United States v. Bouziden ( 2018 )

FILED
United States Court of Appeals
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS Tenth Circuit
FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT February 27, 2018
_________________________________
Elisabeth A. Shumaker
Clerk of Court
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff - Appellee,
v. No. 17-6031
(D.C. Nos. 5:16-CV-00516-C and
JOSHUA D. BOUZIDEN, 5:08-CR-00251-C-2)
(W.D. Okla.)
Defendant - Appellant.
_________________________________
ORDER AND JUDGMENT*
_________________________________
Before TYMKOVICH, Chief Judge, BALDOCK, and BRISCOE, Circuit Judges.
_________________________________
Joshua D. Bouziden filed this motion under 28 U.S.C. § 2255, contending that
his prior conviction for first degree manslaughter in Oklahoma did not qualify as a
predicate offense under the force clause of the Armed Career Criminal Act
(“ACCA”). He argues that Oklahoma’s first degree manslaughter statute is not
divisible, and, alternatively, that the subsection of the statute he was convicted under
(heat of passion manslaughter) cannot qualify as a violent felony under the ACCA
because it does not contain the requisite violent physical force required under 18
U.S.C. § 924(e)(2)(B)(i). The district court denied Bouziden’s § 2255 motion. The
*
This order and judgment is not binding precedent, except under the doctrines
of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. It may be cited, however, for
its persuasive value consistent with Fed. R. App. P. 32.1 and 10th Cir. R. 32.1.
district court subsequently granted Bouziden a certificate of appealability (“COA”)
on his first argument, and we granted him a COA on his second argument.
Exercising jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291, we AFFIRM the district
court’s denial of Bouziden’s § 2255 motion.
I
On December 12, 2008, Bouziden pled guilty to one count of being in
possession of stolen firearms, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(j), and one count of
being a felon in possession of firearms, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). ROA,
Vol. I, at 21–37. The Presentence Investigation Report (“PSR”) noted Bouziden had
three prior convictions that qualified as ACCA predicate offenses: a 1997 conviction
for first degree manslaughter in Oklahoma, and 2002 and 2003 convictions for
possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute. ROA, Vol.
II, at 21–22. Bouziden did not object to the PSR, and the district court adopted the
PSR as presented. See id. at 32. On April 9, 2009, the district court sentenced
Bouziden to 180 months of imprisonment and five years of supervised release. Id. at
5; ROA, Vol. I at 40–41. Bouziden did not file a direct appeal.
In 2016, with the assistance of counsel, Bouziden filed a § 2255 motion to
vacate, set aside, or correct his sentence, arguing he did not have three predicate
offenses under the ACCA in light of the Supreme Court’s decision in Johnson v.
United States, 135 S. Ct. 2551 (2015). ROA, Vol. I, at 68–80. Bouziden did not
challenge the conclusion that his two prior drug offenses qualified as predicate
offenses; he only argued that his first degree manslaughter conviction did not qualify
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as a violent felony under the ACCA. Id. at 72. Specifically, he argued that (i) the
Oklahoma manslaughter statute is indivisible, and (ii) even if it is divisible, the
subsection under which he was convicted (heat of passion manslaughter) does not
require violent physical force, which Bouziden argued must involve intentional
conduct and not merely reckless or negligent conduct. See id. at 126–32; see also id.
at 73 (“The force must also be intentional; mere recklessness or negligent conduct is
insufficient.” (citing United States v. Zuniga-Soto, 527 F.3d 1110, 1116 (10th Cir. 2008)).
The district court denied Bouziden’s § 2255 motion, concluding that (i) the
Oklahoma manslaughter statute was divisible, and (ii) Oklahoma’s heat of passion
manslaughter statute requires violent physical force because “the killing of another
person satisfies the requirement of causing physical pain or injury to another person.”
ROA, Vol. I, at 138–140. Bouziden requested a COA, which the district court
granted as to the divisibility argument. Id. at 147–48. We then granted a COA on
the violent physical force argument as well.
II
“On appeal from the denial of a § 2255 motion, ordinarily ‘we review the
district court’s findings of fact for clear error and its conclusions of law de novo.’”
