State v. Hatfield, 07ap-784 (3-25-2008)
State v. Hatfield, 07ap-784 (3-25-2008)
Opinion of the Court
{¶ 2} On November 26, 2003, a jury found appellant guilty of one count of aggravated murder, one count of tampering with evidence, and one count of gross abuse of a corpse. In his original, direct appeal to this court, we affirmed those convictions but remanded the matter for resentencing. State v. Hatfield, Franklin App. No. 04AP-402,
{¶ 3} On May 17, 2007, appellant filed in the trial court a petition for post-conviction relief pursuant to R.C.
{¶ 4} Appellant appeals and assigns 11 assignments of error. However, those assignments of error do not address the jurisdictional issue that must be considered first: whether the trial court erred in determining that his petition was untimely. The State claims that the trial court properly dismissed appellant's petition because it was untimely. We agree.
{¶ 5} R.C.
[A] petition under division (A)(1) of this section shall be filed no later than one hundred eighty days after the date on which the trial transcript is filed in the court of appeals in the direct appeal of the judgment of conviction or adjudication or, if the direct appeal involves a sentence of death, the date on which the trial transcript is filed in the supreme court. If no appeal is *Page 3 taken, * * * the petition shall be filed no later than one hundred eighty days after the expiration of the time for filing the appeal.
{¶ 6} Pursuant to this statute, appellant had to file his post-conviction petition no later than 180 days after May 26, 2004, the date the trial transcript was filed in his direct appeal of the judgment of conviction to this court. That date was on or around November 22, 2004. Appellant did not file his petition until May 17, 2007. Therefore, appellant's petition was untimely.
{¶ 7} A trial court lacks jurisdiction to entertain an untimely petition for post-conviction relief unless petitioner demonstrates that one of the exceptions in R.C.
{¶ 8} Because appellant failed to establish the applicability of an exception that would allow the trial court to consider his untimely petition, the trial court lacked jurisdiction to entertain his petition for post-conviction relief. State v. Russell, Franklin App. No. 05AP-391,
{¶ 9} Our disposition of the jurisdictional issue renders moot appellant's assignments of error, which address the merits of his petition. Raines, at ¶ 7. Accordingly, the judgment of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas is affirmed.
*Page 1Judgment affirmed. BROWN and FRENCH, JJ., concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- State of Ohio v. Todd L. Hatfield
- Cited By
- 11 cases
- Status
- Published