Rehearing
ON MOTION FOR REHEARING
On March 26, 2010, Thomas Kelsey was sentenced to two life sentences and two concurrent twenty five year terms for the four nonhomicide offenses he committed in 2002 at the age of fifteen: armed burglary with an assault or battery, armed robbery, and two counts of sexual battery. A few months later, the Supreme Court announced its decision in Graham v. Florida,
While this appeal was pending, the Florida Supreme Court decided Henry v. State,
Kelsey requests the same relief afforded to Henry, but we may do so only if his forty-five year prison term is a defacto life sentence in violation of Graham, which it is not under our Court’s precedents. See Abrakata v. State,
We note that our supreme court recently quashed this Court’s decision in Thomas v. State,
But this is a Graham case, not a Miller case; Kelsey’s crimes were nonhomicides for which a range of lawful punishments was available. As to Graham defendants, the supreme court has required re-resen-tencing only where the initial resentence is life or de facto life, as in Henry (ninety years) and Gridine v. State,
Whether a defendant whose initial' sentence' for ¾ nonhomicide crime violates Graham v. Florida, and who 'is resen-tenced to concurrent forty-five year terms, is entitled to a new resentencing under the framework established in chapter 2014-220, Laws of Florida?
AFFIRMED.
Notes
. Henry was released after the filing of the initial and answer briefs, but before the time for filing of the reply brief, in this case.
Concurrence Opinion
concurring.
I concur in the majority opinion. I write- separately because I see no compelling reason to overturn five years of constitutional,
While Kelsey’s original sentence violated Graham, rather than Miller v. Alabama, —- U.S. —
Thomas v. State, 40 Fla. L. Weekly S479f,
Im my view the Thomas order only recognizes that the 40-year resentence was impermissible. The sentencing court could not simply choose a sentence without statutory authority in an effort to comply with Miller
Kelsey’s resentence, in contrast to Thomas’s, wаs both constitutional and statutorily authorized.
I recognize that the Supreme Court in Henry v. State,
In summary, I find that neither Henry nor Thomas supports resentencing here. Henry was permitted resentencing under the 2014 law because his sentence , was unconstitutional. Thomas was permitted resentencing under the 2014 law not because his first resentence was unconstitutional, but because it was not statutorily authorized. Because Kelsey’s resentence is both constitutional and statutorily authorized, neither case applies and he is not entitled to a second resentencing. Acсordingly, I concur in the majority opinion.
. I am presuming that Kelsey's 45-year sentence is constitutional under Graham. My Opinion- addresses the issue of whether Kelsey is entitled to a second resentencing pursuant to the 2014 sentencing statute because his original sentence violated Graham.
. The Supreme Court said as much in Hors-ley, ruling that such sentences "ignore the primary role of the Legislature in criminal sentencing by crafting a remedy without a statutory basis." Horsley,
. Sexual battery is a life felony, punishable by a term of imprisonment for life or by imprisonment for a term of years not exceeding life imprisonment. §§ 794.011(3); 775.082(3)(a)3., Fla. Stat. (2002). Armed robbery, and armed burglary with an assault or battery, are first-degree felonies punishable by imprisonment for a term of years not exceeding life imprisonment. . §§ 812.13(2)(a); 810.02(2)(a) & (b); 775.082(3)(b), Fla. Stat. (2002).
Dissenting Opinion
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent on the merits of the' appeal. Under controlling precedent, the appellant is entitled to be “resentenced in light of the new juvenile sentencing legislation enacted by the Florida Legislature in 2014, ch. 2014-220, Laws of Fla.” Henry v. State,
The appellant was sentenced in 2010 to life in prison without parole for nonhomi-cide offenses he committed as a juvenile in 2002. These sentences violated the prohibition later handed down in Graham v. Florida,
The appellant now seeks either resen-tencing under section 921.1402, Florida Statutes (2014), or judicial abolition of pa
We did not originally “read Henry or Gridine[ v. State,
But it is now clear that so-called Graham cases are to be treated just like cases revisited under Miller v. Alabama, — U.S.-,
In Horsley v. State,
On the same day Horsley was decided, our supreme court held that the new juvenile sentencing legislation also applies to nonhomicide offenders whose sentences are unconstitutional under Graham. See Henry,
The Florida Supreme Court ruled that Henry’s ninety-year sentence was unconstitutional under Graham, not because the resentencing' was a life sentence equivalent, but because it did not “afford any ‘meaningful opportunity to obtain release based on demonstrated maturity and rehabilitation’ ” during his natural life. Id. at 679 (quoting Graham,
We conclude that Graham prohibits the stаte trial courts from sentencing juvenile nonhomicide offenders to prison terms that ensure these offenders will be imprisoned without obtaining a meaningful opportunity to obtain future early release during their natural lives based on their demonstrated maturity and rehabilitation.
