THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. NATHANIEL STEPHENS, Defendant-Appellant.
No. 1-15-1631
Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, Fourth Division
December 14, 2017
2017 IL App (1st) 151631
JUSTICE GORDON delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion. Presiding Justice Burke and Justice McBride concurred in the judgment and opinion.
Illinois Official Reports; Appeal from the Circuit Court of Cook County, Nos. 01-CR-28427, 01-CR-28428; the Hon. Angela Munari Petrone, Judge, presiding.
Kimberly M. Foxx, State‘s Attorney, of Chicago (Alan J. Spellberg, Christine Cook, and Clare Wesolik Connolly, Assistant State‘s Attorneys, of counsel), for the People.
¶ 1 After a bench trial in Cook County circuit court, defendant Nathaniel Stephens, who was 19 years old at the time of the offense in 2001, was convicted of the first degree murder and aggravated battery of a 4-month-old infant. For reasons that we discuss below, defendant was sentenced three times. At the third and most recent sentencing on April 16, 2015, defendant was sentenced to a total of 29 years with the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC). On this appeal, defendant raises challenges only to his 29-year sentence and asks this court (1) to reduce his sentence to the minimum, which is 26 years; (2) to remand for resentencing before a different judge; or (3) to order the reinstatement of his first sentence, which consisted of two concurrent 25-year sentences for his first degree murder and aggravated battery convictions. For the following reasons, we affirm.
¶ 2 BACKGROUND
¶ 3 In a prior opinion, we summarized the facts of this case as follows:
During 2001, defendant was the sometime-live-in boyfriend of Trenatta Richardson, the mother of the four-month-old victim. On October 25, 2001, while defendant babysat her, the victim suffered a broken leg. The victim died from blunt trauma injuries on November 2, 2001, after being in defendant‘s care. On November 3, 2001, in a videotaped confession, defendant admitted to hitting the victim‘s head into a door frame three times and punching the victim in the ribs three times on November 2, 2001, to stop the victim from crying.
Defendant was charged in separate indictments with: (1) aggravated battery to a child for the incident on October 25, 2001, when the victim suffered a broken leg; and (2) first degree murder for the incident on November 2, 2001, when the victim died from blunt force trauma injuries. People v. Stephens, 2012 IL App (1st) 110296, ¶¶ 5-6.
¶ 4 In our prior opinion, we described in detail the evidence at trial, and we incorporate that opinion by reference. Stephens, 2012 IL App (1st) 110296, ¶¶ 38-60 (description of evidence at trial). Since there are no issues on this appeal regarding the evidence at trial, there is no need to repeat that description here.
¶ 5 As noted above, defendant was sentenced three times. After the bench trial, defendant was sentenced on August 30, 2005, to two concurrent sentences of 25 years with IDOC.1 This is the initial sentence that defendant would now like restored.
¶ 6 At the sentencing hearing on August 30, 2005, the State entered into evidence two certified statements of conviction, for possession of a stolen motor vehicle and possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, and then stated that it had “nothing further in terms of evidence for sentencing.”
¶ 8 The trial court then observed that defendant was convicted “of the offense of aggravated battery of a child which is a Class X offense with a range of sentence anywhere from six years to thirty years and also the offense of first degree murder on this child that carries with it a range of sentence beginning at 20 years.”
¶ 9 As noted, after considering the factors in aggravation and mitigation, the trial court sentenced defendant to two concurrent 25-year sentences, with credit for time served.
¶ 10 After defendant received this sentence, the State argued on direct appeal that the trial court erred in sentencing defendant to concurrent sentences when consecutive sentences were statutorily required.2 Stephens, 2012 IL App (1st) 110296, ¶ 64. On December 24, 2009, this court affirmed his convictions but agreed with the State that consecutive sentences were mandatory and that his concurrent sentences must be vacated.3 People v. Stephens, No. 1-05-3365 (2009) (unpublished order under Supreme Court Rule 23). We explained: “‘When a trial court imposes concurrent sentences but consecutive sentences are mandatory, the sentencing order is void and the appellate court has the authority to correct the sentence at any time.‘” Stephens, slip order at 27 (quoting People v. Arna, 168 Ill. 2d 107, 113 (1995)).4 Concerning the resentencing, we instructed the trial court that “[i]t is within the trial court‘s discretion to determine the length of each sentence to be imposed, within the permissible statutory sentencing range.” Stephens, slip order at 30. Our remand resulted in defendant‘s second sentence. Specifically on June 9, 2010, the trial court sentenced him to two consecutive 25-year sentences with IDOC.
