Opinion · Ohio Supreme Court
State v. Rance
85 Ohio St. 3d 632
- Type
- Opinion
- Court
- Ohio Supreme Court
- Jurisdiction
- Ohio
- Date
- 1999-06-16
- Topic
- general
holding that a defendant may be punished for multiple offenses 4 OHIO FIRST DISTRICT COURT OF APPEALS arising from a single criminal act, so long as the General Assembly intended cumulative punishment | "If the elements do not so correspond, the offenses are of dissimilar import and the court's inquiry ends the multiple convictions are permitted" | reversed on other -14- grounds
Citator
- Cited by
- 232 opinions
[This opinion has been published in Ohio Official Reports at85 Ohio St.3d 632
.]
THE STATE OF OHIO, APPELLANT, v. RANCE, APPELLEE.
[Cite as State v. Rance, 1999-Ohio-291
.]
Criminal law—Indictment—Multiple counts—Under R.C. 2941.25(A) analysis,
statutorily defined elements of offense claimed to be of similar import are
compared in the abstract—Involuntary manslaughter and aggravated
robbery are not allied offenses of similar import—R.C. 2941.25(A) and
constitutional protections against double jeopardy do not prohibit trial
courts from imposing separate sentences for both involuntary manslaughter
and aggravated robbery.
1. Under an R.C. 2941.25(A) analysis, the statutorily defined elements of
offenses that are claimed to be of similar import are compared in the
abstract. (Newark v. Vazirani [1990], 48 Ohio St.3d 81
,549 N.E.2d 520
,
overruled.)
2. Involuntary manslaughter and aggravated robbery are not allied offenses of
similar import.
3. In Ohio it is unnecessary to resort to the Blockburger test in determining
whether cumulative punishments imposed within a single trial for more than
one offense resulting from the same criminal conduct violate the federal and
state constitutional provisions against double jeopardy. Instead, R.C.
2941.25’s two-step test answers the constitutional and state statutory
inquiries. The statute manifests the General Assembly’s intent to permit, in
appropriate cases, cumulative punishments for the same conduct. (Garrett
v. United States [1985], 471 U.S. 773
,105 S.Ct. 2407
,85 L.Ed.2d 764
;
Albernaz v. United States [1981], 450 U.S. 333
,101 S.Ct. 1137
,67 L.Ed.2d 275
; State v. Bickerstaff [1984],10 Ohio St.3d 62
, 10 OBR 352,461 N.E.2d 892
, approved and followed.)
SUPREME COURT OF OHIO
(Nos. 98-2 and 98-130—Submitted February 9, 1999—Decided June 16, 1999.)
APPEAL from and CERTIFIED by the Court of Appeals for Lucas County, No.
L-96-277.
__________________
{¶ 1} Giano Rance pleaded guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter
and one count of aggravated robbery in violation of R.C. 2903.04(A) and former
2911.01(A)(2), now (A)(3). The trial court sentenced Rance to consecutive terms
of imprisonment on each count, imposing an aggregate sentence of sixteen to fifty
years. Rance moved to correct his sentence, claiming that involuntary
manslaughter and aggravated robbery are allied offenses of similar import as
defined in R.C. 2941.25(A). He appealed the sentence, however, before the trial
court ruled on the motion.
{¶ 2} On appeal, Rance argued that R.C. 2941.25(A) and the Double
Jeopardy Clauses of the United States and Ohio Constitutions preclude the trial
court from imposing separate, consecutive sentences for involuntary manslaughter
and aggravated robbery. The court of appeals determined that because “involuntary
manslaughter necessarily encompasses all of the elements of aggravated robbery,”
sentencing Rance for both crimes violated R.C. 2941.25(A) and the state and
federal constitutional guarantees against double jeopardy. State v. Rance (Dec. 5,
1997), Lucas App. No. L-96-277, unreported, at 5, 1997 WL 770974
. Recognizing
the discord between its decision and those of other Ohio appellate courts, the Sixth
District Court of Appeals certified a conflict in this case.
{¶ 3} Case No. 98-2 is before this court upon our determination that a
conflict exists. Case No. 98-130 is before this court upon the allowance of a
discretionary appeal.
