State v. Kennerson

715 So. 2d 518, 1998 WL 282980
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 3, 1998
DocketCR97-1682
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 715 So. 2d 518 (State v. Kennerson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Kennerson, 715 So. 2d 518, 1998 WL 282980 (La. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinion

715 So.2d 518 (1998)

STATE of Louisiana, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
Edward C. KENNERSON, Defendant-Appellant.

No. CR97-1682.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

June 3, 1998.

*519 Jerold Edward Knoll, Marksville, Michael F. Kelly, Assistant District Attorney, for State.

Dmitrc I. Burnes, Alexandria, for Edward Kennerson.

Before YELVERTON, GREMILLION and PICKETT, JJ.

PICKETT, Judge.

On the night of July 15, 1995, Defendant gathered three other men and drove them to the home of Wayne Bordelon in Avoyelles Parish. Bordelon's unlocked truck was parked in his driveway; his son's locked truck (registered in Bordelon's name) was also parked there. Kennerson and his accomplices entered both trucks, removed various items, then left. Bordelon did not realize he had been burglarized until the next morning.

Continuing their enterprise, the burglars went to the home of Dr. James Guillory, also in Avoyelles Parish. While two of his accomplices stayed in the yard to eat pears from Guillory's trees, Defendant and his other compatriot, a juvenile, entered a shed attached to the victim's carport and removed boxes of frozen meat. The burglars loaded it into Kennerson's car with the items taken from Bordelon's trucks, then left. Guillory did not realize the meat had been taken until the next morning.

On October 3, 1995, Defendant, Charles Edward Kennerson, was charged by bill of information with two counts of simple burglary, in violation of La.R.S. 14:62. At the completion of trial on May 17, 1996, the six-member jury found him guilty on both counts. Pursuant to La.R.S. 15:529.1, Defendant was charged as a habitual offender on June 4, 1996. The court advised him of his constitutional rights on the same date. Kennerson's current counsel enrolled on June 25, 1996. After a hearing held July 9, 1996, the district court found Defendant to be a third habitual offender. The court denied his Motion for Post-Verdict Judgment of Acquittal after a hearing on July 23, 1996. After reviewing the Presentence Investigation Report (PSI) and hearing further arguments, the district court sentenced Defendant to twenty (20) years on each count, to run consecutively. Kennerson's Motion to Reconsider Sentence was denied on August 26, 1996. Defendant appealed his conviction and sentence. On May 7, 1997, this court affirmed Defendant's conviction, but reversed and vacated his adjudication and sentence as a third habitual offender. The case was remanded to the trial court for resentencing Defendant as a second habitual offender and not in a manner inconsistent with this opinion. State. v. Kennerson, 96-1518 (La.App. 3 Cir. 5/7/97); 695 So.2d 1367. Defendant was resentenced to nineteen years on each count, to run concurrently. Defendant now appeals his conviction and resentencing by assigning five errors committed by the trial court.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 1:

In his first assignment of error Defendant contends the trial court erred in resentencing him. He complains that the trial court failed to abide by the directions of this court's ruling in Kennerson, 695 So.2d 1367. This assignment lacks merit. Defendant misconstrues what this court previously ordered. This court stated, "[a] shorter sentence, to run concurrently, would be more appropriate under the circumstances of this case." Id. at 1383. Further, in the conclusion of Kennerson this court held:

Accordingly, the defendant's convictions are affirmed, but defendant's adjudication and sentence as a third habitual offender should be reversed and vacated. The case is remanded to the trial court in order to resentence the defendant as a second felony offender and in a manner not inconsistent with this opinion.

Id. at 1384.

At resentencing the trial court sentenced Defendant as a second felony habitual offender as follows:

*520 Accordingly, Mr. Kennerson, it's the sentence of the court that you be committed to the custody of the Louisiana Department of Corrections, to serve at hard labor, for a period of 19 years on one count, one charge, and
On the second count, a period of 19 years; this sentence to run concurrent with the previous sentence of 19 years, which this court has imposed.
You're given credit for time served.

Defendant argues that the trial court originally sentenced Defendant to two twenty (20) years prison sentences, to run consecutively, and that this court stated a shorter sentence is more appropriate. He asserts this court intended the trial court to adjust Defendant's sentence downward by more than just one year, from twenty (20) to nineteen (19) years.

The trial court, on resentencing, followed the dictates of this court. In Kennerson, this court held that, "[d]espite the fact that the individual sentences appear to be legally sound, their combined effect is disproportionate to the crimes committed." Id. at 1382. This court's concern was the combined effect, not the length of the individual sentences. The trial court reduced the sentences by one year each and made them concurrent, rather than consecutive. This significantly reduced Defendant's prison term, by more than one-half. Defendant's total sentence was reduced from forty (40) years to nineteen (19) years. The trial court complied with the order of this court. Therefore, this assignment lacks merit.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 2:

In his second assignment, Defendant contends his new sentences are excessive and constitute cruel and unusual punishment. The trial court has great discretion in sentencing within the statutory limits. State v. Trahan, 425 So.2d 1222 (La.1983); Kennerson, 695 So.2d 1367. Absent a manifest abuse of discretion, a sentence should not be set aside. State v. Washington, 414 So.2d 313 (La.1982); Kennerson, 695 So.2d 1367.

In the case sub judice, the sentencing range on each count was from six (6) to twenty-four (24) years. Defendant, on resentencing, received nineteen (19) years on each count, to run concurrently. In Defendant's previous appeal he raised a constitutional excessiveness claim. This court found no error in the trial court sentencing Defendant to twenty (20) years on each count. This court's vacation of Defendant's sentences was based on the combined effect of the sentences caused by the consecutive nature of the sentences. This court held, "[f]ocusing on the constitutional claim advanced by the defendant, the jurisprudence suggests that the defendant's individual sentences are neither shocking nor grossly disproportionate to the severity of the crimes committed." Kennerson, 695 So.2d at 1382. This court has already held the individual sentence lengths were not constitutionally excessive when they were greater than they are now. Other courts have also upheld similar sentences as constitutional. See State v. Anderson, 609 So.2d 831 (La.1992); State v. Martin, 28,489 (La.App. 2 Cir. 8/21/96); 679 So.2d 557, writ denied, 96-2367 (La.2/7/97); 688 So.2d 498; State v. Jones, 537 So.2d 848 (La.App. 5 Cir.1989).

As stated above, this court vacated the sentences based on the consecutive nature of the sentences. Further, this court ordered the trial court to run the sentences concurrently, which the trial court did. Defendant was exposed to a sentence range of six (6) to forty-eight (48) years combined. Defendant received, on resentencing, nineteen (19) years on each count, to run concurrently.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
715 So. 2d 518, 1998 WL 282980, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-kennerson-lactapp-1998.