“THE COURT: These are the cases of Nathaniel Stephens. The defendant is not in court. For both the cases the Appellate Court mandate has been issued and the mandate—and the mandamus, excuse me, shall be spread of record on each of the cases. The mittimus is corrected.
Defendant sentenced to 25 years consecutive and it is nunc pro tunc to August 30th, 2005. Actually, let me phrase it this way: One case is 28427 and the other case is 28428. On 27 the sentence is 25 years Illinois Department of Corrections. On 28428 the sentence is 25 years Illinois Department of Corrections consecutive to 01 CR 28427. Both sentences are nunc pro tunc. Let me just add this little part too, on 28427, that sentence is on Count 3. And it will be off call.” Stephens, 2012 IL App (1st) 110296, ¶ 121.
¶ 12 Subsequently, defendant filed a pro se postconviction petition, which was summarily dismissed. On the postconviction appeal, this court affirmed the dismissal of defendant‘s petition but vacated his two consecutive 25-year sentences due to the trial court‘s failure to hold a sentencing hearing. Stephens, 2012 IL App (1st) 110296, ¶ 123. We remanded for resentencing, observing that section 5-5-3(d) of the Unified Code of Corrections (Code) (
“In any case in which a sentence originally imposed is vacated, the case shall be remanded to the trial court. The trial court shall hold a hearing under Section 5-4-1 of the Unified Code of Corrections which may include evidence of the defendant‘s life, moral character and occupation during the time since the original sentence was passed. The trial court shall then impose sentence upon the defendant.” Stephens, 2012 IL App (1st) 110296, ¶ 123 (quoting
730 ILCS 5/5-5-3(d) (West 2004)).
¶ 13 Since it is this third sentencing that is at issue on this appeal, we describe it here in detail.
¶ 14 After we remanded the case a second time, it was assigned to a new trial judge pursuant to defendant‘s petition for substitution of judge. At the subsequent sentencing hearing held in 2015, the State did not call any witnesses but relied, in aggravation, on the seriousness of the offense and defendant‘s prior criminal history. Defendant‘s criminal history consisted of a total of five convictions, which were for the two convictions in the instant appeal, as well as three convictions for (1) possession of a stolen motor vehicle in 1999, (2) possession of a controlled substance in 2000, and (3) another possession of a controlled substance in 2001.
¶ 15 In mitigation, defendant called five witnesses: (1) Ewenell McCullough, a correctional agent with the Cook County sheriff‘s department; (2) Norlandi Young, a correctional agent at the Cook County jail; (3) Sheteila Allen, defendant‘s sister; (4) Melanie Porter, the mother of defendant‘s three children; and (5) Mary Porter, Melanie‘s mother and the grandmother of defendant‘s children.
¶ 16 Ewenell McCullough testified that he was a correctional sergeant with the Cook County sheriff‘s department and that he has worked at the Cook County jail for 24 years. McCullough was assigned for over a year to division one of the jail, where defendant was detained. The division one assignment was from “roughly” June 2013 through July 2014. During that time, defendant worked for McCullough cleaning up “the tier” and feeding the other detainees.
¶ 17 Norlandi Young testified that she was also a correctional sergeant with the Cook County sheriff‘s department, where she had been employed for 17½ years. Young had worked in division one for three years and had known defendant for about two years. During that time, defendant had worked “for the tier” where he would “[c]lean the showers, clean the day room, mop, sweep the floors.” Young described defendant as “[v]ery respectful, never had any problems with him.” To her knowledge, defendant had not had a disciplinary action or ticket issued against him since he had been in division one.
¶ 18 On cross-examination, Young was asked whether, of the 1200 detainees in division one, it was “fair to say that many are respectful?” Young responded: “It‘s not many.” She explained that more detainees were disrespectful than respectful to the correctional officers. On redirect examination, Young testified that she would classify defendant‘s behavior as unusual and that, while tickets may be issued for many reasons including minor infractions, defendant did not have any tickets at the Cook County jail. Young testified that the Cook County jail was not an easy place to live and that inmates have altercations with each other but that she had never observed defendant in an altercation with anyone.