__________________
2
January Term, 1999
Julia R. Bates, Lucas County Prosecuting Attorney, Craig T. Pearson,
Brenda J. Majdalani and Dean P. Mandross, Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys, for
appellant.
Jeffrey M. Gamso, for appellee.
__________________
COOK, J.
{¶ 4} Do R.C. 2941.25(A) and the constitutional protections against double
jeopardy prohibit trial courts from imposing separate sentences for both involuntary
manslaughter and aggravated robbery? Pursuant to Ohio’s multiple-count statute,
R.C. 2941.25, our answer to this question is “No.”
DOUBLE JEOPARDY
{¶ 5} The double jeopardy protections afforded by the federal and state
Constitutions guard citizens against both successive prosecutions and cumulative
punishments for the “same offense.” State v. Moss (1982), 69 Ohio St.2d 515, 518
,23 O.O.3d 447
, 448-449,433 N.E.2d 181, 184
. This case does not involve the
successive-prosecution branch of the Double Jeopardy Clause. Instead, Rance
objects to the cumulative punishments imposed in a single trial for his convictions
of two separate offenses that he claims constitute the same offense for double
jeopardy purposes.
{¶ 6} We initially note that the Fifth Amendment’s Double Jeopardy Clause
(made applicable to the states by the Fourteenth Amendment) and Ohio’s
counterpart are sufficiently similar to warrant consultation of federal jurisprudence
when analyzing Ohio’s proscription against placing persons “twice * * * in
jeopardy for the same offense.” Section 10, Article I, Ohio Constitution. See, e.g.,
Moss, supra.
{¶ 7} Rance contends that according to the Supreme Court’s decision in
Blockburger v. United States (1932), 284 U.S. 299, 304
,52 S.Ct. 180, 182
,76 L.Ed. 306, 309
, he cannot be convicted of both involuntary manslaughter and aggravated
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SUPREME COURT OF OHIO
robbery when the same act provides the grounds for both charges. The test outlined
in Blockburger for determining whether two offenses are the same for double
jeopardy purposes is whether each offense requires proof of an element that the
other does not. Id.
See, also, Brown v. Ohio (1977),432 U.S. 161, 165-166
,97 S.Ct. 2221, 2225-2226
,53 L.Ed.2d 187, 194-195
.
{¶ 8} A legislature, however, may prescribe the imposition of cumulative
punishments for crimes that constitute the same offense under Blockburger without
violating the federal protection against double jeopardy or corresponding
provisions of a state’s constitution. Albernaz v. United States (1981), 450 U.S. 333, 344
,101 S.Ct. 1137, 1145
,67 L.Ed.2d 275, 285
; State v. Bickerstaff (1984),10 Ohio St.3d 62, 65
, 10 OBR 352, 355,461 N.E.2d 892, 895
. In this regard, where a legislature expresses its intent to permit cumulative punishments for such crimes, the Blockburger test must yield. Albernaz,450 U.S. at 340
,101 S.Ct. at 1143
,67 L.Ed.2d at 282
. See, also, Bickerstaff,10 Ohio St.3d at 66
, 10 OBR at 356,461 N.E.2d at 896, fn. 1
. “[T]he Double Jeopardy Clause does no more than prevent the sentencing court from prescribing greater punishment than the legislature intended.” Missouri v. Hunter (1983),459 U.S. 359, 366
,103 S.Ct. 673, 678
,74 L.Ed.2d 535, 542
. See, also, Moss,69 Ohio St.2d at 518
, 23 O.O.3d at 449,433 N.E.2d at 184-185
.
{¶ 9} For this reason, although two offenses constitute the same offense
under Blockburger, when a legislature signals its intent to either prohibit or permit
cumulative punishments for conduct that may qualify as two crimes, application of
Blockburger would be improper; the legislature’s expressed intent is dispositive.
See Ohio v. Johnson (1984), 467 U.S. 493, 499
,104 S.Ct. 2536, 2541
,81 L.Ed.2d 425, 433
.
{¶ 10} We agree, therefore, with the state’s contention that the familiar
Blockburger test, which is a rule of statutory construction, is not useful where the
General Assembly’s intent is clear. “[T]he Blockburger rule is not controlling when
4
January Term, 1999
the legislative intent is clear from the face of the statute or the legislative history.”