United States v. Barrett, 797 F.3d 1207, 1213 (10th Cir. 2015) (quoting United States
v. Rushin, 642 F.3d 1299, 1302 (10th Cir. 2011)). When “the district court does not
hold an evidentiary hearing, but rather denies the motion as a matter of law upon an
uncontested trial record, our review is strictly de novo.” Id. (quoting Rushin, 642
F.3d at 1302).
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III
Bouziden’s § 2255 motion rests on his argument that the district court
erroneously enhanced his sentence under the ACCA. The ACCA provides that a
person who violates 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), and who has three prior convictions for a
violent felony or a serious drug offense, is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence
of 15 years’ imprisonment. 18 U.S.C. § 924(e)(1). The statute defines a violent
felony as:
any crime punishable by imprisonment for a term
exceeding one year . . . that
(i) has as an element the use, attempted use, or
threatened use of physical force against the person
of another; or
(ii) is burglary, arson, or extortion, involves use of
explosives, or otherwise involves conduct that
presents a serious potential risk of physical injury to
another.
18 U.S.C. § 924(e)(2)(B).
In Johnson, the Supreme Court held that the residual clause in
§ 924(e)(2)(B)(ii) (“or otherwise involves conduct that presents a serious potential
risk of physical injury to another”) was unconstitutionally vague, leaving in effect
only § 924(e)(2)(B)(i)’s force clause and § 924(e)(2)(B)(ii)’s enumerated offenses
clause. Johnson, 135 S. Ct. at 2563.1 The Court subsequently held that Johnson was
1
Johnson only affords a § 2255 movant collateral relief if the movant’s
“enhanced sentence is supported, at least in part, by the now-unconstitutional residual
clause of the ACCA.” United States v. Pam, 867 F.3d 1191, 1203 (10th Cir. 2017).
(continued . . .)
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retroactive because it announced a new rule. Welch v. United States, 136 S. Ct. 1257,
1268 (2016).
IV
A
If the sentencing court enhanced Bouziden’s sentence under the now-void
residual clause, Bouziden argues that he was ineligible for an ACCA enhancement
because he did not have three qualifying predicate offenses. To determine if this
argument will prevail, we must decide whether Bouziden’s 1997 conviction for first
degree manslaughter in Oklahoma could only have counted as a predicate offense
under the residual clause, or if the sentencing court could have counted the offense as
a violent felony under § 924(e)(2)(B)(i)’s force clause.
When addressing whether predicate offenses qualify as violent felonies by
falling within § 924(e)(2)(B)(i)’s force clause, we use “the categorical approach,
which examines the elements of the predicate state conviction in the abstract, rather
than the precise conduct giving rise to that conviction.” United States v. Hammons,
862 F.3d 1052, 1054 (10th Cir. 2017) (emphasis omitted) (citing Descamps v. United
States, 133 S. Ct. 2276, 2283 (2013)). The categorical approach “is straightforward
when a statute sets out a single (or ‘indivisible’) set of elements to define a single
(cont’d)
The parties appear to agree that the sentencing court relied upon the residual clause.
We accept this view of the record and also assume that the sentencing court relied on
the residual clause. See generally United States v. Hammons, 862 F.3d 1052 (10th
Cir. 2017) (making this assumption when the parties similarly agreed).
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crime.” Mathis v. United States, 136 S. Ct. 2243, 2248 (2016). But in some cases,
“[a] single statute may list elements in the alternative, and thereby define multiple
crimes.” Id. at 2249. These statutes are described as “divisible.” Id. When a statute
is divisible, we apply the modified categorical approach. The modified categorical
approach permits us to “look[] to a limited class of documents (for example, the
indictment, jury instructions, or plea agreement and colloquy) to determine what
crime, with what elements, a defendant was convicted of.” Id. Once we have
determined the elements of the defendant’s crime of conviction, we proceed to
determine if these elements satisfy § 924(e)(2)(B)(i)’s force clause.
The Supreme Court has identified three ways to discern whether a statute is
divisible. See id. at 2256. First, a state court decision may provide the answer. Id.
