State v. Carvalho

978 P.2d 718, 90 Haw. 280, 1999 Haw. LEXIS 152
CourtHawaii Supreme Court
DecidedMay 20, 1999
Docket21701
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 978 P.2d 718 (State v. Carvalho) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Hawaii Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Carvalho, 978 P.2d 718, 90 Haw. 280, 1999 Haw. LEXIS 152 (haw 1999).

Opinion

Opinion of the Court by

LEVINSON, J.

The defendant-appellant Sean Carvalho appeals from that portion of the judgment of the first circuit court, filed on June 12, 1998, sentencing Carvalho to an extended term of twenty years. Carvalho argues that the circuit court erred in: (1) failing to recognize Carvalho’s right to presentence allocution; and (2) relying on unsubstantiated allegations to impose an extended term sentence. Car-valho’s second point of error is without merit. However, we agree with Carvalho’s first point of error. Accordingly, we vacate that portion of the circuit court’s judgment sentencing Carvalho and remand for resentenc-ing before a different judge.

I. BACKGROUND

On September 21, 1995, a complaint was filed against Carvalho, charging him with the offense of murder in the second degree, in violation of HRS § 707-701.5 (1993). 1 Car-valho was charged with having intentionally or knowingly caused the death of his grandmother by striking her with a baseball bat on September 5, 1995. A jury subsequently found Carvalho guilty of “manslaughter *282 based upon reckless conduct,” pursuant to HRS § 707-702 (1993). 2

Carvalho’s sentencing hearing was set for March 20, 1998. On February 17, 1998, the prosecution filed a motion for extended term of imprisonment, pursuant to HRS § 706-662(5) (1993 & Supp.1998). 3 Also on February 17, the prosecution filed a motion for assessment of dangerousness, pursuant to HRS § 706-662(3).

On March 6, 1998, the circuit court conducted a hearing on the prosecution’s motion for assessment of dangerousness. The defense objected to the motion on the grounds that Carvalho’s juvenile record lacks any basis for supporting a finding of dangerousness. The defense also noted that, inasmuch as Carvalho’s twenty-second birthday fell on March 27, 1998, if sentencing were to be delayed beyond that date in order for the prosecution to complete an assessment of dangerousness, Carvalho would no longer be eligible for sentencing pursuant to the “young adult defendants statute,” HRS § 706-667 (1993 & Supp.1998). 4 The circuit court granted the prosecution’s motion, but noted that it would not move the sentencing date unless the prosecution moved for a continuance.

On March 17, 1998, the prosecution filed a motion for continuance of sentencing, which was heard on March 20, 1998. Following a colloquy with the prosecution and the defense, the circuit court addressed the defense’s concerns as follows:

Okay. Last time, ... you had raised an interesting question, that if we do postpone this sentencing beyond March 27th[, Car-valho] would not be 22 at the time of sentencing.
So — well, let me say for the record that I’ve received a presentence report in this case, and I’ve read it. I also received this morning two fax letters from Judy Ruis Verhoek and Aida R. Silva, who are relatives of the victim in this case.... Then I also reviewed an addendum to the presen- *283 tence diagnosis and report dated March 16th, 1998, dealing with restitution matters and firearms compliance.
Now, frankly, ... having reviewed all of these materials, were I to sentence [Car-valho] today, I would probably — I would in fact deny a request for sentencing as a young adult offender.
And let me just state my reasons for the record. And to tell you what I’m going to do in this ease, I’m going to grant the motion to continue. But I want to state my reasons for the youthful offender denial at this point in time just to — just because of the issue that [the defense] raised, ... I want to do it now rather than when it’s too late.
And then if I do it now, you can consider it as a ruling on your request for youthful offender sentencing. And then maybe that will give you an opportunity to move for reconsideration later on if you feel it justified, given that I am going to continue this matter. So if you come up with something else it might change my mind. And even though the date has passed, maybe you can move for reconsideration.

The circuit court proceeded to discuss Car-valho’s character and concluded as follows:

So considering all of this, I am not prepared to say that five years in prison, given the current availability of rehabilitative programs there, is enough either to rehabilitate [Carvalho] or to remove the substantial risk of danger to the public that he now presents. Those are my reasons for denying the request for sentencing as a young adult defendant.

The circuit court did not offer Carvalho an opportunity to speak during these proceedings. The circuit court postponed sentencing in order to provide the prosecution’s expert time to complete the assessment of dangerousness. 5

On June 12, 1998, the circuit court conducted Carvalho’s sentencing hearing. The prosecution called Harold Hall, Ph.D., a psychologist, to testify regarding the dangerousness assessment he had performed on Car-valho. Dr. Hall related that Carvalho had declined psychological testing, but that Dr. Hall had been able to construct an assessment from a “database” that included police reports, trial testimony, sanity commission reports, the presentence diagnosis and report, a tape-recorded interview of Carvalho, a neuropsychology report, and interviews with two witnesses. Dr. Hall opined as follows:

Well, in my opinion, [Carvalho] is dangerous to others and he does — and this is based on a significant history of violence and a dangerousness resulting in criminally violent conduct and the direction of dangerousness is more towards others than self or property. And in coming to this conclusion I looked at history, triggers to aggression, inhibitory kinds of things that would hold aggression in check for the defendant which were generally weak in nature, and the substance use which was a big factor, the progressive brain disease that has been diagnosed by several individuals, and all these things — the projection of blame and the lack of remorse, putting all these things together suggests] a serious danger to others in the foreseeable future.

Following extensive examination of Dr. Hall and brief statements by the prosecution and the defense, the circuit court asked Carvalho if he wished to speak. Carvalho apologized to his grandmother’s friends and loved ones.

The circuit court then proceeded with sentencing:

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Bluebook (online)
978 P.2d 718, 90 Haw. 280, 1999 Haw. LEXIS 152, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-carvalho-haw-1999.