Garrett v. United States (1985), 471 U.S. 773, 779
,105 S.Ct. 2407, 2411
,85 L.Ed.2d 764, 771
. We thus evaluate Rance’s double jeopardy argument by
deciding whether the General Assembly intended as a sentencing possibility
separate, cumulative punishments for both aggravated robbery and involuntary
manslaughter when the two offenses stem from a single criminal act.
OHIO’S MULTIPLE-COUNT STATUTE
{¶ 11} We discern the General Assembly’s intent on this subject through
review of Ohio’s multiple-count statute, R.C. 2941.25. If the court’s sentencing of
Rance accords with the multiple-count statute, that harmony with the legislative
intent precludes an “unconstitutional” label. See Albernaz, 450 U.S. at 344
,101 S.Ct. at 1145
,67 L.Ed.2d at 285
; Bickerstaff,10 Ohio St.3d at 65-66
, 10 OBR at 355-356,461 N.E.2d at 895-896
. This court has stated that Ohio’s multiple-count statute “is a clear indication of the General Assembly’s intent to permit cumulative sentencing for the commission of certain offenses.”Id. at 66
, 10 OBR at 356,461 N.E.2d at 896, fn. 1
.
{¶ 12} With its multiple-count statute Ohio intends to permit a defendant to
be punished for multiple offenses of dissimilar import. R.C. 2941.25(B); State v.
Blankenship (1988), 38 Ohio St.3d 116, 117
,526 N.E.2d 816, 817
. If, however, a defendant’s actions “can be construed to constitute two or more allied offenses of similar import,” the defendant may be convicted (i.e., found guilty and punished) of only one. R.C. 2941.25(A). But if a defendant commits offenses of similar import separately or with a separate animus, he may be punished for both pursuant to R.C. 2941.25(B). State v. Jones (1997),78 Ohio St.3d 12, 13-14
,676 N.E.2d 80, 81
.
{¶ 13} Were Rance’s crimes allied offenses of similar import? The
applicable test for deciding that issue is as follows: If the elements of the crimes
“ ‘correspond to such a degree that the commission of one crime will result in the
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SUPREME COURT OF OHIO
commission of the other, the crimes are allied offenses of similar import.’ ” Id. at 13
,676 N.E.2d at 81
, quoting Blankenship,38 Ohio St.3d at 117
,526 N.E.2d at 817
. If the elements do not so correspond, the offenses are of dissimilar import and the court’s inquiry ends—the multiple convictions are permitted. R.C. 2941.25(B). See, also, State v. Mughni (1987),33 Ohio St.3d 65, 68
,514 N.E.2d 870, 873
.
{¶ 14} A problem inherent in the application of the test for
similar/dissimilar import is whether the court should contrast the statutory elements
in the abstract or consider the particular facts of the case. We think it useful to
settle this issue for Ohio courts, and we believe that comparison of the statutory
elements in the abstract is the more functional test, producing “clear legal lines
capable of application in particular cases.” Kumho Tire Co., Ltd. v. Carmichael
(1999), 526 U.S. ___
, ___,119 S.Ct. 1167, 1174
,143 L.Ed.2d 238, 250
.
{¶ 15} Because the comparison of elements of offenses outlined in
Blockburger is reflected in R.C. 2941.25(A), courts engage in a similar analysis
whether applying Blockburger or Ohio’s multiple-count statute. Therefore, cases
discussing and applying Blockburger are helpful, though not controlling, in our
examination of Ohio law. For example, in its Whalen decision the United States
Supreme Court considered whether to analyze abstract elements or particular facts
upon review of a case with a factual scenario similar to the instant case. Whalen v.
United States (1980), 445 U.S. 684
,100 S.Ct. 1432
,63 L.Ed.2d 715
. Whalen was
convicted of rape and of killing the victim during the commission of the rape.
Discussing Blockburger’s applicability to multiple punishments imposed in a single
criminal proceeding, and in particular to compound and predicate offenses,1 Justice
Rehnquist observed:
1. Felonious assault was actually the charged predicate offense to the involuntary manslaughter
count against Rance. The felonious assault was the act of beating the victim during and in
furtherance of the robbery. Although aggravated robbery technically was not the predicate offense
underlying the involuntary manslaughter charge, the assault that resulted in the victim’s death was
6
January Term, 1999
“The multiplicity of predicates creates problems when one attempts to apply
Blockburger. If one applies the test in the abstract by looking solely to the wording
of [the statutes], Blockburger would always permit imposition of cumulative
sentences * * *. If, on the other hand, one looks to the facts alleged in a particular
indictment brought under [the statute], then Blockburger would bar cumulative
punishments for violating [the compound offense] and the particular predicate
offense charged in the indictment, since proof of the former would necessarily
entail proof of the latter.
