People v. Wilder
People v. Wilder
Opinion of the Court
¶ 1 Defendant, Terrance Wilder, stands convicted of first degree murder after deliberation (Count 1), second degree murder (Count 2), attempted first degree murder (Count 3), and conspiracy to commit first degree murder (Count 4). He appeals the trial court's order denying his motions for postconviction relief seeking resentencing on all convictions. We conclude that defendant's sentence on Count 1 must be vacated, and the case remanded for resentencing on that count consistent with the decision in Miller v. Alabama,
I. Background
¶ 2 In 1998, at the age of seventeen, defendant conspired to murder his codefendant's husband and landlord. Defendant and his codefendant invited the two men to the house they were renting from the landlord. The husband did not arrive, but the landlord arrived with a friend. After an argument, the codefendant shot both the landlord and his friend several times. Defendant and his codefendant then left the house. The landlord's friend died from the gunshot wounds. The landlord, however, did not die immediately. The landlord crawled into the house, where he was discovered by another person who notified defendant that the landlord was still alive. Defendant returned to the house and killed the landlord by repeatedly bludgeoning his head with a baseball bat.
¶ 3 Defendant was convicted by a jury of first degree murder as to the landlord (a class 1 felony), second degree murder as to the landlord's friend (a class 2 felony), attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder as to the husband (both class 2 felonies), and being an accessory to a class 1 or class 2 felony. In special interrogatories, a jury also found the presence of two sentencing aggravators: that defendant or his codefendant (1) possessed, used, or threatened use of a deadly weapon; and (2) caused the death or serious bodily injury of a person.
¶ 4 The trial court sentenced defendant to life without the possibility of parole on the class 1 felony, according to the mandatory sentencing statute in place at the time. In imposing the sentence, the judge emphasized the mandatory nature of the sentence, stating that the "charge of murder in the first *688degree requires that the Court impose a sentence that is required by law of life in prison without possibility of parole." It sentenced defendant to serve forty-eight-year terms for the three class 2 felonies, consecutive to the life sentence and to one another.
¶ 5 Following a direct appeal, a division of this court reversed defendant's accessory conviction and affirmed his remaining convictions. People v. Wilder, (Colo. App. No. 99CA1479, Aug. 16, 2001) (not published pursuant to C.A.R. 35(f) ) (Wilder I ).
¶ 6 Defendant then filed a pro se Crim. P. 35(c) motion, alleging that his convictions were unconstitutional because the trial court did not properly advise him of the right to testify, and that his trial counsel was ineffective for not objecting to the trial court's inadequate advisement. The postconviction court denied the motion in a summary order, and a division of this court affirmed the order on appeal. People v. Wilder,
¶ 7 In 2011, defendant filed a second pro se Crim. P. 35(c) motion in which he asserted that his sentence to life without parole for the class 1 felony was unconstitutional under the Eighth Amendment and disproportionate given his juvenile status at the time he committed the crime. Defendant cited both case law and psychological literature indicating that juveniles are different from adults, and asserted that this difference must be considered when sentencing juvenile offenders. Defendant was appointed postconviction counsel, who supplemented defendant's motion with a Crim. P. 35(b) motion in which he argued for a reduction of sentence based on good behavior while incarcerated and stated that defendant was willing to comply with any conditions imposed by the court.
¶ 8 The postconviction court denied both motions without a hearing. In its written order, the postconviction court noted that the United States Supreme Court was then considering this issue, and invited defendant to file a second motion within ninety days of the announcement of any decision by the Supreme Court if it decided the issue differently. Defendant did not file any further motions. This appeal followed.
II. Constitutionality of Defendant's Sentence
¶ 9 On appeal, defendant asserts that (1) his mandatory sentence to life without the possibility of parole for the first degree murder conviction is unconstitutional and (2) the aggregate of his remaining convictions results in an unconstitutional de facto sentence to life without parole. We agree that defendant's mandatory sentence to life without parole is unconstitutional and must be vacated, but decline to reach his second contention.
