Burton v. State

IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OF TENNESSEE AT KNOXVILLE FILED DECEMB ER SESSION, 1997 March 26, 1998 Cecil Crowson, Jr. Appellate C ourt Clerk JERRY W. BURTON, ) C.C.A. NO. 03C01-9704-CR-00122 ) Appe llant, ) ) ) JOHNSON COUNTY VS. ) ) HON. LYNN BROWN STATE OF TENNESSEE, ) JUDGE ) Appellee. ) (Habeas Corpus) ON APPEAL FROM THE JUDGMENT OF THE CRIMINAL COURT OF JOHNSON COUN TY FOR THE APPELLANT: FOR THE APPELLEE: JERRY W. BURTON JOHN KNOX WALKUP Pro Se Attorney General and Reporter MICH AEL J . FAHE Y, II Assistant Attorney General 425 Fifth Avenu e North Nashville, TN 37243 DAVID CROCKETT District Attorney General Route 19, Box 99 Johnson City, 37601 OPINION FILED ________________________ AFFIRMED PURSU ANT TO RU LE 20 DAVID H. WELLES, JUDGE ORDER The Appellant appeals as of right from the trial court’s dismissal of his pro se petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus. It appears from the petition an d exhibits filed therewith that the Appellant was convicted of criminal sexual conduct in the first degree, assault with intent to commit murder, kidnapping and armed robbery and sentenced to life imprisonment plus twenty -four ye ars in 1979. On August 30, 1996 , the Ap pellan t filed the instan t habe as co rpus p etition a lleging that his judgm ents of con viction w ere vo id bec ause the ind ictme nt failed to adequa tely allege the culpable mental state required of each offense c harged . The trial court dismissed the petition. We conclude that the Appellant is not entitled to habeas corpu s relief a nd we therefo re affirm the trial c ourt’s o rder of dism issal. In support of his petition and argument, the Appellant relies primarily upon the decision of this Court in State v. Rog er Da le Hill, C.C.A. No. 01C01-9508-CC- 00267, Wa yne Co unty, (Te nn. Crim. App., Nashville, June 20, 1996). We first note that this Court’s decision in Hill was based upon an interpretation of our new criminal code, and this code is applicable only to offenses occurring after November 1, 1989. Se cond ly, our su prem e cou rt has re verse d this C ourt’s decision in Hill. See State v. Hill, 954 S.W .2d 725 (Te nn. 1997). In the case sub judice, we have examined the language of the challenged indictment and we conclude that the indictment adequately alleged the criminal offenses charged and sufficiently informed the Appellant of the charges against him such that the convicting court had jurisdiction. We see no reason for further -2- discussion or analys is. The A ppellant’s conviction s are no t void. See Charles Edward Orren v. S tate, C.C.A. N o. 03C01-9704-C R-001 41, Joh nson C ounty (Tenn. Crim. App., Knoxville, Feb. 13, 1998); Georg e F. Jon es, Jr. v. State , C.C.A. No. 03C01-9702-CR-0 0062, J ohnso n Cou nty (Ten n. Crim. A pp., Knoxville, Feb. 3, 1 998); Randy Blaine Knight v. Carlton, Warden, C.C.A. No. 03C01-9705-CR-00162, Johnson Coun ty (Tenn . Crim. A pp., Knoxville, Jan. 26, 1998); Perry C . Riley v. State , C.C.A. No. 03C01-9705-CR-00181, Morgan Coun ty (Tenn . Crim. A pp., Kno xville, Jan. 23 , 1998); Roy A. B urch v. Sta te, C.C.A. No. 03C01-9610-CR-00391, J ohnso n Cou nty, (Ten n. Crim. A pp., Knoxville, Jan. 16, 1 998); State v. Darel G. Bolin, C.C.A. No. 03C01-9212-CR- 00450, Cum berland Coun ty (Tenn . Crim. A pp., Kno xville, Jan. 15 , 1998); Joseph Ron ald Duclos v. State, C.C.A. No. 03 C01-9 705-C R-001 82, Mor gan C ounty (Tenn. Crim. App ., Knoxville, Jan. 16, 199 8);State v. Rogers L. McKinley, C.C.A. No. 03C01-9612-CR-00455, Bledsoe C ounty; (Tenn. Crim. App., Knoxville, Jan. 6, 1998); Timothy Wayne Johnson v. Bowlen, Warden, C.C.A. No. 03C01-9611- CR-00443, Bledsoe Coun ty (Tenn . Crim. A pp., Kno xville, Dec. 23 , 1997); Darryl Douglas Sheets v. State, C.C.A. No. 03C01-9701-CR-00031, Johnson Coun ty (Tenn. Crim. App., Knoxville, Dec. 23, 1997); Jerry Co x v. State,C.C.A. No. 03C01-9610-CR-00392, Johnson County (Tenn. Crim. App., Knoxville, Dec. 23, 1997); Bruce B elk v. State , C.C.A. N o. 03C 01-970 3-CR -00109 , Morga n Cou nty (Tenn. Crim. App., Knoxville, Dec. 23, 1997); Abel R odrigue z, Jr. v. State ,C.C.A. No. 03C01-9612-CR-00463, Greene Co unty (Tenn. Crim. App., Knoxville, Dec. 23, 1997); Donald Wayne Holt v. State, C.C.A. No. 03C01-9702-CR-00059, Johnson County (Tenn. Crim. App., Knoxville, Dec. 23 , 1997; Gene H ibbard v. State, C.C.A. No. 03C0 1-9702 -CR-0 0077, K nox Co unty (Te nn. Crim . App., Knoxville, Dec. 23 , 1997). -3- W e conc lude th at no e rror of la w requ iring a reversal o f the jud gme nt is apparent on the re cord. Ba sed up on a tho rough re ading o f the record , the briefs of the parties, and the law governing the issues presented for review, the judgment of the tria l court is affirme d in ac corda nce w ith Rule 20 of the Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee. ____________________________________ DAVID H. WELLES, JUDGE CONCUR: ___________________________________ DAVID G. HAYES, JUDGE ___________________________________ THOMAS T. WOODALL, JUDGE -4-