“***
“If one tests the above-quoted statutes in the abstract, one can see that rape
is not a lesser included offense of felony murder, because proof of the latter will
not necessarily require proof of the former. One can commit felony murder without
rape and one can rape without committing felony murder. If one chooses to apply
Blockburger to the indictment in the present case, however, rape is a ‘lesser
included offense’ of felony murder because in this particular case, the prosecution
could not prove felony murder without proving the predicate rape.
“Because this Court has never been forced to apply Blockburger in the
context of compound and predicate offenses, we have not had to decide whether
Blockburger should be applied abstractly to the statutes in question or specifically
to the indictment as framed in a particular case. Our past decisions seem to have
assumed, however, that Blockburger’s analysis stands or falls on the wording of the
statutes alone. * * * Moreover, because the Blockburger test is simply an attempt
to determine legislative intent, it seems more natural to apply it to the language as
drafted by the legislature than to the wording of a particular indictment.”
the single criminal act supporting both the aggravated robbery and involuntary manslaughter
charges. Justice Rehnquist’s analysis is therefore appropriate in this case.
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SUPREME COURT OF OHIO
(Emphasis sic; footnote omitted.) Id. at 709-711
,100 S.Ct. at 1447-1448
,63 L.Ed.2d at 735-737
(Rehnquist, J., dissenting).
{¶ 16} We agree with Justice Rehnquist’s view that if it is necessary to
compare criminal elements in order to resolve a case, those elements should be
compared in the statutory abstract. In the past this court has applied R.C.
2941.25(A) both ways. In some cases the court has compared the elements of the
crimes by reference to the particular facts alleged in the indictment. See, e.g.,
Newark v. Vazirani (1990), 48 Ohio St.3d 81, 83
,549 N.E.2d 520, 522
(“Given the facts of this case, we find that [the two crimes charged are allied offenses of similar import]”). (Emphasis added.) In other cases, this court has compared the statutory elements of the offenses in the abstract. See, e.g., State v. Richey (1992),64 Ohio St.3d 353, 369
,595 N.E.2d 915, 928
(aggravated murder requires purposefully killing another while committing only one of nine specified felonies; aggravated arson, one of the nine specified felonies, does not require a purposeful killing). This inconsistency has caused disharmony among the appellate courts. See State v. Anderson (1984),16 Ohio App.3d 251, 254
, 16 OBR 275, 277-278,475 N.E.2d 492, 496
, overruled on other grounds, State v. Campbell (1991),74 Ohio App.3d 352
,598 N.E.2d 1244
; State v. Metcalf (Mar. 25, 1998), Highland App. No. 97CA937, unreported,1998 WL 131517
; State v. Brown (May 1, 1991), Lorain App. Nos. 90CA004836 and 90CA004838, unreported,1991 WL 70817
(all comparing statutory elements in the abstract when undertaking the first step in the R.C. 2941.25 analysis). Cf. State v. Lang (1995),102 Ohio App.3d 243
,656 N.E.2d 1358
; Dayton v. McLaughlin (1988),50 Ohio App.3d 69
,552 N.E.2d 965
; State v. Johnson (May 1, 1998), Hamilton App. No. C-970180, unreported,1998 WL 212752
(all comparing elements of offenses in light of the particular facts in the
case).
{¶ 17} In Rance’s case, the court of appeals examined the particular facts
of the case in determining whether aggravated robbery and involuntary
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January Term, 1999
manslaughter are of similar import. Rance’s accomplice beat the robbery victim to
death with a large stick while Rance took items from the victim’s home. Comparing
the elements of the offenses in light of the particular facts, the lower court
concluded that the two are allied: beating the victim to facilitate taking his property
constituted aggravated robbery and beating the victim to death to facilitate taking
his property constituted involuntary manslaughter. The court of appeals concluded,
therefore, that in this particular case and on these specific facts, the involuntary
manslaughter charge encompassed the aggravated robbery—proof of the facts
constituting the aggravated robbery was necessary to prove involuntary
manslaughter.2
{¶ 18} But contrary to the approach taken by the court of appeals, we today
clarify that under an R.C. 2941.25(A) analysis the statutorily defined elements of
offenses that are claimed to be of similar import are compared in the abstract.