Second, the statute might make that distinction clear on its face. Id. That is, “if
statutory alternatives carry different punishments,” then these alternatives must be
elements, but “if a statutory list is drafted to offer ‘illustrative examples,’ then it
includes only a crime’s means of commission.” Id. (quoting United States v. Howard,
742 F.3d 1334, 1348 (11th Cir. 2014)). Alternatively, “a statute may itself identify
which things must be charged (and so are elements) and which need not be (and so
are means).” Id. And third, “if state law fails to provide clear answers,” a “peek” at
the underlying court record might dictate whether the listed items are elements of the
offense. Id. at 2256–57. For instance, “jury instructions could indicate, by
referencing one alternative term to the exclusion of all others, that the statute
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contains a list of elements, each one of which goes toward a separate crime.” Id. at
2257.
B
At the time of Bouziden’s conviction for first degree manslaughter, the
Oklahoma statute provided:
Homicide is manslaughter in the first degree in the
following cases:
1. When perpetrated without a design to effect death
by a person while engaged in the commission of a
misdemeanor.
2. When perpetrated without a design to effect
death, and in a heat of passion, but in a cruel and
unusual manner, or by means of a dangerous
weapon; unless it is committed under such
circumstances as constitute excusable or justifiable
homicide.
3. When perpetrated unnecessarily either while
resisting an attempt by the person killed to commit a
crime, or after such attempt shall have failed.
Okla. Stat. tit. 21, § 711 (1997). Any violation of § 711 was “a felony punishable by
imprisonment in the custody of the Department of Corrections for not less than four (4)
years.” Okla. Stat. tit. 21, § 715 (1997).
C
Applying Mathis’ three ways to identify divisibility, we determine that two of
the three forms of analysis indicate that § 711 is divisible. First, Oklahoma courts
treat each subsection of § 711 as a separate crime with separate elements, which
indicates that § 711 is divisible. Cases from the Oklahoma Court of Criminal
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Appeals (“OCCA”) refer to a defendant’s charge or conviction by citing to a
particular subsection and by listing the elements for that particular crime. See, e.g.,
Barnett v. State, 271 P.3d 80, 86–87 (Okla. Crim. App. 2012) (listing the specific
“elements” of § 711(2)); O.W.M. v. State, 946 P.2d 257, 259 (Okla. Crim. App. 1997)
(referring to a charge under § 711(2)); Revilla v. State, 877 P.2d 1143, 1150 (Okla.
Crim. App. 1994) (referring to “an instruction on misdemeanor-manslaughter under
21 O.S.1981, § 711(1)”). Further, the Oklahoma Uniform Jury Instructions provide
separate sets of instructions for each of § 711’s three subsections. See Oklahoma
Uniform Jury Instructions, Criminal (2d Ed. 1997 through 2017) §§ 4-94 through 4-
102. Thus, although no single case conclusively answers the question of whether the
statute is divisible, the Oklahoma courts uniformly treat the subsections of § 711 as
separate crimes. These sources point toward our conclusion that § 711 is divisible.
But the text of § 711 does not indicate whether the statute is divisible. Though
§ 711 is divided into three distinct subsections, that alone does not inform us whether
those subsections are means or elements. Bouziden contends that because all three of
§711’s subsections carry the same punishment, those subsections must be means in
an indivisible statute. See Aplt. Br. at 15. But the punishment associated with each
subsection is not dispositive because “nothing in Mathis suggests that statutory
alternatives carrying the same punishment are necessarily means rather
than elements.” United States v. Burtons, 696 F. App’x 372, 378 (10th Cir. 2017)
(unpublished); see also United States v. Robinson, 869 F.3d 933, 939 (9th Cir. 2017)
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(holding that multiple statutory alternatives carrying the same punishment do not
necessarily clarify whether those alternatives are means or elements).