A. Mandatory Life Sentence Without the Possibility of Parole
1. Preservation and Standard of Review
¶ 10 "The summary denial of a Crim. P. 35(c) motion for postconviction relief without a hearing presents a question of law we review de novo." People v. Rainer,
¶ 11 A court's review of a Crim. P. 35(b) motion focuses on the fairness of the sentence in light of the purposes of the sentencing laws. A decision to reduce a sentence based on a Crim. P. 35(b) motion generally remains within the sound discretion of the trial court. People v. Dunlap,
¶ 12 The People concede that the Supreme Court's decision in Miller applies retroactively to defendant's sentence and that defendant *689properly preserved for appellate review his challenge to the mandatory life without parole sentence. For purposes of this case, the majority accepts the People's concession as to the retroactive application of Miller .
2. Legal Principles
a. United States Supreme Court Case Law
¶ 13 "The Eighth Amendment's prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment guarantees individuals the right not to be subjected to excessive sanctions. That right, we have explained, flows from the basic precept of justice that punishment for crime should be graduated and proportioned to both the offender and the offense." Miller,
¶ 14 First, in Roper v. Simmons,
¶ 15 Next, in Graham v. Florida,
¶ 16 However, the Court in Graham also noted that "[j]uvenile offenders who committed both homicide and nonhomicide crimes present a different situation for a sentencing judge than juvenile offenders who committed no homicide."
¶ 17 In Miller, the Court expanded on its reasoning in Graham, citing the Court's history of adopting "categorical bans on sentencing practices based on mismatches between the culpability of a class of offenders and the severity of a penalty."
¶ 18 The Court again emphasized the dangers of mandatory sentencing as applied to juvenile offenders, noting the potential unfairness of imposing the same harsh penalty on younger and older juveniles, "the shooter and the accomplice, the child from a stable household and the child from a chaotic and abusive one." Id . at 477,
¶ 19 Yet the Court also endeavored to clarify that its new rule merely prohibited the mandatory imposition of life without parole on juvenile offenders. Id . at 480,
Graham, Roper , and our individualized sentencing decisions make clear that a judge or jury must have the opportunity to consider mitigating circumstances before imposing the harshest possible penalty for juveniles. By requiring that all children convicted of homicide receive lifetime incarceration without possibility of parole, regardless of their age and age-related characteristics and the nature of their crimes, [sentencing schemes imposing mandatory life without parole for juvenile offenders] violate this principle of proportionality, and so the Eighth Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
Id . at 489,
b. Colorado Cases
¶ 20 Several divisions of this court have analyzed Miller 's effect on Colorado's current sentencing framework for juveniles convicted of class 1 felonies. The applicable sentencing statute, section 18-1.3-401(1)(a)(V)(A), C.R.S. 2014,
¶ 21 Before 2006, "life imprisonment" was divided into two categories. § 18-1.3-401(4)(a). Those people who committed crimes between July 1, 1985, and July 1, 1990, would be sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after forty calendar years. But those, like defendant, who committed crimes on or after July 1, 1990, would be sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
¶ 22 In 2006, the legislature amended the statute to add sections 18-1.3-401(4)(b)(I) and (II), which created a third category of life imprisonment. See Ch. 228, sec. 2, § 18-1.3-401,
¶ 23 We perceive three approaches that have developed in Colorado for interpreting and applying these statutes in response to Miller .
¶ 24 In People v. Banks,
¶ 25 Thus, the Banks division affirmed the defendant's sentence to life imprisonment, but vacated the sentence "to the extent [the defendant] is denied the possibility of parole" and remanded with instructions to modify the sentence to include a provision entitling the defendant to the possibility of parole after forty years. Id. at ¶ 131. Several divisions have followed the Banks approach in both published and unpublished opinions. See, e.g., People v. Valles,
¶ 26 A second approach adopted by a division of this court disagreed with Banks only insofar as it imposed a mandatory life sentence with parole after forty years without first requiring an individualized determination of whether life without parole would be appropriate for the particular juvenile being sentenced. Gutierrez-Ruiz,
is not its length or the fact that he will not be eligible for parole. Instead, defendant's sentence of life without parole violates the Eighth Amendment because it was imposed without any opportunity for the sentencing court to consider whether this punishment is just and appropriate in light of defendant's age, maturity, and the other factors discussed in Miller .
