle. Appellant and C.L.G. started arguing. Appellant pulled out a handgun and attempted to fire a shot in C.L.G.'s direction, but the bullet struck the vehicle with C.R.G., J.L.T., and the child inside.

The state charged appellant with one count of drive-by shooting in violation of Minn. Stat. § 609.66, subd. 1e(b) (2016), one count of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon in violation of Minn. Stat. § 609.222, subd. 1 (2016), and one count of reckless discharge of a firearm in violation of Minn. Stat. § 609.66, subd. 1a(a)(3) (2016). The complaint named C.R.G., an occupant of the vehicle, as the victim of the second-degree-assault charge.

Appellant pleaded guilty to all three counts with no agreement on sentencing. The district court sentenced appellant to 48 months in prison for the drive-by-shooting offense (count one) and 36 months for the second-degree-assault offense (count two). The district court did not impose a sentence on the offense of reckless discharge of a firearm. This appeal follows.

ISSUE

Did the district court err by imposing multiple sentences for drive-by-shooting and second-degree-assault offenses when both convictions arose out of a single behavioral incident and when the multiple-victim rule of Minn. Stat. § 609.035, subd. 1, does not apply?

ANALYSIS

Appellant contends that the district court must vacate his sentence for second-degree assault because, first, both of his convictions "arose out of a single behavioral incident, motivated by a single criminal objective," and, second, because no "exception" to the one-sentence-per-victim component of Minn. Stat. § 609.035, subd. 1, applies to the facts of his case. We address appellant's second argument first.

Whether offenses arising from a single behavioral incident are subject to multiple sentences under Minn. Stat. § 609.035, subd. 1 (2016), is a question of law which we review de novo. State v. Ferguson , 808 N.W.2d 586, 590-91 (Minn. 2012). Under Minn. Stat. § 609.035, subd. 1, "if a person's conduct constitutes more than one offense ... the person may be punished for only one of the offenses." Section 609.035, subdivision 1, contemplates that "a defendant will be punished for the most serious of the offenses arising out of a single behavioral incident because imposing up to the maximum punishment for the most serious offense will include punishment for all offenses." State v. Kebaso , 713 N.W.2d 317, 322 (Minn. 2006) (quotations and citations omitted).

Appellant acknowledges the existence of the multiple-victim rule of section 609.035, subdivision 1. See Munt v. State , 920 N.W.2d 410, 418-419 (Minn. 2018). The rule allows a district court to impose more than one sentence for convictions arising out of a single behavioral incident when multiple victims are involved, State v. Whittaker , 568 N.W.2d 440, 453 (Minn. 1997), provided that (1) the crimes affect multiple victims and (2) multiple sentences do not unfairly exaggerate the criminality of the defendant's conduct. State v. Skipintheday , 717 N.W.2d 423, 426 (Minn. 2006) ; see also Munt , 920 N.W.2d at 417 (stating that legislature did not intend to immunize offenders from consequences of *458separate crimes against separate victims. (quotations omitted)).

In State v. Ferguson , the supreme court relied on this rule to uphold the imposition of multiple sentences for eight counts of aiding and abetting second-degree assault and one count of drive-by shooting, after the defendant had committed a drive-by shooting of a building with eight occupants. 808 N.W.2d at 588. Appellant argues that Ferguson is distinguishable from his case because, (1) the supreme court specifically limited its decision in Ferguson to drive-by shootings of occupied buildings, and excluded drive-by shootings of motor vehicles; (2) Ferguson involved multiple assault victims, while appellant's case involves only one;1 and (3) unlike in Ferguson , vacating appellant's sentence for second-degree assault would not unfairly depreciate the seriousness of his offense.

As to appellant's first argument, the Ferguson court "express[ed] no opinion about who could be victims of a drive-by shooting at a person or an occupied vehicle" because that issue was not before the court. 808 N.W.2d at 590 n. 1. But that issue is before us now, and we will address it.

The supreme court in Ferguson

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Related

State v. Whittaker
568 N.W.2d 440 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1997)
State v. Kebaso
713 N.W.2d 317 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 2006)
State v. Skipintheday
717 N.W.2d 423 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 2006)
State v. Ferguson
808 N.W.2d 586 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 2012)
Munt v. State
920 N.W.2d 410 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 2018)

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Bluebook (online)
930 N.W.2d 455, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-branch-minnctapp-2019.