Bowser v. State
Bowser v. State
Opinion of the Court
Appellant Terrence Bowser successfully appealed his first conviction and received a new trial and sentencing hearing before a new district court judge. After the second trial, the judge imposed a longer sentence on some of the counts than had the original trial judge, which Bowser claims is a due process violation. In Holbrook v. State ,
FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
Following his first trial, Bowser was convicted of six counts: first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon (count 2), discharging a firearm out of a vehicle (count 4), discharging a firearm at or into a structure or vehicle (count 6), and three additional conspiracy charges. Bowser was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years. Specifically, the district court sentenced him to two consecutive terms of life with the possibility of parole after 20 years on the murder charge (count 2), 24 to 60 months on count 4, and 12 to 60 months on count 6, to run concurrent.
Bowser appealed, and we reversed the judgment of conviction and remanded for a new trial because the bailiff improperly presented evidence to the jury. On remand, Bowser was tried again on the same 6 counts, but with a different district court judge presiding. This time, he was convicted of voluntary manslaughter with a deadly weapon (count 2) instead of first-degree murder. He was also convicted of the two discharging-a-firearm charges (counts 4 and 6), but was acquitted of the three conspiracy charges. The district court conducting the retrial sentenced him to 2 consecutive terms of 48 to *542120 months on count 2, 48 to 120 months on count 4 to run consecutive to count 2, and 28 to 72 months on count 6 to run concurrent to count 4. His new total sentence was 30 years in prison with a minimum of 12 years for parole eligibility. In imposing the sentences, the district court stated that it took into account the evidence at trial, the jury verdict, the information in the presentence investigation report, the defense's mitigation arguments, and all of the information about what had happened since the previous trial. The district court provided no other explanation for the new sentence.
Bowser appealed from the newly entered judgment of conviction, arguing that the sentences imposed for the discharging-a-firearm counts violated due process because they were harsher than the original sentences. The case was transferred to the court of appeals. In a split decision, the court of appeals affirmed Bowser's sentence. Bowser petitioned for review under NRAP 40B, which we granted.
DISCUSSION
Though district courts generally have significant discretion in sentencing, Chavez v. State ,
Bowser, relying on Holbrook , contends that the district court's failure to justify the harsher sentence on the record violated his due process rights. The State, on the other hand, urges this court to revisit and limit the holding of Holbrook in light of more recent Supreme Court jurisprudence clarifying the presumption of vindictiveness.
Before addressing these arguments, however, we must first determine whether the sentence Bowser received on retrial is harsher than his original sentence, so as to trigger due process concerns. Bowser's aggregate total sentence on retrial decreased from the original aggregate sentence, but the individual sentences on the discharging-a-firearm counts increased in length and were also changed to run consecutive rather than concurrent. Thus, whether his sentence was increased depends on whether we look at the *543aggregate sentence or the individual sentence on each count. The Supreme Court's jurisprudence on the presumption of vindictiveness does not direct a particular approach for determining whether the new sentence is greater.
We recognize that a majority of courts apply an aggregate approach to determine whether the new sentence is more severe than the original sentence. See People v. Johnson ,
Though we appreciate the logic of the aggregate approach, we choose to adopt the count-by-count method, which means looking at each individual count to determine whether the new sentence on that count is greater in length than the original sentence or has been run consecutive whereas the original sentence was concurrent. This is consistent with our approach in determining whether a resentencing violates double jeopardy principles. See Wilson v. State ,
Bowser was charged with open murder in count 2. Following his first trial, he was convicted on count 2 of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon, a category A felony, for which he was sentenced to a total of life with parole eligibility after 40 years. After his second trial, he was convicted on count 2 of the lesser offense of voluntary manslaughter with the use of a deadly weapon, a category B felony, for which he received the maximum sentence allowable by statute, 20 years with parole eligibility after 8 years. His new aggregate sentence was 30 years with parole eligibility after 12 years. Thus, under the aggregate approach, the presumption of vindictiveness would not apply because his new aggregate was not more severe than the original. But, given that his original sentence on count 2 alone was life in prison, it was not possible for his new aggregate sentence to be harsher, even if he had received consecutive maximum sentences on all counts. Yet, this does not preclude the possibility of judicial vindictiveness, meaning such vindictiveness could evade review under the aggregate approach. Thus, we apply the count-by-count method. Because Bowser's sentence on each of the discharging-a-firearm counts (counts 4 and 6) increased and the new sentence on count 4 was run consecutive whereas originally it was concurrent, we conclude that his new sentence was more severe than his original sentence for due process purposes.
