Com. v. Crawford, K., III ( 2020 )

J. A20040/19
NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION – SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
: PENNSYLVANIA
v. :
:
KENNETH CARL CRAWFORD, III, : No. 1768 MDA 2018
:
Appellant :
Appeal from the Judgment of Sentence Entered April 30, 2018,
in the Court of Common Pleas of Luzerne County
Criminal Division at No. CP-40-CR-0001480-2000
BEFORE: GANTMAN, P.J.E., McLAUGHLIN, J., AND FORD ELLIOTT, P.J.E.
MEMORANDUM BY FORD ELLIOTT, P.J.E.: FILED FEBRUARY 14, 2020
Kenneth Carl Crawford, III, appeals from the April 30, 2018 aggregate
judgment of sentence of 52 years to life imprisonment imposed after he was
resentenced following the grant of post-conviction collateral relief1 pursuant
to Miller v. Alabama, 567 U.S. 460 (2012), and Montgomery v. Louisiana,
136 S. Ct. 718 (2016).2 After careful review, we affirm the judgment of
sentence.
1 See Post Conviction Relief Act (“PCRA”), 42 Pa.C.S.A. §§ 9541-9546.
2 In Miller, the United States Supreme Court recognized a constitutional right
for juveniles, holding that “mandatory life without parole for those under the
age of 18 at the time of their crimes violates the Eighth Amendment’s
prohibition against ‘cruel and unusual punishments.’” Miller, 567 U.S. at 465.
In Montgomery, the Supreme Court held that its rule announced in Miller
applies retroactively on collateral review. Montgomery, 136 S. Ct. at 736.
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A prior panel of this court set forth the relevant facts of this case as
follows:
In July 1999, [appellant], then 15 years of age, was
traveling with a companion, David Lee Hanley, when
they found themselves at the Pilot Truck Stop near the
City of Hazelton, Luzerne County. They were, at the
time and place, looking for a ride to Georgia.
[Appellant] and Hanley were picked up by Diane Algar
(Algar) and Jose Molina (Molina) and taken to the
Algar trailer at Paradise Campground. The two
remained as guests for approximately two days,
during which time they were fed and entertained by
Algar and Molina. On the morning of the second day
[July 19, 1999], Algar and Molina were shot and killed
inside the trailer. [Appellant] and Hanley left the
scene in Algar’s vehicle.
The investigation into the killings led Pennsylvania
State Police to search for two hitchhikers heading to
Georgia. Following a segment on television’s
“America’s Most Wanted,” the authorities received a
tip which led to the discovery of the Algar vehicle in
Winchester, Virginia, where it was abandoned by
[appellant] and Hanley. At that point, the two
boarded a bus bound for Rome, Georgia, but they
decided to split up in Tennessee. Hanley continued
south, while [appellant] proceeded toward the
Midwest.
....
[Appellant], when discovered, was being detained in
a juvenile detention center in Missouri for an Illinois
assault offense. [He pleaded guilty to that offense,
which predated the present offenses, and was
sentenced to a juvenile facility at Joliet, Illinois.]
Eventually, [appellant] was extradited to
Pennsylvania.
Commonwealth v. Crawford, No. 479 MDA 2001, unpublished
memorandum at 1-2 (brackets in original) (Pa.Super. filed May 30, 2002).
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On January 24, 2001, a jury found appellant guilty of two counts each
of first-degree murder, criminal conspiracy, and aggravated assault, and one
count each of robbery, theft by unlawful taking or disposition, and attempted
theft.3 Appellant was sentenced to two consecutive terms of life imprisonment
without the possibility of parole (“LWOP”) on February 27, 2001. On May 30,
2002, a panel of this court affirmed appellant’s judgment of sentence, and
appellant did not seek allowance of appeal with our supreme court. Id.
Between 2005 and 2014, appellant unsuccessfully litigated two separate PCRA
petitions.
