United States v. Larico Lamar Smith

429 F.3d 620, 2005 U.S. App. LEXIS 25220, 2005 WL 3116320
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
DecidedNovember 23, 2005
Docket04-5669
StatusPublished
Cited by43 cases

This text of 429 F.3d 620 (United States v. Larico Lamar Smith) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Sixth 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. Larico Lamar Smith, 429 F.3d 620, 2005 U.S. App. LEXIS 25220, 2005 WL 3116320 (6th Cir. 2005).

Opinions

GWIN, D. J., delivered the opinion of the court, in which MOORE, J., joined.

COOK, J., delivered a separate concurring opinion.

GWIN, District Judge.

The instant appeal arises out of Defendant-Appellant Larico Lamar Smith’s conviction for possession of ammunition and a firearm by a felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). Smith contends on appeal that the district court erred in denying Smith a three-level reduction for acceptance of responsibility under United States Sentencing Guideline provision § 3E1.1(b), when it determined his sentence. Smith also urges this Court to vacate his sentence and remand the case to the district court for resentencing in light of the Supreme Court’s recent decision in United States v. Booker, 543 U.S. 220, 125 S.Ct. 738, 160 L.Ed.2d 621 (2005). Upon examination, this panel unanimously agrees that oral argument is not needed. Fed. R.App. P. 34(a). For the reasons set forth below, the Court VACATES Smith’s sentence and REMANDS the case to the district court for resentencing in light of Booker.

I. Background

A. Facts

After being charged with a number of similar counts, Defendant-Appellant Lari-co Lamar Smith (“Smith”) pled guilty to two counts of possession of ammunition and a firearm by a felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). The offenses arose in fall 2002 and summer 2003.

[623]*623Prior to the events giving rise to the instant case, Smith was convicted of two felonies: On October 2, 1994, he was convicted of aggravated assault, and on May 30, 1995, he was convicted of voluntary manslaughter. Smith committed both the manslaughter and the aggravated assault while he was a juvenile, but both cases were transferred to adult court and both resulted in punishment as adult felonies. Smith served six- and four-year terms of imprisonment for the manslaughter and aggravated assault convictions, respectively-

Seven years after his felony convictions, on four separate occasions, Smith illegally possessed ammunition that had traveled in and affected interstate commerce. In the first offense, on September 22, 2002, Defendant Smith approached Nathan Roberts, who was sitting outside a business at 2525 Martin Luther King Boulevard in Knoxville, Tennessee. Smith knocked Roberts to the ground and then shot him with a nine millimeter semi-automatic pistol. One round entered Roberts’ leg and lodged in his pelvis area.

In the second offense, on January 18, 2003, Smith shot at Isaiah Holloway, Nathan Roberts, and Christopher Cherry outside a residence at 2717 Tarleton Avenue, Knoxville, Tennessee. Holloway was struck in the back and seriously injured, eventually landing in the neurorespiratory unit. In the third event, on June 20, 2003, Defendant Smith and Cebra Griffin engaged in a gun fight outside Gene’s Place at 123 Chestnut Street, Knoxville, Tennessee. During the gun battle, a bystander, Britney Goins, was struck in the right foot and left leg. Finally, on August 5, 2003, police officers arrested Smith after shots were fired near the Walter P. Taylor housing projects in Knoxville, Tennessee. At that scene, Smith was discovered carrying an InterDynamic nine millimeter semiautomatic pistol. Rounds and shell casings at each location were inspected by an ATF expert who gave the opinion that the ammunition and shell casings had all been manufactured outside the state of Tennessee.

B. Procedural History

On August 5, 2003, a federal grand jury indicted Defendant Smith on one count of possession- of a firearm by a felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). On October 21, 2003, a superseding indictment was returned, charging Appellant with four counts — in three counts with being a felon in possession of ammunition in connection with the three shootings, and in one count with being a felon in possession of ammunition and firearms in connection with the fourth incident, all in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1).

As discussed below, Smith complains that he did not receive appropriate credit for acceptance of responsibility. After arraignment, the district court set the trial for November 18, 2003, then rescheduled it to January 8, 2004, after the superceding indictment was returned. The district court set December 22, 2003, as the cut-off date for a plea agreement. At a pretrial conference with the magistrate judge, the Defendant moved for and was granted a continuance of the trial date, which was reset for February 23, 2004. The plea cutoff date was changed to January 28, 2004, one week after the magistrate judge issued a report and recommendation denying Defendant’s motion to suppress. On February 9, 2004, Defendant filed objections to the report and recommendation. On February 12, 2004, a final pretrial conference was held. One week later, on February 19, 2004 — and 2 business days before the scheduled date of trial — the Defendant notified the Government and the District Court of his intention to plead guilty. The [624]*624Government had already begun to secure witnesses.

On Monday, February 28, 2004, the date scheduled for trial, Defendant Smith entered a guilty plea to Counts Two and Four of the superseding indictment, pursuant to a plea agreement with the United States. In exchange for Smith’s guilty plea, the Government agreed to dismiss the two remaining counts in the superced-ing indictment. The plea agreement did not include a waiver of appeal. On April 13, 2004, the probation officer prepared the presentence report (PSR) and provided it to the parties.

' In calculating the offense level, the PSR first recommended a base-offense level of twenty-four (24), pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(a)(2), with an increase of two (2) levels for possession of three firearms, see U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(b)(1)(A), and an additional increase of four (4) levels for use of a firearm during commission of another felony, see U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(b)(5), in this case, the commission of assault with intent to commit murder and aggravated assault. This calculation would result in an adjusted offense level of thirty (30).

The PSR then noted that U.S.S.G. § 2K2.1(c)(1), “Cross Reference,” mandated application of U.S.S.G. § 2A2.1(a)(1) in cases where a firearm had been used in commission of assault with intent to commit murder. The PSR stated that the more specific provision applied, “as the criminal conduct involved deliberate and premeditated criminal conduct during the commission of the shooting on August 5, 2003.” J.A. Vol II, 7. The resulting base offense level was twenty-eight (28). The PSR then recommended an additional four (4) levels be added, as the victim sustained life-threatening injuries, see U.S.S.G. § 2A2.1(b)(1)(A). The resulting total offense level was thirty-two (32). As this computation resulted in a higher offense level, the PSR recommended thirty-two (32) as the appropriate adjusted level.

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Bluebook (online)
429 F.3d 620, 2005 U.S. App. LEXIS 25220, 2005 WL 3116320, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-larico-lamar-smith-ca6-2005.