¶ 19 Sheteila Allen, defendant‘s sister, testified that she was 30 years old and had been employed for almost 10 years in housekeeping at the Fairmount Hotel. In school, defendant was in special education for a learning disability and had difficulty with reading and math and completing his homework. Her parents had told her that, when defendant was born, he had excess fluid on his brain. When defendant was a child, he had an unusually large head.
¶ 20 Allen testified that their mother and aunt shared a two-flat building and over 15 children lived there. Their mother was addicted to heroin and also used cocaine when Allen was five or six years old and continuing into Allen‘s teen years. Sometimes there was no food, and defendant “would go outside and do the things, like, maybe sell drugs or whatever to provide for us, to make sure that we ate” or had clothes or shoes. Although defendant received Social Security when he was a child, their mother received the money and would sometimes use it for her drug habit.
¶ 21 Allen testified that defendant had children who also had special needs and learning disabilities and who could not count well and were behind in school.
¶ 22 On cross-examination, Allen testified that defendant attended a regular Chicago public high school, from which he was expelled when he was arrested. When her parents lived together when she was younger, her family was close, and they went to a restaurant or movie once a month. Allen and her sisters and brothers did not have a good upbringing, and it was not “peaceful” due to heroin and cocaine use by her mother, sisters, and brothers.
¶ 23 On redirect, Allen testified that defendant was protective of their mother and considered it disrespectful to say bad things about her in public and, in particular, about her drug addiction.
¶ 24 Mary Porter testified that she was the mother of defendant‘s girlfriend and the grandmother of their three children. Porter first met defendant in 1997, when he was a teenager. When she first met him, she thought he was “slow” because “it just look like something, you know, was wrong with him.” She “found out later, that something had happened to him when he was born.” Since he had been in jail, defendant had called Porter twice a month because he felt like his own mother had deserted him. Porter paid for the calls. Defendant‘s children would spend
¶ 25 Melanie Porter, the mother of defendant‘s three children, testified that she was 32 years old at the time of the hearing and that she first met defendant when she was 15 years old and they both attended the same high school. Defendant was in special education, and she was not. They had one class together, and defendant “couldn‘t catch on like the other kids,” and she would try to help him. When Melanie5 went to defendant‘s home, she observed defendant‘s mother and her friends in the kitchen smoking cocaine “rocks.” Melanie was aware that defendant received Social Security disability checks when he was in high school.
¶ 26 Melanie testified that, as a result of her first pregnancy, she and defendant had twin boys and Melanie and defendant were trying to figure out how to support them. The payee for defendant‘s Social Security checks was his mother, and his mother would give defendant less than half of the money. Melanie would ask defendant to ask his mother for more of the money, but he did not want to ask for more. Before Melanie had children, she was aware that defendant and his siblings would often lack food due to the mother‘s drug problem, and Melanie would let them eat at her house. Sometimes defendant would call his father, who would come over and bring a couple of dollars and leave.
¶ 27 Melanie testified that defendant always took his mother‘s side, he respected his mother, and he never did anything to hurt her feelings. The same was true of his father, who also had a drug problem. When defendant had money, he helped Melanie and the children. In 2015, at the time that Melanie testified at the hearing, the twin boys were 15 years old, and their daughter was 14 years old. All three have learning disabilities, similar to their father.
¶ 28 On cross-examination, Melanie testified that, despite the problems, defendant had a close family, his needs were addressed, and it was a peaceful existence. On redirect, Melanie testified that sometimes they lacked electricity and heat. Their building was family-owned, but defendant‘s mother was not able to maintain it. In addition to defendant‘s mother, other relatives used drugs in the home. Melanie testified that their family life was peaceful because, despite all their problems, they still loved each other. As for her own employment, Melanie had a seasonal job at Macy‘s from August to this past January and she was also self-employed as a hairdresser.
¶ 29 During closing argument, the State reviewed the evidence presented at trial. The State conceded that defendant had a low IQ and diminished capacity and lacked “an ideal life growing up” but argued that it was still not “okay to kill a child a four—not a child, an infant, your Honor. It doesn‘t allow him to kill this four-month and 3-week old infant, because she‘s screaming while he‘s playing video games.”
¶ 30 During closing argument, the defense observed, among other things, that the mitigation report submitted to the court showed that defendant had encephalitis when he was two years old and presently had an IQ of 64. Defendant asked the trial court to sentence defendant to the same sentence he had received originally, which was a total of 25 years. Counsel argued:
“DEFENSE COUNSEL: What sentence should he receive, Judge?
