State v. Starcher, Unpublished Decision (11-13-2006)
State v. Starcher, Unpublished Decision (11-13-2006)
Opinion of the Court
{¶ 3} On February 24, 2003, Appellant timely appealed his conviction, and filed the transcript of the docket and journal entries on March 27, 2003. Appellant did not raise any sentencing errors on direct appeal, but rather argued that the verdict was against the manifest weight of the evidence, that the trial court erred in permitting evidence of other wrongs at trial, and that the trial court erred in allowing improper statements made by the prosecutor during closing arguments.
{¶ 4} On December 10, 2003, this Court overruled all three assignments of error and upheld Appellant's conviction. Appellant then petitioned the trial court for post-conviction relief on February 10, 2006. The trial court denied this motion without analysis on February 14, 2006. A nunc pro tunc order was filed on February 22, 2006 to correct the case number in the previous order. Appellant timely appealed this denial, setting forth one assignment of error for our review.
{¶ 5} In his sole assignment of error, Appellant argues that the trial court erred by denying his delayed petition for post-conviction relief and therefore finding that Blakely v.Washington (2004),
{¶ 6} An appellate court reviews the denial of a petition for post-conviction relief for an abuse of discretion. State v.Stallings, 9th Dist. No. 21969,
{¶ 7} Pursuant to R.C.
{¶ 8} Appellant filed the transcript of the docket and journal entries on March 27, 2003. His motion for post-conviction relief was filed on February 10, 2006-nearly three years after the expiration of the time to file an appeal — and was therefore, clearly untimely.
{¶ 9} R.C.
"(a) Either the petitioner shows that the petitioner was unavoidably prevented from discovery of the facts upon which the petitioner must rely to present the claim for relief, or, subsequent to the period prescribed in division (A)(2) of section
"(b) The petitioner shows by clear and convincing evidence that, but for constitutional error at trial, no reasonable factfinder would have found the petitioner guilty of the offense of which the petitioner was convicted or, if the claim challenges a sentence of death that, but for constitutional error at the sentencing hearing, no reasonable factfinder would have found the petitioner eligible for the death sentence."
{¶ 10} In his brief, Appellant contends that because his motion was properly before the trial court due to the above exceptions, the court arbitrarily dismissed it without discussion on the merits. It appears that Appellant argues that, under the grounds enunciated in Blakely, as applied to this Court by the Ohio Supreme Court findings in Foster, his sentence is contrary to law and that these cases constitute "a new federal or state right that applies retroactively to persons in [his] situation[.]" R.C.
{¶ 11} Appellant contends that, under the grounds stated inFoster, his sentence is now void as it was imposed pursuant to a statute that is unconstitutional. In Foster the Court found that R.C.
{¶ 12} As stated herein, in Booker, supra, the United States Supreme Court limited its holdings in Blakely andApprendi to cases on direct review. Similarly, in Foster, the Ohio Supreme Court restricted retroactive application of its holding to cases on direct review. Appellant's case is before us on appeal from a denial of his petition for post-conviction relief, not from direct appeal. As such, Appellant has failed to meet his burden under R.C.
Judgment affirmed.
The Court finds that there were reasonable grounds for this appeal.
We order that a special mandate issue out of this Court, directing the Court of Common Pleas, County of Medina, State of Ohio, to carry this judgment into execution. A certified copy of this journal entry shall constitute the mandate, pursuant to App.R. 27.
Immediately upon the filing hereof, this document shall constitute the journal entry of judgment, and it shall be file stamped by the Clerk of the Court of Appeals at which time the period for review shall begin to run. App.R. 22(E). The Clerk of the Court of Appeals is instructed to mail a notice of entry of this judgment to the parties and to make a notation of the mailing in the docket, pursuant to App.R. 30.
Costs taxed to Appellant.
Carr, P.J. Boyle, J. concur.
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