Id . at ¶ 23.
¶ 27 The division in Gutierrez-Ruiz remanded the case with instructions to follow a two-step procedure. First, the trial court must make an individualized determination whether life without parole is appropriate for the particular juvenile. Second, if the trial court determines that life without parole is not appropriate, the court should follow the approach elucidated in Banks and impose a mandatory sentence of life with the possibility of parole after forty years.
¶ 28 Another division, in an unpublished opinion, determined that Miller did not invalidate section 18-1.3-401(1)(a)(V)(A) or (4)(a), because it did not categorically ban life without parole for juvenile homicide offenders, and the division was unpersuaded by the arguments urged by the People to either (1) sever the mandatory life without parole provision from the statute or (2) revive the previous sentencing statute from 1985. People v. Tate,
3. Application
¶ 29 Here, defendant was convicted for crimes committed in 1998. Thus, the trial court sentenced him to life without the possibility of parole for the first degree murder conviction, under the mandatory provision of section 18-1.3-401(4)(a). The court stated that although it "gives me no pleasure to give you life in prison without the possibility of parole, ... that is absolutely a mandatory [sentence], because that is what the law requires."
¶ 30 To begin, we agree with the division in Gutierrez-Ruiz insofar as it held that Miller did not categorically bar the imposition of a life without parole sentence for a juvenile offender. Rather, as that division stated, Miller requires an individualized determination of whether life without parole is appropriate given the particular qualities of the juvenile being sentenced, taking into consideration the following:
• the offender's "chronological age and its hallmark features-among them, immaturity, *692impetuosity, and failure to appreciate risks and consequences";
• "the family and home environment" of the offender;
• "the circumstances of the homicide offense, including the extent of [the defendant's] participation in the conduct and the way familial and peer pressures may have affected him [or her]"; and
• "that [he or she] might have been charged and convicted of a lesser offense if not for incompetencies associated with youth."
Miller,
¶ 31 Because the trial court sentenced defendant to mandatory life without the possibility of parole as was required by the law in 1999, it is clear that defendant's sentence must be vacated and his case remanded to the trial court for an individualized determination whether life without parole is an appropriate sentence. The more difficult question is how the trial court should proceed if it determines that life without parole is not appropriate for defendant's first degree murder conviction.
¶ 32 In the case before us, as in Banks, the People's severability argument proposed to sever, as applied to juveniles only, the sentence in section 18-1.3-401(4)(a) that imposed a mandatory life without parole sentence on those persons convicted of committing a class 1 felony after July 1990 and before July 2006. The People argued that doing so resulted in a statutory scheme that imposed a mandatory life sentence with the possibility of parole after forty years on all juveniles convicted of class 1 felonies after 1985, consistent with the legislative intent expressed in sections 18-1.3-401(4)(b)(I) and (II). Although this result was reached in Banks and considered in Gutierrez-Ruiz, we are not convinced by the severability analysis applied in those cases.
¶ 33 We are unaware of any case, nor did the People cite any case, that used Colorado's general severability statute, section 2-4-204, C.R.S. 2014, to render certain statutory language inapplicable as applied to a particular group of people. Using the severability statute in this manner would merely create a juvenile exception that does not exist, because the statute would remain valid in its entirety as applied to adult offenders. Further, severing the life without parole portion of the statute would go further than Miller requires since Miller did not categorically ban the imposition of a life without parole sentence on juvenile offenders.
¶ 34 The People's revival argument proposed holding the entirety of section 18-1.3-401(4)(a) unconstitutional, and reviving the previously enacted statute in its stead. The prior statute was enacted in 1985, and also imposed a mandatory sentence of life with the possibility of parole after forty years on all persons convicted of class 1 felonies. We reject this argument because section 18-1.3-401(4)(a) does not contain any repeal language and it is uncertain whether the revival doctrine applies to a statute that was not held facially unconstitutional, but rather unconstitutional only as applied to a particular group of persons. We conclude that it is inappropriate to infer current legislative intent from a statute enacted decades before Miller was decided.
