State v. Rivera

172 A.3d 260, 177 Conn. App. 242
CourtConnecticut Appellate Court
DecidedOctober 17, 2017
DocketAC40218
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 172 A.3d 260 (State v. Rivera) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Connecticut Appellate Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Rivera, 172 A.3d 260, 177 Conn. App. 242 (Colo. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

DiPENTIMA, C.J.

*245 The defendant, Jose Rivera, appeals from the judgment of the trial court dismissing his motion to correct an illegal sentence. We are asked to determine whether our state constitution affords greater protection to juvenile homicide offenders than that provided under the federal constitution. On appeal, the defendant claims that (1) the court erred in dismissing the motion to correct an illegal sentence on the ground that it lacked subject matter jurisdiction, (2) the court erred in dismissing the motion to correct an illegal sentence because the mandatory minimum sentence of twenty-five years of incarceration without the possibility of parole imposed on a juvenile homicide offender is unconstitutional under article first, §§ 8 and 9, of the Connecticut constitution, as it prevented the court from sentencing juveniles to less than twenty-five years of incarceration upon due consideration of the Miller factors 1 and (3) the court committed constitutional error when it accepted the defendant's waiver, through counsel, without a canvass, of his right to a presentence investigation report. We disagree with the defendant and, accordingly, affirm the judgment of the trial court dismissing the motion to correct an illegal sentence.

The following facts and procedural history are relevant to the present appeal. On April 5, 1997, the defendant and an accomplice participated in a shooting that *246 resulted in the death of Harry Morales. The defendant was seventeen years old at the time of the shooting.

On June 3, 1999, when the defendant was nineteen years old, he pleaded guilty to murder in violation of General Statutes § 53a-54a and conspiracy to commit murder in violation of General Statutes §§ 53a-48 (a) and 53a-54a. He also pleaded guilty under a different docket number to assault in the first degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-59 (a) (1). 2 The court, Clifford, J. , sentenced the defendant to the mandatory minimum of twenty-five years of incarceration on the charge of murder, twenty years of incarceration on *265 the charge of conspiracy to commit murder and ten years of incarceration, five of which were the mandatory minimum, on the charge of assault in the first degree, with all sentences to be served concurrently. The total effective sentence imposed by the court was twenty-five years of incarceration. At the time the defendant was sentenced, he was not eligible for parole pursuant to General Statutes § 54-125a (b) (1), which provides in relevant part that "[n]o person convicted of [murder], which was committed on or after July 1, 1981, shall be eligible for parole ...." 3

On October 1, 2014, the defendant filed a motion to correct an illegal sentence pursuant to *247 Practice Book § 43-22. 4 In his motion, the defendant claimed that his sentence of twenty-five years of incarceration was imposed in an illegal manner because it violated the eighth amendment to the United States constitution as interpreted by Miller v. Alabama , 567 U.S. 460 , 132 S.Ct. 2455 , 183 L.Ed.2d 407 (2012), 5 and Graham v. Florida , 560 U.S. 48 , 130 S.Ct. 2011 , 176 L.Ed.2d 825 (2010). 6 Oral argument was heard on October 16, 2014.

On February 11, 2015, the trial court, Alexander, J. , issued a memorandum of decision dismissing the defendant's motion to correct an illegal sentence because it lacked subject matter jurisdiction over the motion. This appeal followed.

After the appeal was filed and briefed, our Supreme Court issued decisions in State v. Delgado , 323 Conn. 801 , 151 A.3d 345 (2016), and State v. Boyd , 323 Conn. 816 , 151 A.3d 355 (2016). The parties were asked to be prepared to address at oral argument the impact of Delgado and Boyd on the present appeal. 7

*248 I

The defendant first claims that the trial court erred in dismissing the motion to correct an illegal sentence on the ground that it lacked subject matter jurisdiction. We conclude that our Supreme Court's holding in State v. Delgado , supra, 323 Conn. at 801, 151 A.3d 345 , is dispositive of the defendant's claim, and, accordingly, we agree with the trial court's dismissal of the defendant's motion to correct.

*266 We begin by setting forth our well established standard of review and legal principles that govern our resolution of this claim. "We apply plenary review in addressing this question of law.... The subject matter jurisdiction requirement may not be waived by any party, and also may be raised by a party, or by the court sua sponte, at any stage of the proceedings, including on appeal.... At issue is whether the defendant has raised a colorable claim within the scope of Practice Book § 43-22 that would, if the merits of the claim were reached and decided in the defendant's favor, require correction of a sentence....

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
172 A.3d 260, 177 Conn. App. 242, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-rivera-connappct-2017.