On March 24, 2016, appellant filed his third PCRA petition, arguing that
his two consecutive LWOP sentences were unconstitutional under
Miller/Montgomery. As noted, the PCRA court granted appellant relief and
ordered that he be resentenced. Following a three-day hearing, the
sentencing court resentenced appellant to an aggregate term of 52 years to
life imprisonment on April 30, 2018.4 In fashioning appellant’s sentence, the
318 Pa.C.S.A. §§ 2501(a), 903(a)(1), 2702(a)(1), 3701(a)(1), 3921(a), and
901(a), respectively.
4 Specifically, appellant was resentenced as follows: 26 years to life
imprisonment on Count 1 (first-degree murder – Victim 1); 26 years to life
imprisonment on Count 2 (first-degree murder – Victim 2), consecutive to
Count 1; 240 to 480 months’ imprisonment on Count 3 (criminal conspiracy),
concurrent to Count 1; 240 to 480 months’ imprisonment on Count 4 (criminal
conspiracy), concurrent to Count 3; 84 to 168 months’ imprisonment on
count 7 (robbery), consecutive to Count 4; 21 to 42 months’ imprisonment on
Count 8 (theft by unlawful taking or disposition), consecutive to Count 7; and
21 to 42 months’ imprisonment on Count 9 (attempted theft), consecutive to
Count 8.
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sentencing court granted appellant 6,569 days’ credit for time-served from
May 5, 2000 to April 30, 2018, and noted that appellant was not “permanently
incorrigible” nor incapable of rehabilitation. (See notes of testimony, 4/30/18
at 6.) Appellant filed a timely post-sentence motion to vacate or reconsider
his sentence, which was denied on June 22, 2018. On July 25, 2018, appellant
filed an untimely notice of appeal that was dismissed by this court for failure
to file a docketing statement, in accordance with Pa.R.A.P. 3517. Following
the reinstatement of his direct appeal rights nunc pro tunc, appellant filed
the instant appeal.5
Appellant raises the following issues for our review:
[I.] Whether [appellant’s] aggregate sentences of
52 years to life (Counts 1 and 2) and of 50.5 to
101 years (Counts 3 through 9) are
unconstitutional de facto LWOP sentences that
violate the Eighth Amendment of the United
States Constitution and Article I, Section 13 of
the Pennsylvania Constitution because
[appellant] is capable of rehabilitation and
[appellant’s] first opportunity for release under
either would come more than 16 years after
his undisputed life expectancy[?]
[II.] Whether the sentencing court violated
procedural protections required by the United
States and Pennsylvania Constitutions by
failing to make a finding as to [appellant’s] life
expectancy and to consider that finding while
crafting [appellant’s] sentence[?]
[III.] Whether [appellant’s] maximum sentence of
life imprisonment exceeds the maximum
5 The record reflects that appellant has timely complied with
Pa.R.A.P. 1925(b).
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punishment allowed by statute because the
entire Pennsylvania sentencing scheme for
first- and second-degree murder was struck
down as unconstitutional and the only
remaining constitutional sentencing scheme for
[appellant] is the sentencing scheme for the
lesser included offense of third-degree murder,
[18 Pa.C.S.A.] § 1102(d), which has a
maximum statutory punishment of 40 years,
not life imprisonment[?]
[IV.] Whether the sentencing court was required to
give individualized consideration to the
proportionality of [appellant’s] maximum
sentence of life imprisonment to safeguard
[appellant’s] rights under the Eighth
Amendment of the United States Constitution
and Article I, Section 13 of the Pennsylvania
Constitution[?]
[V.] Whether [appellant’s] sentence is manifestly
excessive because the sentencing court
focused solely on the seriousness of
[appellant’s] offenses, failed to consider
mitigating factors (such as the extent of
[appellant’s] rehabilitation and the fact that
[appellant] does not pose a continuing threat
to the public), and failed to adequately explain
its reason for imposing a sentence where the
first opportunity for release would come more
than 16 years after [appellant’s] undisputed life
expectancy[?]
Appellant’s brief at 6-7 (emphasis in original). For ease of discussion, we have
elected to renumber appellant’s issues and will address them in a different
order than originally presented in his appellate brief.