¶ 35 Miller does not categorically forbid imposition of a sentence to life without parole. Thus, the language of section 18-1.3-401(4)(a) is unconstitutional only as applied to juveniles insofar as it mandates imposition of that sentence, and rendering that sentence per se unconstitutional expands Miller to an extent that neither the Supreme Court nor the Colorado legislature has yet demanded.
¶ 36 In addition, severing the final sentence in section 18-1.3401(4)(a) as applied to juveniles leaves a statute with absolutely no sentencing scheme applicable to juvenile offenders who committed class 1 felonies between July 1, 1990, and July 1, 2006. To obtain the result promulgated in Banks, we would not only have to sever the final sentence of section 18-1.3-401(4)(a), but also the words "and before July 1, 1990" from the sentence before it.
¶ 37 We acknowledge that in 2006 the legislature amended section 18-1.3-401 to impose a mandatory sentence of life with the possibility of parole after forty years on juveniles who commit a class 1 felony after July 1, 2006. However, this provision was enacted *693before Graham, Miller, or any of the Colorado cases discussed in this opinion were issued. Thus, we cannot determine that, in the wake of the case law that has developed over the past five years, the Colorado legislature has demonstrated the intent to sentence every juvenile offender convicted of a class 1 felony to a mandatory life sentence with the possibility of parole after forty years.
¶ 38 Further, although the Banks division interpreted these statutes to indicate the "intent to impose the most serious penalty that is constitutionally permissible for such offenders," ¶ 128, we construe this statement as conflicting with the reasoning and the spirit of Roper, Graham, and Miller . Miller, in particular, stressed the potential unfairness and inappropriateness of imposing identical mandatory penalties on juveniles possessing markedly different characteristics from one another and having participated in an offense to significantly different degrees.
¶ 39 We recognize that "[t]he power to define crimes and prescribe punishments is vested exclusively in the legislature," and the judiciary's duty is only to impose sentences "within the legislatively mandated limits." People v. Montgomery,
¶ 40 We recognize that this is an area for legislative action, but pending legislative action, it is incumbent on us to provide our interpretation of the most appropriate remedy to implement Miller .
¶ 41 Provided that an individualized sentencing determination is made in accordance with the factors in Miller, on remand the trial court may re-impose the life sentence without parole, or it may impose a life sentence with a possibility of parole after a specified number of years, or a sentence that it determines is appropriate for this defendant. Although an open-ended sentencing approach provides little guidance for the minimum sentence that must be imposed, in making this sentencing determination the trial court should consider (1) the presumptive range that applies to the next lowest level felony: a class 2 offense with a presumptive range of twelve to twenty-four years, plus (2) the effect on the sentence of any applicable extraordinary aggravating factors as provided in section 18-1.3-401(8).
¶ 42 In light of this conclusion, we need not separately address defendant's motion for reduction of sentence under Crim. P. 32(b).
*694B. Sentencing for Class 2 Felonies
¶ 43 The People assert that we should not consider defendant's challenge to his remaining term-of-years sentence, contending that he failed to present this argument to the trial court. We agree.
¶ 44 In his pro se Crim. P. 35(c) motion, defendant contested only his sentence to mandatory life without parole for the first degree murder conviction. He argued that the sentence is unconstitutional and disproportionate, and that it violates the Supreme Court's assertion in Graham that juveniles must be treated differently from adults in criminal sentencing. However, defendant limited his argument to the first degree murder conviction, and did not specifically contest his sentences for the class 2 felonies. He did not assert that the consecutive sentences for the class 2 felonies resulted in the functional equivalent of a life sentence without the possibility of parole in derogation of Graham or the subsequent line of Colorado cases. See, e.g., People v. Lehmkuhl,
¶ 45 Defense counsel's Crim. P. 35(b) motion likewise did not raise this issue.