If you take into account who he is, Judge, which—and I might just note to the Court that, when Judge Moran sentenced [defendant], he sentenced him concurrently; and having the benefit of practicing in front of Judge Moran, that—that was not a mistake.
He knew exactly what he was doing.
He knew what the appropriate time was for this young man to spend in custody.
Judge, you can duplicate that sentence here today. It is possible with the sentencing range you have[.] ***
What he was given, was appropriate; and it is not possible for the Court to give him less. Otherwise, I would ask you for that; but it‘s not possible.” (Emphasis added.)
After hearing oral argument, the trial court stated that it needed time to review the case.
¶ 31 On April 16, 2015, the trial court stated that it had reviewed all the records and summarized them for close to 20 pages. The trial court concluded:
“THE COURT: When left to care for a 4 month old who would not stop crying and interrupted his playing a video game, the defendant became angry and snapped. The testimony also was that he punched the baby in addition to banging the baby‘s head against the door frame.
The defendant said the crying was unlike any other he had heard from his own children. And I would suggest most likely because the child had a broken leg and fractured ribs from the defendant‘s actions to her just a week before.
I‘m suspecting the child was in a great deal of pain. The defendant lied about what happened until confronted by police and faced with a polygram [sic] exam.
I do show that defendant has shown little responsibility for himself, his children or the 4 month old victim in this case. The defendant was not abused as a child even though his childhood was not ideal.
People close to the defendant suffered from drug abuse. The testimony was that one way the defendant chose to make money was to sell drugs. The defendant‘s sister with the same mother and father was steadily employed and did not have a criminal record.
The defendant made a choice to go another route. At age 19 he was already a multi-convicted felon. Sentences of probation did nothing to help him stay in school, get his GED, find employment or stay out of trouble.
Having said that I do not believe that the defendant planned his actions that caused such pain to 4 month old Destiny Nelson. I do believe that the defendant snapped like he said he did.
But the harm is so irreparable. Destiny Nelson is dead. And she can never be brought back. Judge Moran originally sentenced the defendant to 25 years, Illinois Department of Corrections total for first degree murder and aggravated battery.
When Judge Hill gave two, 25-year consecutive sentences that made the sentence 50 years Illinois Department of Corrections. Having considered all of the above, all of the mitigation as well as the aggravation, I do believe that the sentence of 50 years Illinois Department of Corrections is high for this offense.
I do believe that a lesser sentence is proper because the defendant did not intend to [sic] this action. However, I am considering all of the aggravation as just outlined above as well.
I believe the proper sentence here would be 23 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for first degree murder, Count 3, case number 01 CR 28427.
And consecutive sentence of six years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for aggravated battery to a child on case number 01 CR 28429 which is a total of 29 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections followed by three years mandatory supervised release.”
¶ 32 After announcing the sentence, the trial court asked defendant if he wanted to address the court. When defendant indicated that he did, the trial court stated: “All right. Please step up. And I‘ll see if that‘s going to change the sentence in any way. If it does, I‘ll give you a different sentence. I don‘t think it would affect it.”
¶ 33 After hearing that his sentence was cut from 50 to 29 years, defendant thanked the court “for everything” and asked the Lord “to bless everybody that had something to do with it:”
“DEFENDANT: I just want to thank you for giving my attorney the time to put up litigation for me and for everybody that had something to do with the whole process of going on since I been here.
Thank you for your time that I have been here two years. Got a chance to visit my family, my father I haven‘t saw [sic] him since 2005. *** And I just want to thank you for everything. And god bless everybody that had something to do with it.”
¶ 34 The trial court responded: “Mr. Stephens, that does not change my sentence. I think I made the appropriate sentence, Mr. Stephens. You don‘t have the 25 years that Judge Moran gave you. But you certainly don‘t have the 50 years that Judge Hill gave you. So you‘re going to be getting out. I don‘t think you‘re a bad person.”
¶ 35 On April 30, 2015, defendant filed a motion to reconsider sentence, arguing (1) that defendant‘s 29-year total sentence was “excessive in view of the Defendant‘s background and the nature of his participation in the offense,” (2) that the trial court “improperly considered in aggravation matters that are implicit in the offense,” and (3) that the “sentence improperly penalized Defendant for exercising his right to trial.” At the hearing on the motion on May 7, 2015, defense counsel stated: “And I have no argument. I just stand on the written motion.” The trial judge stated as follows:
“THE COURT: I don‘t have the court file in front of me, I wasn‘t given a copy of anything from the Clerk‘s Office for today either; however, I can rule on this now.