I.
Appellant first contends that his aggregate judgment of sentence of
52 years to life imprisonment constituted an unconstitutional de facto LWOP
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sentence “because [he] is capable of rehabilitation and [his] first opportunity
for release under either would come more than 16 years after his undisputed
life expectancy.” (Id. at 6, 24.) We disagree.
“[A] claim challenging a sentencing court’s legal authority to impose a
particular sentence presents a question of sentencing legality.”
Commonwealth v. Batts, 163 A.3d 410, 434-435 (Pa. 2017) (citations
omitted). “The determination as to whether a trial court imposed an illegal
sentence is a question of law; an appellate court’s standard of review in cases
dealing with questions of law is plenary.” Commonwealth v. Crosley, 180
A.3d 761, 771 (Pa.Super. 2018) (citation omitted), appeal denied, 195 A.3d
166 (Pa. 2018).
Here, appellant’s aggregate judgment of sentence of 52 years to life
imprisonment was comprised of, inter alia, two consecutive terms of 26 years
to life imprisonment and is consistent with this court’s recent holdings in
Commonwealth v. Foust, 180 A.3d 416 (Pa.Super. 2018), and
Commonwealth v. Bebout, 186 A.3d 462 (Pa.Super. 2018). Foust involved
a 17-year-old defendant who was convicted of two counts of first-degree
murder and resentenced pursuant to Miller/Montgomery to two consecutive
terms of 30 years to life imprisonment. Foust, 180 A.3d at 421. The Foust
court held that “a trial court may not impose a term-of-years sentence on a
juvenile convicted of homicide if that term-of-years sentence equates to a
de facto [life-without-parole] sentence unless it finds, beyond a reasonable
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doubt, that the juvenile is incapable of rehabilitation.” Id. at 433. The Foust
court determined that term-of-years sentence of 30 years’ imprisonment did
not constitute a de facto LWOP sentence. Id. at 438. In reaching this
conclusion, the Foust court explicitly “decline[d] to draw a bright line in this
case delineating what constitutes a de facto LWOP sentence and what
constitutes a constitutional term-of-years sentence” and instead limited itself
to the facts of the case before it. Id. The Foust court further noted that “the
individual sentences,” rather than the aggregate sentence, “must be
considered when determining if a juvenile received a de facto LWOP
sentence.” Id. at 434.
Bebout involved a 15-year-old defendant who was resentenced to
45 years to life imprisonment for second-degree murder and related offenses,
pursuant to Miller/Montgomery. Bebout, 186 A.3d at 468. The Bebout
court concluded that “[t]he key factor in considering the upper limit of what
constitutes a constitutional sentence,” as opposed to a de facto LWOP
sentence for a juvenile who was not deemed incapable of rehabilitation, is
whether there is “some meaningful opportunity to obtain release based
on demonstrated maturity and rehabilitation.” Id. (citation omitted;
emphasis added). “To be meaningful or, at least, potentially meaningful, it
must at least be plausible that one could survive until the minimum release
date with some consequential likelihood that a non-trivial amount of time at
liberty awaits.” Id. In reaching this conclusion, the Bebout court reasoned
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that although the 45-years-to-life sentence “falls between the ‘clearly’
constitutional and unconstitutional parameters suggested by the Foust
Court[,]” the defendant failed to show that a sentence that authorized his
release at age 60 was the functional equivalent of a life-without-parole
sentence. Id. at 467.
Likewise, in the instant matter, appellant has failed to demonstrate that
his judgment of sentence does not afford him a meaningful opportunity for
release or that he has no plausible chance of survival until his minimum
release date. While appellant will not be eligible for parole until age 68, albeit
older than the defendant in Bebout, appellant has not shown any significant
difference between the ages at the earliest possible point of release that would
distinguish his case. Accordingly, we decline to find that appellant’s sentence
constituted a de facto LWOP sentence.
II.