¶ 46 We acknowledge defendant's argument that it would serve the interests of judicial economy to consider this argument now, regardless of whether it was adequately raised below. Although we have discretion to do so, we will not do so under the circumstances presented here. The trial court did not consider the issue, indicating that it was not adequately presented in defendant's postconviction motions. Also, the record here lacks argument, evidence, and factual findings regarding life expectancy and presumed parole date that were present in the preceding cases and which we would require to fully address the issue.
¶ 47 The division in Rainer specifically noted the presence of life expectancy data in the record, ¶ 67, and the division in Lucero noted that the defendant conceded his life expectancy was seventy-five years, which presumably did not conflict with the People's life expectancy argument, ¶ 13. In Lehmkuhl, ¶ 13, the division relied on life expectancy tables provided in section 13-25-103, C.R.S. 2012.
¶ 48 In this case, however, we have no basis for determining defendant's life expectancy. Section 13-25-103 was repealed in 2014, and section 13-25-102, C.R.S. 2014, now directs courts to rely on United States census information to determine life expectancy. Although we could take judicial notice of census information, the particular table that would apply to defendant has not been identified by the parties.
¶ 49 Moreover, the parties disagree about defendant's life expectancy. Defendant argues that statistical tables do not reflect the shorter life expectancy of prison inmates. Thus, we are unable to decide this issue without a factual finding of defendant's life expectancy.
¶ 50 In addition, in Rainer and Lucero, the parties agreed on the defendant's first parole eligibility date, and the first parole eligibility date specifically appeared in the record in Lehmkuhl . Rainer, ¶¶ 36, 67 ; Lucero, ¶ 12 ; Lehmkuhl, ¶ 13. Here, we lack both an agreement on defendant's first parole eligibility date and any evidence in the record of the date. We also lack legal argument and factual findings by the trial court on whether we should consider the effect any earned time or good time credits would have on defendant's first parole eligibility date, as argued by defendant on appeal. Again, absent factual findings on defendant's first parole eligibility date, this issue cannot be decided.
¶ 51 Because defendant did not present the issue to the trial court and we lack necessary factual findings, we decline to address it on appeal.
III. Conclusion and Directions
¶ 52 On remand, the trial court must first make an individualized determination based on factual findings whether life without parole is appropriate for defendant's Count 1 conviction. If the court determines that the sentence is appropriate, the sentence on Count 1 will stand affirmed, subject to defendant's *695right to appeal that determination. If the court determines that life without parole is inappropriate, the sentence on Count 1 will be vacated and the court should impose an individualized sentence that takes into consideration the factors elucidated in Miller and discussed in this opinion, again subject to defendant's and the People's right to appeal.
¶ 53 Although we decline to address defendant's appellate argument with regard to the sentencing on his class 2 felony convictions, our opinion should not be considered a reflection on its merits. Additionally, defendant should not be precluded from raising this issue on remand, should he choose to do so. The law on this issue was still developing in Colorado at the time defendant filed his postconviction motion, as the trial court recognized. See Crim. P. 35(c)(VI)(a) (referring to claims based on a "new rule of constitutional law that was previously unavailable").
¶ 54 The case is remanded for resentencing on Count 1 consistent with this opinion.
JUDGE TERRY concurs.
JUDGE TAUBMAN specially concurs.
In his reply brief, defendant describes his sentence as "a life sentence plus another consecutive ninety-six years in DOC." We perceive this statement to be a mistake, as defendant was sentenced to a life sentence plus three consecutive sentences totaling 144 years, as correctly stated in defendant's opening brief.
Defendant was sentenced in 1999 to life without the possibility of parole under the mandatory statutory sentencing framework in place at the time.
The present case demonstrates the difficulty with mandatory imposition of a life sentence on a juvenile offender absent individualized consideration. In sentencing defendant, the court stated, "[W]hile you've eventually made a statement where you admitted hitting him [the victim], wielding the baseball bat, after your father urged you to tell the truth, it gives me no pleasure to give you life in prison without the possibility of parole, but that is absolutely ... mandatory, because that is what the law requires." Thus, the court indicated that defendant's accepting responsibility may have led the court to be more lenient in its sentencing decision, had it been given the authority to do so.
