United States v. King

226 F. App'x 305
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
DecidedMarch 16, 2007
Docket06-4416
StatusUnpublished

This text of 226 F. App'x 305 (United States v. King) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. King, 226 F. App'x 305 (4th Cir. 2007).

Opinion

PER CURIAM:

Appellant Alex Ohara King appeals his sentence of 84 months’ imprisonment, which was at the low end of the advisory guidelines range, arguing that it was unreasonable. Because King has failed to rebut the presumption of reasonableness attached to his within-the-guidelines sentence, we affirm.

I.

On April 26, 2004, the Brunswick County Sheriffs Office responded to a shooting, which occurred at Travis Johnson’s residence in Supply, North Carolina. An investigation revealed that on that day, King approached Johnson and his friend Kenneth Bryant, Jr., who were both sitting on Johnson’s porch. King said to Bryant, “I heard you were at my house.” (J.A. at 110.) 1 King then drew a handgun and fired at Bryant, although he failed to hit him. King attempted to fire again, but the gun malfunctioned. Bryant retreated into the house unharmed, and King eventually fled the scene.

A warrant was subsequently issued for misdemeanor assault with a deadly weapon, and on April 30, 2004, King surrendered to the Sheriffs Office. King also surrendered the .380 caliber handgun that he had used to fire at Bryant. King stated that he shot at Bryant because Bryant had previously made sexual advances toward King’s teenage daughter.

On January 13, 2005, the Sheriffs Office conducted an unrelated traffic stop of King’s vehicle. King was arrested for driving with a suspended license and it was determined that he had an unrelated outstanding warrant. King consented to a search of his vehicle, and the police found an assault rifle and two thirty-round magazines stored under the rear seat where his infant son was seated. The police also discovered a small amount of cocaine base, which King stated he was going to trade for sex.

*307 Approximately seven months later, on July 7, 2005, the Sheriffs Office responded to a shooting in Supply. Investigators found the victim, Melissa Carpenter, who had been shot in the leg by King. Carpenter did not wish to press charges, but stated that she and King had been fighting when King shot her. The next day, King turned in a .22 caliber revolver to the police, which he stated he had wrestled away from Carpenter. On July 14, 2005, King traveled to the Sheriffs Office to talk with investigators. Upon his arrival, investigators searched his car and discovered eight rounds of .380 caliber ammunition.

On August 10, 2005, King was named in a four-count indictment in the Eastern District of North Carolina, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm on April 30, 2004 (Count One); on January 13, 2005 (Count Two); on July 7, 2005 (Count Three); and with being a felon in possession of ammunition on July 14, 2005 (Count Four), each count a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1).

King pleaded guilty to Count One without a plea agreement, and the Government thereafter dismissed Counts Two through Four. Based on prior felony convictions for assault with a deadly weapon and common law robbery, 2 the pre-sentence report (PSR) determined King’s base offense level for his § 922(g) conviction to be 24. Pursuant to § 2K2.1(b)(l)(A) of the 2005 Sentencing Guidelines Manual, the PSR recommended a two-level upward adjustment on a finding that the offense involved three different firearms. Pursuant to § 2K2.1(b)(5), the PSR also recommended a four-level upward adjustment on a finding that King used a firearm in connection with another felony offense. Finally, the PSR recommended a two-level downward adjustment based on King’s acceptance of responsibility. The end result was a total recommended offense level of 28. Based on King’s criminal history category of VI, the guideline range would have been 140 to 175 months. The statute, however, allows only for a maximum sentence of 120 months, so the PSR identified the guideline range as 120 months’ imprisonment. See 18 U.S.C.A. § 924(a)(2) (West 2000 & Supp.2006) (providing in relevant part that whoever knowingly violates § 922(g) is subject to imprisonment of “not more than 10 years”).

King objected to the PSR, contending that his criminal history category should have been V, and that his total offense level should have been 17, resulting in a guideline range of 46 to 57 months. King further argued that because of his family responsibilities (he is the primary provider for his children) and the victim’s conduct (contending that Bryant instigated King’s assault), a downward variance from the guidelines was warranted.

The district court then conducted a lengthy sentencing hearing. The court began by noting King’s extensive criminal history and his past drug use. It also noted that he was employed and responsible for his children, and the court considered letters written by King’s children on his behalf. Addressing King’s specific objections to the PSR, the district court sustained King’s objections to the four-level enhancement for possessing a firearm in connection with another felony and the two-level enhancement for the involvement of three or more firearms. The district court, however, overruled King’s objection to use of his assault convictions as part of his criminal history. The district court therefore concluded that King’s total of *308 fense level should be set at 22, resulting in an advisory guidelines range of 84-105 months.

At the district court’s behest, King’s counsel then addressed the court concerning his motion for a downward departure or a variance. First, the district court found that there was no support for a sentencing departure based on the victim’s conduct, because King’s response was “disproportionate.” (J.A. at 86.) Because Bryant was nowhere near the vicinity of King’s house or daughter, it was not necessary for King to locate him on a friend’s porch and fire errant rounds at Bryant. The district court also found that King’s family circumstances were not extraordinary. Accordingly, the district court declined to vary from the guidelines.

Toward the conclusion of the sentencing hearing, the district court noted that it had considered King’s guideline range as well as other factors in addition to and including the factors set forth in the Sentencing Reform Act. The district court noted that King should participate in an intensive drug treatment program and recommended physical and mental health treatment as well. Although the district court explicitly considered King’s “responsibilities as a family man,” (J.A. at 97), it determined that a sentence of 84 months’ imprisonment at the low end of the guideline range was necessary and appropriate because it was clear that King had put numerous members of the public and his family at risk and needed to “get over some demons.” (J.A. at 97.)

II.

Because King was sentenced under the advisory guidelines, we review his sentence for reasonableness. United States v. Green, 436 F.3d 449, 456 (4th Cir.2006). The reasonableness of a sentence turns on the peculiar facts of each case, but “certain principles would appear to be universally applicable.” United States v. Moreland,

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226 F. App'x 305, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-king-ca4-2007.