Further, were it necessary for us to take a peek at the jury instructions given at
Bouziden’s trial, those instructions favor divisibility because the court instructed the
jury using Oklahoma Uniform Jury Instruction for “Manslaughter in the First Degree
by Heat of Passion,” as defined by § 711(2). ROA, Vol. I, at 113–25. Those
instructions set forth the elements of heat of passion manslaughter in detail. See id.
at 119 (listing the elements of first degree heat of passion manslaughter); 120 (same);
121 (listing the elements for heat of passion); 122 (defining provocation); 123
(defining passion); 124 (defining “cooling time” for the distinction between heat of
passion manslaughter and homicide); 125 (defining “causal connection” as the term
is used in heat of passion manslaughter). The instructions given in Bouziden’s case
did not include any reference to § 711(1) or § 711(3), or to any of the elements of
those crimes. See generally id.
Therefore, under a Mathis analysis, § 711 is divisible because the statute has
multiple distinct subsections which Oklahoma courts—like Bouziden’s state trial
court—treat as separate crimes. Under the modified categorical approach, we can
look to the jury instructions to determine which part of a divisible statute was applied
in the defendant’s case. See Descamps v. United States, 133 S. Ct. 2276, 2281
(2013). Here, we see the jury instructions only included the elements of Oklahoma’s
heat of passion manslaughter statute, § 711(2). See ROA, Vol. I, at 113–25. The
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district court correctly concluded that § 711 is divisible and that Bouziden was
convicted of violating § 711(2).
V
Although the district court denied a COA on the issue of whether Bouziden’s
conviction under § 711(2) (heat of passion manslaughter) satisfies the violent
physical force required under 18 U.S.C. § 924(e)(2)(B)(i), we granted a COA on this
issue to specifically address whether the intent required for a conviction under
§ 711(2) for heat of passion manslaughter satisfies the force requirement of
§ 924(e)(2)(B)(i). The OCCA has held that § 711(2) is not a deliberate intent crime
because “heat of passion requires the defendant to act on the force of a strong
emotion following adequate provocation that would naturally affect the ability to
reason and render the mind incapable of cool reflection.” Hogan v. State, 139 P.3d
907, 924 (Okla. Crim. App. 2006) (quoting Black v. State, 21 P.3d 1047, 1066 (Okla.
Crim. App. 2001)).
Instead, the OCCA has treated § 711(2) as a general intent crime. First, in
Morgan v. State, the OCCA suggested model jury instructions for use when § 711(2)
is charged. 536 P.2d 952, 959–60 (Okla. Crim. App. 1975) overruled on other
grounds by Walton v. State, 744 P.2d 977 (Okla. Crim. App. 1987). These
instructions define voluntary manslaughter as “unlawful and intentional killing of
another under the influence of a sudden heat of passion caused by adequate
provocation, and without malice.” Id. at 959 (emphasis added). Since its ruling in
Morgan, the OCCA has consistently held that under § 711(2) “[t]he question is
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whether, in addition to evidence of intent, there was evidence that [the defendant]
killed the deceased with adequate provocation, in a heat of passion, without the
design to effect death.” Davis v. State, 268 P.3d 86, 118 (Okla. Crim. App. 2011)
(emphasis added). Thus, under Oklahoma law, § 711(2) is a general intent crime.2
General intent can be sufficient to meet the force clause of the ACCA because
“[t]he presence or absence of an element of specific intent does not dispositively
determine whether a prior conviction qualifies as a violent felony under the ACCA.”
United States v. Ramon Silva, 608 F.3d 663, 673 (10th Cir. 2010). And killing
another person with general intent is using “violent force—that is, force capable of
causing physical pain or injury to another person.” Curtis Johnson v. United States,
559 U.S. 133, 140 (2010) (emphasis omitted). Therefore, § 711(2) required proof of
violent physical force which satisfies the force clause of the ACCA, and is thereby a
valid predicate offense under the ACCA.
2
Because we conclude that § 711(2) is a general intent crime, we need not
address the parties’ arguments regarding Voisine v. United States, 136 S. Ct. 2272
(2016). Voisine would only have been potentially relevant in this case if the mens rea
of the predicate offense at issue were recklessness. See id. at 2280.
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VI
We AFFIRM the district court’s denial of Bouziden’s 28 U.S.C. § 2255
motion.
Entered for the Court
Mary Beck Briscoe
Circuit Judge
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