In a related claim, appellant contends that the sentencing court erred
“by failing to make a finding as to [appellant’s] life expectancy and to consider
that finding while crafting [his] sentence.” (Appellant’s brief at 6, 46.) In
support of this contention, appellant relies on the recent Third Circuit case,
United States v. Grant, 887 F.3d 131 (3d Cir. 2018), rehearing en banc
granted and opinion vacated, 905 F.3d 285 (3d Cir. 2018).
In Grant, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
discussed de facto LWOP sentences and concluded that a judge is required
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to impose a sentence “so that a juvenile offender who is capable of reform is
not sentenced to a term-of-years beyond his or her expected mortality.” Id.
at 149. The Grant court held that a sentencing court is required to conduct
an individualized evidentiary hearing and make factual findings as to a
defendant’s life expectancy, following consideration of “any evidence made
available by the parties that bears on the offender’s mortality, such as medical
examinations, medical records, family medical history, and pertinent expert
testimony.” Id. at 150.
Upon review, we find that appellant is not entitled to relief on this claim.
Contrary to appellant’s contention, neither the United States Supreme Court
nor the Pennsylvania Supreme Court have mandated that a sentencing court
make factual findings as to a defendant’s life expectancy prior to resentencing
under Miller/Montgomery. Grant is clearly not binding upon this court and,
in any event, was recently vacated and accepted for en banc consideration.
Accordingly, appellant’s second claim must fail.
III. & IV.
Appellant next argues that because “the entire Pennsylvania sentencing
scheme for first-and-second-degree murder was struck down as
unconstitutional[,]” the sentencing court should have resentenced him for
first-degree murder in accordance with the sentencing scheme for the lesser
included offense of third-degree murder, which has a maximum statutory
punishment of 40 years. (Appellant’s brief at 7, 57.) Appellant further
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contends that his mandatory maximum sentence of life in prison, or “life tail,”
does not comport with the holdings in Miller/Montgomery that resentenced
juveniles be given individualized sentences and violates the prohibition against
“cruel and unusual punishment” set forth in the Eighth Amendment to the
United States Constitution. (Id. at 7, 54.) We disagree.
These issues were addressed by our supreme court in Batts and more
recently by this court in Foust and Commonwealth v. Blount, 207 A.3d 925
(Pa.Super. 2019), appeal denied, 218 A.3d 1198 (Pa. 2019). Specifically,
the Blount court stated as follows:
For those defendants [convicted of first or
second-degree murder prior to June 25, 2012,] for
whom the sentencing court determines a [LWOP]
sentence is inappropriate, it is our determination here
that they are subject to a mandatory maximum
sentence of life imprisonment as required by Section
1102.1(a), accompanied by a minimum sentence
determined by the common pleas court upon
resentencing[.]
Blount, 207 A.3d at 938, citing Commonwealth v. Seskey, 170 A.3d 1105,
1108 (Pa.Super. 2017), quoting Batts, 163 A.3d at 421 (some brackets in
original).
As noted by the Foust court, in light of our supreme court’s decision in
Batts, “there was valid statutory authority to impose a maximum sentence of
life imprisonment for [a] first-degree murder conviction.” Foust, 180 A.3d at
430. Contrary to appellant’s contention, this court has explicitly held that
such mandatory maximums do not violate the Eighth Amendment’s ban on
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cruel and unusual punishment or the mandates of individualized sentencing.
See Commonwealth v. Olds, 192 A.3d 1188, 1197-1198 (Pa.Super. 2018)
(holding that, the imposition of mandatory maximum sentence of life
imprisonment for a juvenile defendant convicted of second-degree murder
prior to Miller was constitutional and did not violate Eighth Amendment’s ban
on cruel and unusual punishment), appeal denied, 199 A.3d 334 (Pa. 2018);
Seskey, 170 A.3d at 1107-1108 (holding that, the trial court was required to
impose a mandatory maximum sentence of life imprisonment when it
resentenced a juvenile defendant convicted of first-degree murder prior to
Miller). Accordingly, appellant’s claims must fail.
V.