Having concluded that Bowser's sentence after retrial was more severe, we now turn to whether the presumption of vindictiveness applies here where there were two different sentencing judges. Since Pearce was decided, the Supreme Court has made clear that the presumption "do[es] not apply in every case where a convicted defendant receives a higher sentence on retrial." Texas v. McCullough ,
The Supreme Court has declined to apply the Pearce presumption where the sentences have not been imposed by the same judge or jury. For example, in Colten v. Kentucky , the Court refused to apply the presumption to a higher sentence arising from Kentucky's two-tier system, which allowed the defendant who was convicted and sentenced in an inferior court to appeal and receive a de novo trial in a superior court.
Likewise, in Chaffin v. Stynchcombe , the Court declined to apply the presumption of vindictiveness to a higher sentence when it was imposed on retrial by a different jury, noting that "the jury, unlike [a] judge who has been reversed, will have no personal stake in the prior conviction and no motivation to engage in self-vindication."
Based on Pearce 's progeny and the concerns underlying the presumption of vindictiveness, we conclude that the presumption does not apply where a different judge imposes a higher sentence after retrial than the first judge. Under these circumstances, the likelihood of vindictiveness is de minimis, as there is no reason to presume that the second judge had a personal stake in the outcome of the first trial or sentencing, or a motivation to retaliate for a successful appeal.
*545Accordingly, we affirm the judgment of conviction.
We concur:
Gibbons, C.J.
Pickering, J.
Parraguirre, J.
An increase in sentence following a new trial does not violate double jeopardy principles. See Pearce ,
Though the dissent places heavy emphasis on the possibility that a second judge might be infected by institutional prejudices when resentencing a defendant after a successful appeal, we view such a position as too speculative to present a likelihood of vindictiveness. See United States v. Anderson ,
Bowser does not argue that the sentence on retrial was the result of actual vindictiveness or reliance on impalpable or highly suspect evidence. See Alabama ,
Concurring in Part
I concur with the majority's adoption of a count-by-count method to determine whether a subsequent sentence is harsher than the sentence originally imposed. And therefore I agree with the majority that Bowser' second sentence "was more severe than his original sentence for due process purposes." Majority opinion ante at 543. However, I disagree with the majority's adoption of a bright line rule that a presumption of vindictiveness "does not apply where a different judge imposes a higher sentence after retrial than the first judge," Majority opinion ante at 544, and thus I respectfully dissent.
As noted by the majority, it is not the concern of an enhanced sentence on remand that requires the presumption of vindictiveness; it is the concern that a defendant will be punished for exercising the right to appeal or collateral review and that the fear of such punishment will deter defendants from lawfully attacking a conviction. See Alabama v. Smith ,
While the Supreme Court has subsequently clarified that the presumption of vindictiveness will not apply in every case where a defendant receives a harsher sentence after retrial, see Majority opinion ante at 543-44, it also has not unequivocally decided whether the presumption should apply when two different judges in the same court issue the sentences, see Texas v. McCullough ,
As the Supreme Court of Oregon noted, "[t]he fact that a different judge imposes an increased sentence does not eliminate [vindictiveness] concerns or the possibility that institutional prejudices might infect a trial judge's resentencing of a defendant after a successful appeal." State v. Sierra ,
*546With the possibility that institutional concerns might affect judges operating in the same court and with the underlying objective of Pearce being "to assure the absence of [vindictive sentencing] motivation,"
Creating a record of a logical, nonvindictive reason for imposing a harsher sentence does not do violence to Holbrook , Pearce , or Pearce's progeny. Instead, it helps to ensure that a defendant is not punished at resentencing after exercising the right to appeal or collateral review, a goal squarely in line with the above-mentioned precedent. Accordingly, I would apply the presumption of vindictiveness to this matter, as the record contains no objective, nonvindictive justification for the harsher sentences, and modify the sentences for counts 4 and 6 to the terms originally imposed, pursuant to Holbrook,
Respectfully, I dissent.
The Honorable Elissa F. Cadish and the Honorable Abbi Silver, Justices, did not participate in the decision of this matter.
Even had the Supreme Court ruled on this issue, concluding that the presumption does not apply where there are two different sentencing judges within the same court, that fact would not preclude this court from concluding that the Nevada Constitution requires otherwise. See Wilson v. State ,
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.