State v. Kebert

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NOT DESIGNATED FOR PUBLICATION

No. 112,287

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF KANSAS

STATE OF KANSAS,
Appellee,

v.

LOUIS E. KEBERT, JR.,
Appellant.


MEMORANDUM OPINION

Appeal from Sedgwick District Court; JOHN J. KISNER, JR., judge. Opinion filed September 18,
2015. Dismissed.

Sean M.A. Hatfield and Carl F.A. Maughan, of Maughan Law Group LC, of Wichita, for
appellant.

Matt J. Maloney, assistant district attorney, Marc Bennett, district attorney, and Derek Schmidt,
attorney general, for appellee.

Before MCANANY, P.J., GARDNER, J., and WALKER, S.J.

Per Curiam: Louis E. Kebert appeals from the district court's denial of his
"Motion to Correct Crime Severity Level," which was filed 7 years after he was
sentenced. Because we find this court lacks jurisdiction to hear this appeal, it will be
dismissed.



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FACTS

Kebert pled guilty to one count of second-degree murder, a severity level 2 person
felony, and five counts of aggravated battery, each a severity level 5 person felony. On
May 31, 2006, the district court sentenced Kebert to a controlling sentence of 276
months' imprisonment followed by 36 months' post-release supervision.

On October 21, 2013, Kebert filed a pro se "Motion to Correct Crime Severity
Level." In his motion, Kebert argued that the district court failed to sentence him in
conformity with the identical offense sentencing doctrine. Kebert asserted that the district
court assigned the wrong severity level for his convictions, arguing: (1) an offense of
second-degree murder under K.S.A. 21-3402(b), a severity level 2 person felony, must be
classified as a severity level 4 person felony because it has identical elements to the
offense of involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol
or drugs under K.S.A. 21-3442, which is a severity level 4 person felony; and (2) an
offense of aggravated battery under K.S.A. 21-3414(a)(2)(A), a severity level 5 person
felony, must be classified as a severity level 8 person felony because it has identical
elements to the offense of aggravated battery as stated in K.S.A. 21-3414(a)(2)(B), which
is a severity level 8 person felony. Kebert also moved to proceed in forma pauperis and
for the appointment of counsel.

The district court denied Kebert's motion, finding it raised no substantial questions
of law or fact. The court also ruled that Kebert's arguments were incorrect because
second-degree murder is not identical to involuntary manslaughter while driving under
the influence, and aggravated battery under K.S.A. 21-3414(a)(2)(A) is not identical to
aggravated battery under K.S.A. 21-3414(a)(2)(B).

Kebert has timely appealed the denial of his motion.

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ANALYSIS

On appeal, Kebert argues that the district court should have construed his pro se
motion as a motion to correct an illegal sentence. Kebert's entire argument hinges on his
assertion that his pro se motion was in fact a motion to correct an illegal sentence. Kebert
argues that the court erred when it denied his motion to correct an illegal sentence
because he raised substantial issues of law, which required the court to appoint counsel
and hold a hearing. Moreover, Kebert argues that even if we find that he did not raise
substantial issues of law in his pro se motion, he was entitled to appointed counsel and a
hearing under the plain language of K.S.A. 22-3504, "[c]orrection of sentence."

Unfortunately for Kebert, no matter how we construe his motion, his appeal is not
properly before us. Accordingly, we dismiss Kebert's appeal for lack of jurisdiction.

An appellate court has a duty to question jurisdiction on its own initiative. When
the record discloses a lack of jurisdiction, it is the duty of the appellate court to dismiss
the appeal. State v. J.D.H., 48 Kan. App. 2d 454, 458, 294 P.3d 343, rev. denied 297 Kan.
1251 (2013). Whether jurisdiction exists is a question of law over which this court's
scope of review is unlimited. State v. Charles, 298 Kan. 993, 1002, 318 P.3d 997 (2014).

When Kebert was sentenced, a defendant had to file his or her direct appeal
challenging sentencing within 10 days of sentencing under K.S.A. 22-3608(c). However,
under K.S.A. 22-3504(1), a defendant may move to correct an illegal sentence at "any
time." When a defendant asserts that his or her sentence is illegal under K.S.A. 22-3504,
"[n]either the district court nor an appellate court has jurisdiction of an untimely request
to modify a sentence unless the sentence is illegal, as that word has been defined in
interpreting case law." (Emphasis added.) State v. Phinney, 280 Kan. 394, 399, 122 P.3d
356 (2005) (citing State v. McCoin, 278 Kan. 465, 468, 101 P.3d 1204 [2004]). Our
Supreme Court has defined an illegal sentence as "'a sentence imposed by a court without
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jurisdiction, a sentence which does not conform to the statutory provision, either in the
character or the term of the punishment authorized, or a sentence which is ambiguous
with respect to the time and manner in which it is to be served.'" State v. Barnes, 278
Kan. 121, 123-24, 92 P.3d 578 (2004) (quoting State v. Duke, 263 Kan. 193, 194, 946
P.2d 1375 [1997]).

In State v. Harp, 283 Kan. 740, 743-45, 156 P.3d 1268 (2007), our Supreme
considered whether a defendant could challenge the severity level of his or her
convictions under the identical offense sentencing doctrine in a K.S.A. 22-3504 motion to
correct an illegal sentence. The Harp court held:

"Kansas case law has clearly established that a sentence imposed for a crime
which has identical or overlapping elements with a crime of a less severe penalty and,
thus, violates this court's rulings on identical or overlapping offenses is not 'illegal' as that
term is used in K.S.A. 22-3504." 283 Kan. at 744.