We recognize the General Assembly's 2006 amendment constitutes legislative action that applies to this issue and indicates the legislature's intent in 2006 for sentencing juvenile offenders convicted of felony 1 offenses committed after July 2006. But, we also note that the current legislative framework still leaves a gap regarding appropriate sentences to impose on juvenile offenders convicted of felony 1 murder who committed their offenses between 1990 and 2006. Defendant asserts that there are approximately fifty individuals confined in the Department of Corrections who committed class 1 felonies as juveniles during this time period. Another publication estimates that there are forty-eight. See Hannah Garcia, Two Years, No Cert, More Confusion, L. Wk. Colo., Nov. 18, 2014, http://perma.cc/B356-VHQA.
Concurring Opinion
¶ 55 I concur with the conclusion that the life sentence without parole of defendant, Terrance Wilder, is unconstitutional. I further agree that the appropriate remedy is to vacate Wilder's sentence and remand the case to the trial court for an individualized sentencing determination based on the factors identified in Miller v. Alabama,
¶ 56 First, although I authored the majority opinion in People v. Valles,
I. People v. Valles
¶ 57 First, I authored the opinion in Valles, which followed People v. Banks,
¶ 58 While Valles argued that Banks was wrongly decided and requested that the division remand for the individualized determination we adopt here, his arguments contained only conclusory assertions, unsupported by legal authority and citation.
II. Retroactivity of Miller v. Alabama
¶ 59 Second, the majority accepts the People's concession that Miller applies retroactively. Notwithstanding the People's concession, I write separately to explain why I believe Miller applies retroactively. See People v. Corral ,
¶ 60 In Edwards v. People,
¶ 61 First, new substantive rules apply retroactively.
¶ 62 In Summerlin, the Supreme Court explained that substantive rules "alter[ ] the range of conduct or the class of persons that the law punishes," whereas procedural rules "regulate only the manner of determining the defendant's culpability."
¶ 63 Second, retroactive effect is given to "watershed rules of criminal procedure."
¶ 64 Therefore, to determine whether Miller should be applied retroactively, we must consider whether the holding in Miller should be characterized as substantive or procedural. Neither the United States Supreme Court nor the Colorado Supreme Court has decided whether Miller applies retroactively; however, the Colorado Supreme Court recently granted certiorari to decide this issue. See People v. Vigil,
¶ 65 The majority of state supreme courts to consider the issue have held that Miller applies retroactively. People v. Davis,
¶ 66 To be sure, a sizeable minority of state supreme courts have concluded that Miller does not apply retroactively. State v. Tate,
¶ 67 In addition, the majority of federal circuit courts of appeal have effectively concluded that Miller applies retroactively for the purpose of permitting a prisoner to file a second habeas corpus petition. Some circuits have specifically concluded that Miller applies retroactively. In re Simpson,
¶ 68 Additionally, while I am unaware of a formal United States Justice Department policy on the issue, federal prosecutors in published cases have taken the position that Miller is substantive and therefore retroactive. See, e.g., Evans-Garcia,
¶ 69 In these cases, the debate over Miller 's retroactivity centers on whether the decision merely establishes new procedures for trial courts to follow before sentencing a juvenile to life without the possibility of parole, or whether it establishes a substantive prohibition on mandatory life sentences without the possibility of parole for juveniles. I agree with those courts that have concluded that the holding in Miller is both substantive and procedural and should be applied retroactively because of the substantive component of its holding. Mantich,
¶ 70 In my view, Miller contains two new rules of constitutional law, one substantive and the other procedural. First, the Court held that mandatory life sentences without the possibility of parole are unconstitutional for juveniles. Miller,
¶ 71 Prior decisions prohibiting the imposition of capital punishment on specific classes of individuals are instructive. See Miller,
¶ 72 Both Miller and those decisions categorically prohibiting the imposition of capital punishment on specific classes of individuals require a change in the range of available punishments for a class of defendants. Therefore, applying Miller retroactively "ensures that juvenile homicide offenders do not face a punishment that our criminal law cannot constitutionally impose on them." Diatchenko,
¶ 73 I recognize that Miller does not categorically bar life without the possibility of parole for juvenile offenders.