Newark v. Vazirani, supra,
and language in other opinions to the contrary, are overruled. Courts should assess, by aligning the elements of each crime in the abstract, whether the statutory elements of the crimes “correspond to such a degree that the commission of one crime will result in the commission of the other.” Jones,78 Ohio St.3d at 14
,676 N.E.2d at 81
. And if the elements do so correspond, the
defendant may not be convicted of both unless the court finds that the defendant
committed the crimes separately or with separate animus. R.C. 2941.25(B); Jones,
2. Even when looking at the specific facts of Rance’s case, however, the court of appeals failed to
consider that the predicate offense to the involuntary manslaughter charge was felonious assault,
not aggravated robbery. Thus, although proof of the beating was necessary to prove involuntary
manslaughter, a finder of fact might have concluded that while the beating was proved beyond a
reasonable doubt, theft was not. Even examining the particular facts of this case, then, proof of
aggravated robbery was not necessary to proving involuntary manslaughter.
9
SUPREME COURT OF OHIO
78 Ohio St.3d at 14
,676 N.E.2d at 81
(a defendant may be convicted of allied
offenses of similar import if the defendant’s conduct reveals that the crimes were
committed separately or with separate animus).
{¶ 19} Aligning the elements of Rance’s offenses, we determine that
involuntary manslaughter and aggravated robbery are not allied offenses of similar
import. In this case, the particular charge was causing the death of another during
the commission of a felonious assault—the assault, in turn, occurred during a
robbery. Involuntary manslaughter requires causing the death of another as a
proximate result of committing or attempting to commit a felony. R.C. 2903.04(A).
Aggravated robbery does not require that the victim be killed or even injured.
Violation of the particular code section with which Rance was charged requires
only that the defendant inflict, or attempt to inflict, serious physical harm. Former
R.C. 2911.01(A)(2), now (A)(3). Aggravated robbery requires a theft offense or an
attempt to commit one. Involuntary manslaughter does not, since aggravated
robbery is only one of the many felonies that may support a charge of involuntary
manslaughter. Because each offense requires proof of an element that the other
does not, they are not allied offenses of similar import.
{¶ 20} Reviewed in the abstract, then, involuntary manslaughter and
aggravated robbery are not allied offenses because the commission of one will not
automatically result in commission of the other. State v. Preston (1986), 23 Ohio St.3d 64
, 23 OBR 197,491 N.E.2d 685
. Because these offenses are of dissimilar
import based on an abstract comparison of the statutory elements, Rance may be
punished for both, and his separate sentence for each offense does not violate R.C.
2941.25 or the constitutional guarantees against double jeopardy.
CONCLUSION
{¶ 21} In Ohio it is unnecessary to resort to the Blockburger test in
determining whether cumulative punishments imposed within a single trial for
more than one offense resulting from the same criminal conduct violate the federal
10
January Term, 1999
and state constitutional provisions against double jeopardy. Instead, R.C.
2941.25’s two-step test answers the constitutional and state statutory inquiries. The
statute manifests the General Assembly’s intent to permit, in appropriate cases,
cumulative punishments for the same conduct. The sole question, then, is one of
state statutory construction: are the offenses at issue those certain offenses for
which the General Assembly has approved multiple convictions pursuant to R.C.
2941.25?
{¶ 22} Under R.C. 2941.25(A), involuntary manslaughter and aggravated
robbery are not allied offenses of similar import. Accordingly, we reverse the
judgment of the court of appeals and reinstate the original sentences imposed by
the trial court.
Judgment reversed.
MOYER, C.J., F.E. SWEENEY and PFEIFER, JJ., concur.
RESNICK, J., concurs in paragraphs one and two of the syllabus and in the
judgment.
DOUGLAS, J., concurs in judgment.
LUNDBERG STRATTON, J., concurs in judgment only.
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