State v. Booker
State v. Booker
Opinion of the Court
FACTS
¶2 Booker entered Alford
DISCUSSION
I. Comparability
¶3 We review an offender score de novo unless it involves factual or discretionary determinations.
¶4 At sentencing, the State presented certified copies of the order of sentence and commitment to Illinois Department of Corrections, the statement of conviction/disposition, and the information filed in Booker’s prior firearm case to prove that his Illinois firearm conviction was comparable to a violation of RCW 9.41.040(2), the Washington statute that makes it a felony for a felon to possess a firearm. The information from Booker’s prior conviction charged him with a violation of chapter 720, act 5, section 24-1.1 of the Illinois Compiled Statutes (720 ILCS 5/24-1.1) for knowingly possessing a firearm after having been convicted of a felony. The order of sentence and commitment shows a conviction for the same case number.
¶5 Booker argues that the documents presented by the State are insufficient to prove his Illinois firearm conviction was comparable to a Washington felony. First, he correctly asserts that 720 ILCS 5/24-1.1 is not legally comparable to RCW 9.41.040(2) because it criminalizes the possession or use of other weapons in addition to firearms. Next, he argues that the State failed to prove factual comparability, despite presenting the information explicitly charging Booker with possession of a firearm, because the handwritten portion of the order of sentence and commitment stated that Booker was convicted of “Unlawful Use Firearm/Felon Ch. 720-5 Sec. 24-1. Par. I.”
¶6 This argument is based on pure speculation. Nothing in the record suggests an amended information was filed. The more reasonable inference from the evidence is that any discrepancies between the information and the order of sentence and commitment were scrivener’s errors rather than a legitimate reference to paragraph 1 of 720 ILCS 5/24-1 because the conviction specifically refers to the unlawful use of a firearm. Paragraph 1 of 720 ILCS 5/24-1 does not deal with firearms, and no period would be necessary after the 1 if the writer had not intended another 1 to come after it. If the standard of proof were beyond a reasonable doubt, Booker’s argument might have merit. But, in the absence of any evidence to the contrary, we conclude that the State met its burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that Booker was convicted of a crime comparable to possession of a firearm by a felon in Washington.
II. Constitutional Validity of 2000 Convictions
¶7 “[T]he State does not have the affirmative burden of proving the constitutional validity of a prior conviction before it can be used in a sentencing proceeding.”
The conviction need not show that a defendant’s rights were not violated; rather, for the conviction to be constitutionally invalid on its face, the conviction must affirmatively show that the defendant’s rights were violated.[12 ]
To require otherwise “would turn the sentencing proceeding into an appellate review of all prior convictions.”
To the extent that Marsh holds or suggests that the State must prove the constitutional validity of prior convictions at a sentencing hearing, it contravenes our previous holding in Ammons.[15 ]
¶8 Here, the State presented the informations and statements of conviction/disposition for two separate 2000 Illinois felony drug convictions as proof of prior offenses to be included in Booker’s offender score. Although these documents do not indicate whether counsel was appointed or waived for either matter, they also do not affirmatively show that Booker’s right to counsel was denied. Thus, the documents do not suggest that the conviction is constitutionally invalid on its face. But the sentencing court found this evidence insufficient to prove Booker had two prior drug felonies. This finding is contrary to the Supreme Court’s holding in Williams because it impermissibly requires the State to prove the constitutionality of the prior
¶9 Booker argues that we should read Williams more narrowly, not as overruling Marsh, but rather as an attempt to harmonize Marsh and Ammons.
¶10 First, in Burgett, the conviction was offered to prove the defendant was an habitual criminal.
¶11 Second, the prior conviction at issue in Burgett was obtained before Gideon v. Wainwright
¶12 Third, the facts in Burgett are far more suggestive of invalidity than the facts of this case. In Burgett, there were two different documents submitted to prove the same conviction.
¶13 Fourth, Burgett and Marsh, which cites Burgett to establish a presumption of invalidity for prior convictions that do not indicate the presence or waiver of counsel,
¶14 We affirm the superior court’s inclusion of Booker’s firearm conviction in his offender score because it is comparable to a Washington offense. And we reverse the court’s decision to exclude the two 2000 drug convictions because the State proved their existence by a preponderance of the evidence and it need not prove that Booker was represented by counsel in the absence of any facial constitutional invalidity. The case is remanded to the trial court for resentencing.
Ellington and Lau, JJ., concur.
North Carolina v. Alford, 400 U.S. 25, 91 S. Ct. 160, 27 L. Ed. 2d 162 (1970).
State v. Winings, 126 Wn. App. 75, 91, 107 P.3d 141 (2005) (citing State v. Wilson, 113 Wn. App. 122, 136, 52 P.3d 545 (2002), review denied, 149 Wn.2d 1006 (2003)).
State v. McCorkle, 88 Wn. App. 485, 492, 945 P.2d 736 (1997) (citing State v. Ammons, 105 Wn.2d 175, 186, 713 P.2d 719, 718 P.2d 796 (1986)), aff’d, 137 Wn.2d 490, 973 P.2d 461 (1999).
RCW 9.94A.525(3).
In re Pers. Restraint of Lavery, 154 Wn.2d 249, 255, 111 P.3d 837 (2005) (citing State v. Morley, 134 Wn.2d 588, 605-06, 952 P.2d 167 (1998)).
Part of Booker’s argument is that “Felon” is illegible. It looks like “Teton.” No reasonable person reading the document could conclude that the writer intended to write “Teton” instead of “Felon.”
Although Booker did not make this precise argument below, a challenge to the classification of sm out-of-state conviction may be raised for the first time on appeal. State v. Ford, 137 Wn.2d 472, 484-85, 973 P.2d 452 (1999).
Ammons, 105 Wn.2d at 187.
State v. Gimarelli, 105 Wn. App. 370, 375, 20 P.3d 430 (citing Ammons, 105 Wn.2d at 189), review denied, 144 Wn.2d 1014 (2001).
Id. (emphasis added).
Ammons, 105 Wn.2d at 188.
47 Wn. App. 291, 295, 734 P.2d 545 (1987).
111 Wn.2d 353, 368, 759 P.2d 436 (1988).
Ammons, 105 Wn.2d 175.
389 U.S. 109, 114-15, 88 S. Ct. 258, 19 L. Ed. 2d 319 (1967).
State v. Holsworth, 93 Wn.2d 148, 160, 607 P.2d 845 (1980).
372 U.S. 335, 83 S. Ct. 792, 9 L. Ed. 2d 799 (1963).
Burgett, 389 U.S. at 114-15.
362 F.3d 343, 351 (6th Cir. 2004) (citing Parke v. Raley, 506 U.S. 20, 31, 113 S. Ct. 517, 121 L. Ed. 2d 391 (1992)). The parties spend a great deal of time discussing the effect of Parke on the holding in Burgett. But Parke is not directly on point because it is a case about when waiver of a constitutional right can be presumed. In Parke, the issue was whether a conviction based on a guilty plea could be presumed valid in the absence of affirmative evidence that the defendant knowingly and voluntarily waived his trial rights. 506 U.S. at 30-31. In contrast, here, there is no need to discuss waiver because there is no affirmative evidence that Booker was denied his right to counsel.
Cline, 362 F.3d at 351.
Burgett, 389 U.S. at 112.
Marsh, 47 Wn. App. at 293.
369 U.S. 506, 82 S. Ct. 884, 8 L. Ed. 2d 70 (1962).
Id. at 516.
See Ammons, 105 Wn.2d at 190 (holding that the identity of names is sufficient to prove the defendant is the person named in the prior conviction, unless the defendant declares under oath that he is not that person).
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.