In light of the United States Supreme Court’s long-held and consistent view that juveniles are different — with respect to prison sentences that are lawfully imposable on adults convicted for the same criminal offenses — we сonclude that, when tided as an adult, the specific sentence that a juvenile nonhomicide offender receives for committing a given offense is not dispositive as to whether the prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment is implicated. Thus, we believe that the Graham Court had no intention of limiting its new categorical rule to sentences denominated under the exclusive term of “life in prison.” Instead, we have determined that Graham applies to ensure that juvenile nonhomi-cide offenders will nоt be sentenced to terms of imprisonment uñthout affording them a meaningful opportunity for early release based on a demonstration of maturity and rehabilitation. See Graham,560 U.S. at 75 ,130 S.Ct. 2011 .
In light of Graham, and other Supreme Court precedent, we conclude that the Eighth Amendment will not ■ tolerate prison sentences that lack a review mechanism for evaluating this special class of offenders for demonstrable maturity and reform in the future because any term of impñsonment for a juvenile is qualitatively different than a comparable period of incarceration is for an adult. See id. at 70-71,130 S.Ct. 2011 ....
Id. (emphasis added).. Just as in the present case, Henry’s original sentence did not comply with the dictates of Graham. Just as the supreme court ordered Henry to be resentenced under chapter 2014-220, Laws of Florida, id., an intervening resentencing notwithstanding, we should order resen-tencing in the present case under section 921.1402(2)(d) (as the same provision is now codified). The supreme court’s dеcision in Thomas makes clear that the length of Henry’s initial resentencing is not controlling.
As the majority and concurring opinions note, the Florida Supreme Court recently quashed our decision in Thomas v. State,
The majority opinion makes much of the fact the concurrent forty-five-year sentences Kelsey received for nonhomicide offenses on resentencing are not the life sentences that Graham condemned.
A juvenile offender sentenced to a term of 20 years or more under. s. 775.082(3)(c) [applicable to a juvenile convicted of an offense that is not under the murder statute but is “a life felony or is punishable by a term of imprisonment for life or by a term of years not exceeding life imprisonment” (or an offense reclassified as such) ] is entitled to a review of his or her sentence after 20 years. If the juvenile offender is not resentenced at the initial review hearing, ‘he or she is eligible for one subsequent review hearing 10 years after the initial review hearing.
See § 775.082(3)(c), Fla. Stat. (2014). In Horsley, our supreme court explained:
[Jjuvenile offenders sentenced to a term of imprisonment of more than twenty years for a nonhomicide offense are entitled to a subsequent judicial review of their sentences. Ch. 2014-220, §§ 1, 3, Laws of Fla. [codified at sections 775.082 and 921.1402, Fla. Stat.] This class of nonhomicide offenders is also eligible for “one subsequent review hearing 10 years after the initial review hearing,” if the juvenile nonhomicide offender is not resentenced at the initial review hearing. Ch. 2014-220, § 3, Laws of Fla. [codified at section 921.1402, Fla. Stat.] This is the only class of juvenile offenders entitled to more than one subsequent sentence review.
Accordingly, I would reverse Kelsey’s sentences and remand for resentencing, “in conformance with the-framework established in chapter 2014-220, Laws of Florida,” Thomas, 40 Fla. L. Weekly at S479, while joining the-majority opinion as to the certified 'question.
. In affirming Kеlsey’s sentences, the majority opinion cites Abrakata v. State,
In Lambert, which was briefed before Henry v. State,
. The majority opinion contends that Thomas v. State, 40 Fla. L, Weekly S479, 201S WL 5178605 (Fla. Sept, 4, 2015), is distinguishable from the present case because Thomas is a Miller case "for which no' valid remedy on resentencing was available until the recent legislation.” Ante at 442. Because "Kelsey's crimes were nonhomicides for which a range оf lawful punishments was available,” ante at 441, the majority opinion maintains that, in his and other Graham cases, a second resen-tencing is not required unless the first resen- . tencing results in the imposition of a life or de facto life sentence. This overlooks the fact that the Florida Supreme Court rejected such a distinction between Miller and Graham cases in Henry, where it ruled the new juvenile sentencing legislation applied to juvenile nonhomicide offenders, even though “a wide range of valid term of years sentеnces [wejre available for juvenile[s] whose original sentence[s] were unconstitutional under Graham." Ante"at 442. Under the majority opinion’s view, juvenile homicide offenders would be treated more favorably than juvenile nonhomicide offenders.
Lead Opinion
Appellant, Thomas Kelsey, was initially sentenced to concurrent sentences of two terms of life and two terms of 25 years in prison for the nonhomicide offenses of armed burglary with an assault or battery, armed robbеry, and two counts of sexual battery, which he committed in 2002, at the age of fifteen. He was subsequently re-sentenced to concurrent 45-year sentences pursuant to Graham v. Florida,
AFFIRMED.