I do remember this case. [Defendant] was given by another court a sentence of 50 years. Upon reconsideration[,] hearing the mitigation and arguments, [defendant] is sentenced to 23 years. I do believe it was not excessive, it was on the low end of the sentencing range. Respectfully, your motion is denied.”
In the quote above, the trial judge‘s reference to a 50-year sentence “given by another court” was a reference to the total sentence imposed at the second sentencing by another judge. However, the judge‘s reference above to “23 years” was a reference to only the murder sentence imposed by her at the third sentencing. The total sentence imposed at the third sentencing, by this same judge, was 29 years, and as quoted above, the motion to reduce this total sentence was denied.
¶ 36 On May 7, 2015, defendant filed a timely notice of appeal, and this appeal followed.
¶ 38 On this appeal, defendant challenges his 29-year total sentence and asks this court (1) to reduce his total sentence to the minimum, which is 26 years, (2) to remand for resentencing before a different judge, or (3) to order the reinstatement of his first sentence, which consisted of two concurrent 25-year sentences for his first degree murder and aggravated battery convictions.
¶ 39 As the trial court observed prior to defendant‘s initial sentencing, defendant was convicted of (1) aggravated battery of a child, which is a Class X offense with a sentencing range of 6 to 30 years (
¶ 40 After this court‘s finding, the minimum total sentence that defendant could have received was 26 years, and he was sentenced to 29 years at his third sentencing. Defendant acknowledges on this appeal that any sentence imposed by the trial court during his third sentencing had to result in an increase from the 25-year sentence first imposed.
¶ 41 However, defendant‘s 29-year sentence was on the very low end of what he could have received. Since the maximum sentence for his murder conviction was 60 years (
¶ 42 On this appeal, defendant argues, first, that his third sentence and his most recent sentencing hearing were unfair because the trial court did not properly consider mitigating evidence, such as his young age and troubled childhood, and because the court gave defendant the opportunity to speak only after first pronouncing defendant‘s sentence. As relief, defendant seeks a remand for resentencing before a different judge6 who, we observe, could sentence defendant to 90 years with IDOC.
¶ 43 Although defendant filed a motion to reconsider his sentence, he did not object at sentencing. As a result, the State argues that his claim is forfeited for our review. To preserve a sentencing claim for appeal, a defendant must make a contemporaneous objection at the sentencing hearing and raise the issue in a postsentencing motion. People v. Fort, 2017 IL 118966, ¶ 18; People v. Hillier, 237 Ill. 2d 539, 544 (2010) (“It is well settled that, to preserve a claim of sentencing error, both a contemporaneous objection and a written postsentencing motion raising the issue are required.“). This principle encourages a defendant to raise issues before the trial court, thereby allowing the court to correct its own errors. People v. Downs, 2015 IL 117934, ¶ 13. However, even if a defendant has forfeited an issue by either failing to
¶ 44 The plain error doctrine applies when either (1) a clear or obvious error occurred and the evidence is so closely balanced that the error alone threatened to tip the scales of justice against the defendant, regardless of the seriousness of the error, or (2) a clear or obvious error occurred and that error is so serious that it affected the fairness of the proceeding and challenged the integrity of the judicial process, regardless of the closeness of the evidence. People v. Clark, 2016 IL 118845, ¶ 42; Hillier, 237 Ill. 2d at 545 (these two prongs are also applied “[i]n the sentencing context“).
¶ 45 With respect to the second prong, although some of our supreme court‘s decisions have “equated second-prong plain error with structural error,” our supreme court has more recently explained that it “did not restrict” second-prong plain error “to the [six] types of structural error that have been recognized by the [United States] Supreme Court.” Clark, 2016 IL 118845, ¶ 46. In the case at bar, defendant seeks reversal under both prongs.7
¶ 46 Under both prongs, the first step of plain error review is to determine whether any clear or obvious error occurred. See Jones, 2016 IL 119391, ¶ 10. “‘[T]he term “plain” as used in the plain-error rule is synonymous with “clear” or “obvious“; error is not plain if the law was “unclear at the time of the trial but becomes clear on appeal because the applicable law has been clarified.“’ ” People v. Fort, 2017 IL 118966, ¶ 39 (quoting In re M.W., 232 Ill. 2d 408, 431 (2009), quoting United States v. Olano, 507 U.S. 725, 734 (1993)).