Having determined that appellant’s sentence is not illegal, we turn to
his remaining claim that the sentencing court abused its discretion by:
(1) “focus[ing] solely on the seriousness of [his] offenses” and (2) failing to
consider various mitigating sentencing factors in imposing a “manifestly
excessive” sentence, including “the extent of [appellant’s] rehabilitation and
the fact that [appellant] does not pose a continuing threat to the public.”
(Appellant’s brief at 6, 51.) Appellant avers that “[t]he sentencing court []
abused its discretion by imposing an excessive sentence without fully
explaining [whether it] adequately assessed the sentencing factors set forth
in Miller.” (Id. at 53.)
Sentencing is a matter vested in the sound discretion
of the sentencing judge, and a sentence will not be
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disturbed on appeal absent a manifest abuse of
discretion. In this context, an abuse of discretion is
not shown merely by an error in judgment. Rather,
the appellant must establish, by reference to the
record, that the sentencing court ignored or
misapplied the law, exercised its judgment for reasons
of partiality, prejudice, bias or ill will, or arrived at a
manifestly unreasonable decision.
Commonwealth v. Zirkle, 107 A.3d 127, 132 (Pa.Super. 2014) (citation
omitted), appeal denied, 117 A.3d 297 (Pa. 2015)
Where an appellant challenges the discretionary aspects of his sentence,
as is the case here, the right to appellate review is not absolute. See
Commonwealth v. Allen, 24 A.3d 1058, 1064 (Pa.Super. 2011). Rather, an
appellant challenging the discretionary aspects of his sentence must invoke
this court’s jurisdiction by satisfying the following four-part test:
(1) whether the appeal is timely; (2) whether
Appellant preserved his issue; (3) whether Appellant’s
brief includes a concise statement of the reasons
relied upon for allowance of appeal with respect to the
discretionary aspects of sentence; and (4) whether
the concise statement raises a substantial question
that the sentence is appropriate under the sentencing
code.
Commonwealth v. Carrillo-Diaz, 64 A.3d 722, 725 (Pa.Super. 2013)
(citations omitted).
Instantly, the record reveals that appellant has satisfied these
prerequisites. Appellant filed a timely notice of appeal and preserved his issue
in a post-sentence motion. Appellant has also included a statement in his
brief that comports with the requirements of Pa.R.A.P. 2119(f). (See
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appellant’s brief at 20-24.) Additionally, appellant presents a substantial
question for our review. A “claim that the sentence is manifestly excessive,
inflicting too severe a punishment, . . . present[s] a substantial question.
Moreover, the sentencing court’s failure to set forth adequate reasons for the
sentence imposed also raises a substantial question.” Commonwealth v.
Hicks, 151 A.3d 216, 227 (Pa.Super. 2016) (citations omitted), appeal
denied, 168 A.3d 1287 (Pa. 2017). Accordingly, we may review the merits
of appellant’s claim.
In situations where the Commonwealth requests a sentence LWOP, the
sentencing court must consider the statutory sentencing factors set forth in
18 Pa.C.S.A. 1102.1(d) (“the Miller factors”) on the record, prior to imposing
sentence. Commonwealth v. Machicote, 206 A.3d 1110, 1120 (Pa. 2019).
Specifically, as our supreme court stated in Batts, compliance with Miller
requires consideration of the following:
[A]t minimum it should consider a juvenile’s age at
the time of the offense, his diminished culpability and
capacity for change, the circumstances of the crime,
the extent of his participation in the crime, his family,
home and neighborhood environment, his emotional
maturity and development, the extent that familial
and/or peer pressure may have affected him, his past
exposure to violence, his drug and alcohol history, his
ability to deal with the police, his capacity to assist his
attorney, his mental health history, and his potential
for rehabilitation.
Batts, 163 A.3d at 421 n.5 (citations omitted).