See, e.g., State v. Scoville, 286 Kan. 800, 801, 188 P.3d 959 (2008); State v. Swisher, 281
Kan. 447, 449, 132 P.3d 1274 (2006); Phinney, 280 Kan. at 399; Barnes, 278 Kan. at
123-24. The Harp court emphasized that Harp's identical offense sentencing challenge
must fail because his sentence was legal under Kansas law, i.e., the district court had
jurisdiction to impose his sentence, his sentence conformed to the statutes, and his
sentence was not ambiguous as to character or term of punishment. 283 Kan. at 744.


Kebert asks this court to construe his pro se motion as a motion to correct an
illegal sentence. Typically, "'[p]ro se pleadings are liberally construed, giving effect to
the pleading's content rather than the labels and forms used to articulate the defendant's
arguments. A defendant's failure to cite the correct statutory grounds for his or her claim
is immaterial.'" State v. Gilbert, 299 Kan. 797, 802, 326 P.3d 1060 (2014) (quoting State
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v. Kelly, 291 Kan. 563, 565, 244 P.3d 639 [2010]). Even so, an appellate court cannot
make arguments on behalf of the defendant.

In Kebert's motion, he never states that his sentence is illegal. Kebert simply states
that his sentence violates the identical offense sentencing doctrine. No mention is made
of any alleged illegality. In the absence of such allegations, Kebert's motion and appeal
are clearly untimely because he initiated his sentencing challenge more than 7 years after
he was sentenced, well beyond the 10-day time limit to appeal under K.S.A. 22-3608(c).
"The filing of a timely notice of appeal is jurisdictional"; when a defendant fails to file an
appeal within the time fixed by statute, that defendant's appeal must be dismissed.
Phinney, 280 Kan. at 400.

Moreover, even if we were to construe Kebert's motion as a motion to correct an
illegal sentence, we would still lack jurisdiction to entertain Kebert's appeal. An appellate
court is duty bound to follow the precedent of our Supreme Court. See State v. Ottinger,
46 Kan. App. 2d 647, 655, 264 P.3d 1027 (2011), rev. denied 294 Kan. 946 (2012).
Assuming that Kebert's motion was a motion to correct an illegal sentence, we would be
duty bound to follow our Supreme Court's holding in Harp that a sentence that violates
the identical offense sentencing doctrine is not illegal under K.S.A. 22-3504.

Neither the district court nor an appellate court will obtain jurisdiction over an
untimely motion to modify a sentence unless the sentence is illegal. See Phinney, 280
Kan. at 399. Thus, the district court never obtained jurisdiction to rule on Kebert's
untimely motion because Kebert's sentence, which he alleges violates the identical
offense sentencing doctrine, was not illegal. Consequently, even if we construed Kebert's
motion as a motion to correct an illegal sentence, we would still lack jurisdiction to
review the district court's ruling.

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Finally, it should be noted that if we were to reach the merits of Kebert's
arguments, his appeal would still fail. Under the identical offense sentencing doctrine,
where two criminal offenses have identical elements but impose different penalties, a
defendant convicted of either crime may be sentenced only under the lesser penalty
provision. State v. Williams, 299 Kan. 911, 925-26, 329 P.3d 400 (2014) (citing State v.
Snellings, 294 Kan. 149, 151, 273 P.3d 739 [2012]). Kebert asserts that the district court
erred when it summarily denied his motion because he was sentenced under the incorrect
severity level for his second-degree murder conviction and his aggravated battery
convictions.

Kebert asserts his second-degree murder conviction under K.S.A. 21-3402(b), a
severity level 2 person felony, must be classified as a severity level 4 person felony
because it has identical elements to the offense of involuntary manslaughter while driving
under the influence of alcohol or drugs as stated in K.S.A. 21-3442, a severity level 4
person felony. K.S.A. 21-3402(b) defines second-degree murder as the killing of a human
being committed "unintentionally but recklessly under circumstances manifesting
extreme indifference to the value of human life." Therefore, second-degree murder is a
specific intent crime requiring recklessness. K.S.A. 21-3442 defines involuntary
manslaughter while driving under the influence as "the unintentional killing of a human
being committed in the commission of, or attempt to commit, or flight from an act
described in K.S.A. 8-1567 and amendments thereto." Unlike second-degree murder,
involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence is a strict liability crime.
Thus, the two crimes are not identical.

Kebert's assertions concerning his aggravated battery convictions also lack merit.
He contends that each severity level 5 person felony under K.S.A. 21-3414(a)(2)(A) must
be classified as a severity level 8 person felony because aggravated battery under K.S.A.
21-3414(a)(2)(A) has identical elements to the offense of aggravated battery under
K.S.A. 21-3414(a)(2)(B), which is a severity level 8 person felony. While aggravated
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battery under K.S.A. 21-3414(a)(2)(B) has some identical elements as aggravated battery
under K.S.A. 21-3414(a)(2)(A), it is because aggravated battery under K.S.A. 21-
3414(a)(2)(B) is a lesser degree of aggravated battery under K.S.A. 21-3414(a)(2)(A).
The identical offense sentencing doctrine does not apply to severity levels of the same
offense. See State v. Sandberg, 290 Kan. 980, 985-87, 235 P.3d 476 (2010).

Accordingly, both of Kebert's arguments concerning the identical offense
sentencing doctrine are without merit. As a result, if we were to reach the merits of
Kebert's argument, his appeal would still fail.

The appeal is dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.