¶ 47 The defendant has the burden of persuasion on both the threshold question of whether there was a clear or obvious error and the question of whether he is entitled to relief as a result of it. In re M.W., 232 Ill. 2d at 431.
¶ 48 In addition to plain error, defendant argues that his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to properly preserve this issue. Both the United States and Illinois Constitutions guarantee criminal defendants the right to the effective assistance of counsel. People v. Hale, 2013 IL 113140, ¶ 15 (citing
¶ 49 In determining whether defendant was denied effective assistance of counsel, we apply the familiar two-prong test established in Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668 (1984), and adopted by the Illinois Supreme Court in People v. Albanese, 104 Ill. 2d 504 (1984). People v. Cherry, 2016 IL 118728, ¶ 24. Under the Strickland test, a defendant must show both that counsel‘s performance was objectively unreasonable under prevailing professional norms and that there is a reasonable probability that, but for counsel‘s unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different. People v. Downs, 2015 IL 117934, ¶ 13. Since a defendant must satisfy both prongs of the Strickland test, the failure to establish either prong bars his claim. Cherry, 2016 IL 118728, ¶ 24. As for the first prong in a claim of ineffectiveness, counsel‘s performance “must be evaluated based on the entire record.”
¶ 50 Turning then to the first step of the plain error doctrine, we do not find that defendant has carried his burden to show clear or obvious error. A trial court‘s sentencing decision is reviewed only for an abuse of discretion. People v. Geiger, 2012 IL 113181, ¶ 27. “A sentence will be deemed an abuse of discretion where the sentence is greatly at variance with the spirit and purpose of the law, or manifestly disproportionate to the nature of the offense.” Geiger, 2012 IL 113181, ¶ 27 (quoting People v. Alexander, 239 Ill. 2d 205, 212 (2010)).
¶ 51 We do not find persuasive defendant‘s argument that the trial court committed a clear and obvious error and abused its discretion by allegedly failing to consider mitigating evidence, when the trial court meticulously discussed the record for over 20 pages, including the mitigating evidence presented by defendant, and then sentenced defendant to the very lowest end of the possible sentencing range. Although the trial court did not give factors such as defendant‘s age, troubled childhood, and conduct during incarceration the degree of deference that defendant believes they deserved, that is far different from saying that the trial court failed to consider them.
¶ 52 Defendant is correct that the trial court should have offered defendant an opportunity to speak prior to pronouncing sentence. Section 5-4-1 of the Unified Code of Corrections provides, in relevant part, that “[a]t the hearing the court shall *** afford the defendant the opportunity to make a statement on his own behalf.”
¶ 53 After defendant heard that his sentence was reduced from 50 to 29 years, defendant used his opportunity to speak, not to challenge his sentence, but to thank everyone involved in the proceedings.
¶ 54 As defendant acknowledges on this appeal, the failure to offer this opportunity prior to sentencing does not automatically require a remand for resentencing. People v. Lenius, 293 Ill. App. 3d 519, 543 (1997) (“The failure of the trial court to ask a defendant if he wished to make a statement is a technical error which does not require reversal.“). As this court has previously observed, “the trial court‘s failure to invite allocution is a technical error that can be harmless,”
¶ 55 Defendant‘s second claim on this appeal is that the trial court abused its discretion on remand by increasing defendant‘s sentence by four years over his initial sentence, where the State presented no new evidence in aggravation and the defense presented new evidence in mitigation, including evidence of his model behavior while incarcerated, his troubled childhood, and his mental health and lack of maturity at the time of the offense. For this claim, the relief defendant seeks is either a 3-year reduction by this court in his 29-year total sentence or a remand for resentencing before a different trial judge.
¶ 56 This claim, for the most part, is merely a repackaging of his first claim where he asserted that the trial court abused its discretion by not properly considering mitigating evidence, and it fails for largely the same reasons already discussed above. Supra ¶ 51.
¶ 57 In support, defendant cites North Carolina v. Pearce, 395 U.S. 711, 725-26 (1969), which found that the due process clause bars a sentencing court from imposing a longer sentence after a retrial, if the purpose of the longer sentence is to punish a defendant for his success on appeal.
