State v. Callaghan

2021 Ohio 1047
Ohio Court of Appeals·Decided March 31, 2021·No. 29431·Published·Cited by 10 cases

Opinion

STATE OF OHIO ) IN THE COURT OF APPEALS )ss: NINTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COUNTY OF SUMMIT )

STATE OF OHIO C.A. No. 29431 Appellee

v. APPEAL FROM JUDGMENT ENTERED IN THE

DAVID A. CALLAGHAN COURT OF COMMON PLEAS COUNTY OF SUMMIT, OHIO

Appellant CASE No. CR 18 09 3076

DECISION AND JOURNAL ENTRY Dated: March 31, 2021

TEODOSIO, Judge.

{¶1} Appellant, David A. Callaghan, appeals from the judgment of the Summit County Court of Common Pleas, sentencing him to eighteen years to life in prison. This Court affirms in part, reverses in part, and remands for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

I.

{¶2} Mr. Callaghan pled guilty to murder (Count 1), a special felony, tampering with evidence (Count 2), a felony of the third degree, gross abuse of a corpse (Count 3), a felony of the fifth degree, and domestic violence (Count 4), a misdemeanor of the first degree. The remaining charges were dismissed. The trial court ordered a pre-sentence investigation report (“PSI”) and later sentenced him to fifteen years to life in prison for Count 1, three years in prison for Count 2, one year in prison for Count 3, and six months in prison for Count 4. Counts 1 and 2 were run consecutively to each other, but concurrently with Counts 3 and 4, for a total aggregate sentence of eighteen years to life in prison.

{¶3} Mr. Callaghan now appeals from the trial court’s judgment entry and raises four assignments of error for this Court’s review.

II.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR ONE

THE TRIAL COURT COMMITTED REVERSIBLE AND PLAIN ERROR BY ACCEPTING DEFENDANT’S GUILTY PLEA AS IT WAS NOT KNOWINGLY, INTELLIGENTLY, AND VOLUNTARILY MADE BECAUSE THE TRIAL COURT DID NOT INFORM DEFENDANT OF THE MAXIMUM OR MANDATORY PENALTIES AS REQUIRED UNDER CRIM.R. 11(C)(2)(A).

{¶4} In his first assignment of error, Mr. Callaghan argues that the trial court committed reversible and plain error in accepting his guilty pleas, as they were not knowing, intelligent, and voluntary because the court failed to inform him of the maximum penalties for murder, e.g., mandatory prison time and a potential fine. We disagree.

{¶5} “A plea is invalid where it has not been entered in a knowing, intelligent, and voluntary manner.” State v. Farnsworth, 9th Dist. Medina No. 15CA0038-M, 2016-Ohio-7919, ¶ 4. “Crim.R. 11(C) prohibits a trial judge from accepting a guilty plea without first ensuring that the defendant is fully informed regarding his rights and that he understands the consequences of his plea.” Id. Pursuant to Crim.R. 11(C)(2)(a), a trial court shall not accept a guilty plea to a felony offense without first addressing the defendant personally and “[d]etermining that the defendant is making the plea voluntarily, with understanding of the nature of the charges and of the maximum penalty involved, and if applicable, that the defendant is not eligible for probation or for the imposition of community control sanctions at the sentencing hearing.”

{¶6} The Supreme Court of Ohio has urged trial courts to comply literally with Crim.R.

11 in order to avoid committing error. State v. Clark, 119 Ohio St.3d 239, 2008-Ohio-3748, ¶ 29. See also State v. Griggs, 103 Ohio St.3d 85, 2004-Ohio-4415, ¶ 19, fn. 2 (“Literal compliance with

Crim.R. 11, in all respects, remains preferable to inexact plea hearing recitations.”). “If a trial court fails to literally comply with Crim.R. 11, reviewing courts must engage in a multitiered analysis to determine whether the trial judge failed to explain the defendant’s constitutional or nonconstitutional rights and, if there was a failure, to determine the significance of the failure and the appropriate remedy.” Clark at ¶ 30.