¶ 74 Second, Miller also sets forth a new procedural rule. It requires courts to consider certain factors before sentencing a juvenile to life without parole.
¶ 75 Therefore, Miller is also procedural because it "altered the permissible methods by which the State [can] exercise its continuing power ... to punish juvenile homicide offenders by life imprisonment without the possibility of parole." Tate,
¶ 76 Those courts that recognize Miller as part procedural and part substantive have concluded that its holding should apply retroactively. See Mares,
¶ 77 I further conclude that Miller 's procedural component constitutes a "watershed rule of criminal procedure." In order to qualify as "watershed," a new rule must meet two requirements: (1) it must be necessary to prevent an impermissibly large risk of an inaccurate result and (2) it must "alter our understanding of the bedrock procedural elements essential to the fairness of a proceeding." Whorton v. Bockting,
¶ 78 First, the mandatory imposition of life without parole sentences for juveniles, with no opportunity for an individualized determination, posed an impermissibly large risk of inaccurate sentencing. The Miller Court recognized that given "children's diminished culpability and heightened capacity for change ... appropriate occasions for sentencing juveniles to [life without parole] will be uncommon."
¶ 79 Second, Miller established the specific factors to be considered before a court may impose a life without parole sentence on a juvenile. Prior to Miller, the Eighth Amendment did not require an individualized hearing for juveniles facing sentences of life without parole. After Miller, sentencing courts must consider "how children are different, and how those differences counsel against irrevocably sentencing them to a lifetime in prison."
¶ 80 I conclude that these new factors "constitute a previously unrecognized bedrock procedural element[ ]" which, according to Miller, are "essential to the fairness" of any sentencing hearing. Whorton,
¶ 81 I recognize that the supreme court has repeatedly held that new rules altering the procedures for the imposition of the death penalty do not fall into Teague 's narrow "watershed rule" exception. See Summerlin,
¶ 82 I also recognize that only one state appellate court has concluded that Miller announced a new "watershed rule" of criminal procedure, and its decision was abrogated by a higher authority. See People v. Williams,
¶ 83 Accordingly, I conclude that Miller announced a new constitutional rule that is both substantive and procedural. I further conclude that the decision applies retroactively to cases on collateral review.
III. Sentencing for Class 2 Felonies
¶ 84 Finally, if, on remand, the trial court determines that the appropriate sentence for Wilder's class 1 conviction is not life without the possibility of parole, it should consider whether Wilder's sentence for the class 1 conviction and his 144-year sentence for his class 2 felonies are functionally equivalent to a life sentence without parole.
¶ 85 In Graham v. Florida,
¶ 86 The division relied on Center for Disease Control (CDC) life expectancy data to conclude that Rainer's sentence was the functional equivalent to life without parole, and therefore unconstitutional, because it did not offer him a meaningful opportunity to obtain release before the end of his expected life span. Id. at ¶¶ 38, 66, 412 P.3d at 527, 533-34.
¶ 87 In Lucero, a different division addressed a cruel and unusual punishment challenge to an eighty-four-year sentence for conspiracy to commit first degree murder, attempted first degree murder, and two counts of second degree murder, all committed when the defendant was fifteen years old. ¶ 2,
¶ 88 Finally, in Lehmkuhl, another division affirmed the district court's use of statutory mortality tables to conclude that Lehmkuhl's sentence was constitutional because he would become eligible for parole when he was 67 years old, and his life expectancy was 78.2 years. ¶ 13,
¶ 89 Here, Wilder contends that his aggregate 144-year sentence for second degree murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and accessory to the commission of a class 1 or 2 felony, all class 2 felonies, is unconstitutional under Graham . On remand, the trial court should consider this argument in light Rainer, Lucero, and Lehmkuhl. Specifically, the court should consider the evidence of Wilder's life expectancy and determine whether his aggregate 144-year sentence, together with the sentence imposed on remand for his class 1 felony murder conviction (unless it is life without the possibility of parole), leaves him a meaningful opportunity for release during his lifetime.
The United States Supreme Court granted certiorari in Toca v. Louisiana, 574 U.S. ----, ----.
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