¶ 58 Like defendant‘s first claim, this claim concerning Pearce is also forfeited for our review and may be reviewed only for plain error. We set forth the plain error doctrine above and will not repeat it here. In sum, we must, as a first step, find a clear and obvious error. For the following reasons, we can find none here.
¶ 59 First, whether you regard defendant‘s total sentence as a 4-year increase or a 21-year decrease depends on whether you measure it against his first or second sentence.9 When defendant heard that the total for his second sentence was decreased by 21 years, he thanked “everybody that had something to do with” it, thanked the judge “for everything,” and then stated that he hoped “everybody that had something to do with it” would be blessed.
¶ 60 Second, Pearce does not apply to defendant‘s case, as we explain below.
¶ 61 In Pearce, the United States Supreme Court held:
“Due process of law, then, requires that vindictiveness against a defendant for having successfully attacked his first conviction must play no part in the sentence he receives after a new trial. And since the fear of such vindictiveness may
unconstitutionally deter a defendant‘s exercise of the right to appeal or collaterally attack his first conviction, due process also requires that a defendant be freed of apprehension of such a retaliatory motivation on the part of the sentencing judge.
In order to assure the absence of such a motivation, we have concluded that whenever a judge imposes a more severe sentence upon a defendant after a new trial, the reasons for his doing so must affirmatively appear. Those reasons must be based upon objective information concerning identifiable conduct on the part of the defendant occurring after the time of the original sentencing proceeding. And the factual data upon which the increased sentence is based must be made part of the record, so that the constitutional legitimacy of the increased sentence may be fully reviewed on appeal.” (Emphasis added.) Pearce, 395 U.S. at 725-26.
We italicize above the portion quoted by defendant.
¶ 62 However, 20 years later, in Alabama v. Smith, 490 U.S. 794, 799 (1989), the United States Supreme Court discussed Pearce and stated: “we have limited its application.” The Smith Court explained that, in the 20 years since Pearce had been decided, the Court had limited Pearce‘s application to “circumstances *** in which there is a ‘reasonable likelihood’ [citation], that the increase in sentence is the product of actual vindictiveness on the part of the sentencing authority. Where there is no such reasonable likelihood, the burden remains upon the defendant to prove actual vindictiveness.” Smith, 490 U.S. at 799-800; Texas v. McCullough, 475 U.S. 134, 138 (1986) (“vindictiveness of a sentencing judge is the evil the Court sought to prevent rather than simply enlarged sentences after a new trial“); see also People v. Garcia, 179 Ill. 2d 55, 74 (1997) (”Pearce‘s prophylactic rule has been limited in its application to circumstances in which there is a reasonable likelihood that an increase in sentence is the product of actual judicial vindictiveness.“).
¶ 63 In the case at bar, defendant makes no claims of actual vindictiveness on the part of the third sentencing judge nor can we find any evidence of vindictiveness in the record of the third sentencing hearing.10 Cervantes, 2014 IL App (3d) 120745, ¶ 44 (“When determining the correctness of a sentence,” we consider “the record as a whole.“); see also People v. Covington, 395 Ill. App. 3d 996, 1009 (2009) (allegedly erroneous findings are insufficient reasons to believe that a trial court has a personal bias for or against a litigant). Thus, according to Smith, this case does not present the type of circumstances to which Pearce still applies. In addition, we observe that the trial court readily granted defendant‘s petition for substitution of judge before this hearing was held.
¶ 64 Defendant‘s third claim is that the trial court‘s imposition of a four-year increase in his aggregate sentence violated due process where the State did not present evidence of conduct “occurring after the time of the original sentencing.” Pearce, 395 U.S. at 725-26. We already discussed this quote from Pearce above and explained why we do not find this argument persuasive.
¶ 66 In Castleberry, as in our case, the defendant received a sentence that, the appellate court found, did not conform to statutory requirements. Castleberry, 2015 IL 116916, ¶ 6. In Castleberry, as in our case, the appellate court vacated the sentence as void and remanded for resentencing. Castleberry, 2015 IL 116916, ¶ 6. However, unlike our case, before a second sentencing occurred in Castleberry, our supreme court reversed, abandoning the void sentence rule. Castleberry, 2015 IL 116916, ¶ 1. The supreme court in Castleberry held that the appellate court “had no authority *** to vacate the circuit court‘s sentencing order in response to the State‘s argument,” and thus, the supreme court affirmed the trial court‘s one and only sentencing order. Castleberry, 2015 IL 116916, ¶¶ 25, 31.