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However, where, as here, the Commonwealth does not give notice of its
intention to seek an LWOP sentence and the sentencing court sentences “a
juvenile offender to life with the possibility of parole, traditional sentencing
considerations apply[,]” and the sentencing court considers the factors set
forth in 42 Pa.C.S.A § 9721(b). Batts, 163 A.3d at 460 (citation omitted;
emphasis added). Section 9721(b) provides that the sentencing court shall
fashion a sentence “that is consistent with the protection of the public, the
gravity of the offense as it relates to the impact on the life of the victim and
on the community, and the rehabilitative needs of the defendant.”
42 Pa.C.S.A. § 9721(b).
Here, the sentencing court conducted a comprehensive evidentiary
hearing prior to appellant’s resentencing that commenced on January 29,
2018, and concluded on January 31, 2018. Our review of the record
establishes that the sentencing court considered and weighed numerous
factors in fashioning appellant’s sentence, including both the “Miller factors”
and the traditional sentencing factors set forth in Section 9721(b); the
testimony and exhibits presented by the parties at the three-day evidentiary
hearing; appellant’s troubled childhood and age at the time of the offense;
and the gravity of the crime. Contrary to appellant’s contention, the record
further reflects that the sentencing court took into consideration the
life expectancy report completed by Dr. Evelyn J. Paterson and “[appellant’s]
rehabilitative accomplishments and achievements while under the care of the
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department of corrections.” (Sentencing court opinion, 11/14/18 at 15,
17-18.)
At the April 30, 2018 resentencing hearing, the sentencing court stated
the following rationale in support of appellant’s aggregate term of 52 years to
life imprisonment:
Sentences in Pennsylvania must be individualized.
The Court has considered inter alia the sentencing
memorandum submitted by the parties, the
presentence investigation [(“PSI”)] report, the trial
transcript, and all testimony and exhibits introduced
at the resentencing evidentiary hearing, along with
the guidance of Section 1102.1(a) of the crimes code,
and traditional sentencing considerations found in
Section 9721.1 that the Court shall follow the general
principle that the sentence imposed should call for
confinement, that it’s consistent with the protection of
the public, gravity of the offense as it relates to the
impact on the life of the victim and on the
community[,] and the rehabilitative needs of
[appellant].
The Court is well aware that [appellant] was 15 at the
time of the crime and the circumstances of [his]
childhood, along with his rehabilitative
accomplishments and achievements while under the
care of the Department of Corrections. The Court is
also mindful of the senseless, tragic murders of
Diana Algar and Jose Molina, along with all attending
circumstances of their deaths, and the recognized
principle that all murders are heinous in nature.
The Court has not found [appellant] permanently
incorrigible as understood in existing law and
recognizes an offender must be held accountable and
serve a sentence commensurate with those
committed acts in accordance with existing law. The
Court also notes it reviewed actuarial life expectancy
data, along with estimates and averages of life
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expectancy as introduced in the report of
Dr. [Paterson].
The Court further acknowledges that as there is a
possibility of rehabilitation, [appellant] must be
provided some meaningful opportunity to obtain a
release based on demonstrated maturity and
rehabilitation. A state is not required to guarantee
eventual freedom.
Notes of testimony, 4/30/18 at 5-6 (emphasis added).
Additionally, the sentencing court was in possession of a PSI report and
indicated that it reviewed it. (Sentencing court opinion, 11/14/18 at 14; see
also notes of testimony, 4/30/18 at 5.) Where the trial court has the benefit
of a PSI report, “we shall . . . presume that the sentencing judge was aware
of relevant information regarding the defendant’s character and weighed those
considerations along with mitigating statutory factors.” Commonwealth v.
Antidormi, 84 A.3d 736, 761 (Pa.Super. 2014) (citation omitted), appeal
denied, 95 A.3d 275 (Pa. 2014). Accordingly, for all the foregoing reasons,
we find that appellant’s challenges to the discretionary aspects of his sentence
must fail.
Judgment of sentence affirmed.
Gantman, P.J.E. did not participate in the consideration or decision of
this case.
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Judgment Entered.
Joseph D. Seletyn, Esq.
Prothonotary
Date: 02/14/2020
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