{¶7} Crim.R. 11(C)(2)(a) addresses nonconstitutional rights, and trial courts must substantially comply with the Crim.R. 11 notification requirements for nonconstitutional rights. Farnsworth at ¶ 5; Clark at ¶ 31-32. To substantially comply with Crim.R. 11, “a slight deviation from the text of the rule is permissible; so long as the totality of the circumstances indicates that ‘the defendant subjectively understands the implications of his plea and the rights he is waiving[.]’” Clark at ¶ 31, quoting State v. Nero, 56 Ohio St.3d 106, 108 (1990). If substantial compliance is not achieved, a reviewing court must determine if the trial court partially complied or failed to comply with the rule. Id. at ¶ 32. A trial court’s complete failure to comply with Crim.R. 11 requires the plea to be vacated, but if the court partially complied with the rule the defendant must demonstrate prejudice for the plea to be vacated. Id. “The test for prejudice is ‘whether the plea would have otherwise been made.’” Id., quoting Nero at 108.

{¶8} Mr. Callaghan argues that the trial court failed to inform him that his prison sentence for murder would be mandatory and that he would be subject to a maximum fine of up to $15,000.00. The right to be informed of the maximum penalty for a crime is a nonconstitutional right, so a review of the plea hearing transcript is necessary to determine whether there was substantial compliance with Crim.R. 11. State v. Bailey, 9th Dist. Summit Nos. 28003, 28004, and 28005, 2016-Ohio-4937, ¶ 14. The offense of murder in violation of R.C. 2903.02 carries with it a mandatory prison sentence. See R.C. 2929.02(B)(1); R.C. 2929.13(F)(1); R.C. 2929.01(X)(1).

In addition, the offense of murder subjects the offender to a potential fine of up to $15,000.00. See R.C. 2929.02(B)(4). Accordingly, in order to comply with the mandates of Crim.R. 11(C)(2)(a), the trial court needed to inform Mr. Callaghan at the plea hearing that he would not be eligible for probation or the imposition of community control sanctions. See State v. Garrett, 9th Dist. Summit No. 24143, 2009-Ohio-2339, ¶ 9; State v. Straley, 159 Ohio St.3d 82, 2019-Ohio-5206, ¶ 30 (Kennedy, J., concurring in judgment only). The court also had to notify him of the maximum, potential fine he faced by pleading guilty to murder.

{¶9} In explaining the maximum penalties for each charge during its plea colloquy with Mr. Callaghan, the trial court informed him that the offense of murder carried with it a prison term of fifteen years to life. The court asked Mr. Callaghan if he understood the maximum penalties for his offenses, and Mr. Callaghan said, “Yes.” The court did not, however, expressly state that the prison term was “mandatory,” nor did it expressly state that Mr. Callaghan would not be eligible for community control. The court further neglected to expressly inform Mr. Callaghan of the possible fines he faced for each offense, including the maximum potential fine of up to $15,000.00 for the offense of murder. See R.C. 2929.02(B)(4).

{¶10} Nonetheless, the record reveals that Mr. Callaghan also executed a written plea of guilty in this case. The written plea form lists the maximum prison term for Count 1 as “15 to life” and the box indicating “Mand. Prison” is unmistakably checked. The plea form also states the maximum fines for each individual offense, including a “$20k” fine for Count 1. Directly underneath the charges and maximum penalties, the plea form states: “I understand the above penalties are the maximum penalties for the offenses listed.” On the second page of the document is a handwritten note that the “State and defense will argue position on additional time on top of the murder charge.” (Emphasis added.) During the plea colloquy, the trial court specifically asked

Mr. Callaghan if he reviewed, read, and understood the written plea of guilty form, and Mr. Callaghan said, “Yes.” The court then asked Mr. Callaghan, “Is this your signature on the second page?” and he again replied, “Yes.” The court then asked one final time before inquiring how Mr. Callaghan would like to plead: “Do you have any questions?” Mr. Callaghan replied, “No.”

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