¶ 67 Defendant argues that our facts are similar. In the case at bar, the State argued on direct appeal that the first trial court erred in sentencing defendant to concurrent sentences and, as a result, the trial court‘s 2005 sentencing order was void. In 2009, this court agreed, observing that, when a trial court imposes concurrent sentences when consecutive sentences are statutorily required, the resulting sentencing order is void and may be corrected at any time, pursuant to our supreme court‘s 1995 decision in Arna, 168 Ill. 2d at 113. Stephens, No. 1-05-3365.
¶ 68 In 2015, six years after our Rule 23 order, the supreme court in Castleberry, 2015 IL 116916, ¶ 1, abandoned the void-sentence rule from Arna. On this appeal, defendant argues that, as a result of our supreme court‘s 2015 Castleberry decision, this court was without authority in 2009 to remand for his second sentencing and thus we must reinstate his original 2005 sentences.
¶ 69 What defendant overlooks is that we vacated his second sentences—which totaled 50 years—at his request and remanded for a third sentencing. Stephens, 2012 IL App (1st) 110296, ¶ 120. By contrast, in Castleberry, there was only one sentencing, not three as in our case. Thus, in the case at bar, it is the validity and fairness of this third sentencing that is before us now.
¶ 70 Based on Castleberry, defendant asks this court, in essence, to vacate the 2009 and 2012 decisions of this court, as well as the third sentencing order of the trial court, and turn the clock back over 12 years to the first sentencing order in 2005.
¶ 71 However, in its subsequent Price opinion, our supreme court explained that the primary purpose behind Castleberry was to “preserv[e] the finality of judgments.” People v. Price, 2016 IL 118613, ¶ 28. Based on Price, we do not believe it was our supreme court‘s intent to undo the finality of an eight-year-old appellate decision,11 upon which both the parties and subsequent appellate and trial courts have relied, particularly when the result would be to reinstate a decades-dormant, statutorily invalid sentence.
“After Castleberry, *** a defendant may no longer rely on the void sentence rule to overcome forfeiture of a claimed sentencing error or to challenge a statutorily nonconforming sentence in perpetuity [citation].” Price, 2016 IL 118613, ¶ 17.
There is no dispute on appeal that defendant‘s third sentence conformed to statute, while his first sentence—the one he asks us to reinstate—did not. If, after Castleberry, a defendant may not “challenge a statutorily nonconforming sentence in perpetuity,” then our supreme court did not intend Castleberry to become a vehicle by which a defendant could challenge as void an eight-year-old appellate decision, which ordered a statutorily conforming sentence, such as the one at bar. Price, 2016 IL 118613, ¶ 17. Thus, based on our supreme court‘s recent decision in Price, we do not find defendant‘s fourth claim persuasive.
¶ 73 In their briefs, the parties argue about whether the appellate court‘s decision in People v. Cole, 2016 IL App (1st) 141664, was wrongly or rightly decided, but that is not an issue we need to address in order to resolve the issues before us. In Cole, the appellate court affirmed the trial court‘s imposition of consecutive sentences at a second sentencing because (1) there was no “increase” if one looked at the individual sentences instead of the aggregate12 and (2) the appellate court‘s first order, finding the original concurrent sentences “void,” had become the law of the case. However, whether Cole was rightly or wrongly decided, our facts go beyond those in Cole. Our case involves a third sentencing, not a second, and we vacated that second sentencing at defendant‘s request. We would need to vacate two appellate court decisions, including one in defendant‘s favor. Even if we were to accept defendant‘s argument that Cole was wrongly decided, we would still need to decide how far back we were willing to reach and how many decisions we were willing to vacate in order to reimpose a legally incorrect sentence. More importantly, Cole was decided before our supreme court‘s decision in Price, and thus, our supreme court‘s subsequent decision in Price controls our decision here, not the earlier appellate court decision. Thus, we do not find defendant‘s fourth claim, based on Castleberry, persuasive.
¶ 74 CONCLUSION
¶ 75 For the foregoing reasons, we affirm defendant‘s conviction and sentence.
¶ 76 Affirmed.