WPCf #VUN %* 0(0bX4`t 0l 0D 0J3 0T} 0^ 0h/ 0r 0| 0 0 1u U, 0d< U, U> U * B)4DC] AMI B6fSv~ D37vj 0@= AO} 0D 0D D/ BIHP LaserJet 4HPPCL5E,,,,0P O6f<VV P(hH  Z 6Times New Roman RegularX($- -3x2"|x((3$ !      0  (#$  0  2 0Indent123  2" 0Indent20 23  2, 0Indent30 0 23  26 0Indent40 0 0 23  2@ 0Indent50 0 0 0 23  2J 0Indent60 0 0 0 0 23  2T 0Indent70 0 0 0 0 0 23  2^ 0Indent80 0 0 0 0 0 0 23   ?AGMSYaioIndent0I.A.1.a.(1)(a)i)a)<  9p`(ModernP 8Mac DefaultMac Default ` X<  9p`(Monaco<  9p`(&Times New Roman<  9p`(Arial% Line 7 d####7Border 1dd-$C << G ? !  #d#!  "  ""   YYY FILED"X February7,1996CecilCrowson,Jr."AppellateCourtClerk  d \ !#d#!   $       ""TheDefendantassertsthathewillbecomeeligibleforparolemuchearlierifhissentenceislife ratherthanninetynineyears.PtPtHH(FG(HH(d'@'''''dxdStyl{WP}01  HH  2$HH  Geneva  <Px443!#4$*$$*$ KK  Geneva  Geneva .,6 Monaco   BA: T Monaco  BA: T Monaco ("$    -C<< CLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5(3$ !  ($$   1  ' dxdP Pd ! . &  Xd&#  Xd#!     ` "\RA'\7`XXdd7      INTHECOURTOFCRIMINALAPPEALSOFTENNESSEEATJACKSONL%&$;+'h|`  `LNOVEMBERSESSION,1995  STATEOFTENNESSEE,  ) C.C.A.NO.02C019506CR00156     )  Appellee,   )     )     ) SHELBYCOUNTYVS.     )      ) HON.JOHNP.COLTON,JR. JAMESJILESFIELDS,III, ) JUDGE      )  Appellant.   )  (PostConviction)  ONAPPEALASOFRIGHTFROMTHEJUDGMENTOFTHECRIMINALCOURTOFSHELBYCOUNTY   FORTHEAPPELLANT:   FORTHEAPPELLEE:JOSEPHS.OZMENT   CHARLESW.BURSON100N.Main,Suite3010   AttorneyGeneralandReporterMemphis,TN38103      CHARLOTTEH.RAPPUHN      AssistantAttorneyGeneral      450JamesRobertsonParkway      Nashville,TN37242      JOHNW.PIEROTTI      DistrictAttorneyGeneral      JANETNICHOLS      AssistantDistrictAttorneyGeneral      CriminalJusticeComplex,ThirdFloor      201Poplar      Memphis,TN38103OPINIONFILED________________________AFFIRMEDDAVIDH.WELLES,JUDGE  " OPINION "X   ThisisanappealpursuanttoRule3oftheTennesseeRulesofAppellateProcedure.TheDefendantappealsfromthejudgmentofthetrialcourtdenyinghimpostconvictionrelief.ThetrialcourtdeterminedthattheDefendant'spetitionwasbarredbythestatuteoflimitations.Weaffirmthejudgmentofthetrialcourt. TheDefendantwasconvictedoffirstdegreemurderintheperpetrationofarobberyandsentencedtodeathonMay17,1971.OnAugust9,1972,theGovernorcommutedtheDefendant'ssentencefromdeathtoimprisonmentinthepenitentiaryforninetynineyears.OndirectappealthiscourtaffirmedtheDefendant'sconvictionandtheninetynineyearsentence.JamesJilesFields,III,etal.v.State,No.2,ShelbyCounty(Tenn.Crim.App.,Jackson,filedFeb.1,1973). ThispetitionforpostconvictionreliefwasfiledonApril8,1993.ThepetitionallegedthattheninetynineyearsentenceorderedbytheGovernorwasanunconstitutionalandillegalsentence.TheDefendantarguesthatatthetimetheGovernorcommutedhisdeathsentence,Tennessee'sdeathpenaltystatutewasunconstitutionalandthustheonlypenaltyforhiscrimewaslifeimprisonment.Hethereforearguesthathissentenceshouldbemodifiedfromninetynineyearstolifeimprisonment. (   ׀HealsoarguesthattheapplicationofthethreeyearstatuteoflimitationsviolateshisrightstodueprocessassetforthinBurfordv.State,845S.W.2d204(Tenn.1992).Hefurtherarguesthathissentenceisanillegalsentenceandassertscorrectlythatanillegalsentencemaybecorrectedatanytime. TheStateargues:(1)ThattheDefendant'sgroundsforreliefhavebeenpreviouslydetermined;(2)thattheDefendant'spetitionisbarredbythestatuteoflimitations;and(3)thatinanyevent,theDefendant'sninetynineyearsentenceisneitherunconstitutionalnorillegal.WeconcludethateachoftheState'sargumentshasmerit. First,ondirectappealfromtheDefendant'sconviction,thiscourttooknoteofthecommutationoftheDefendant'ssentencefromdeathtoimprisonmentinthepenitentiaryforninetynineyears.Inouropinion,thiscourtrelieduponBowenv.State,488S.W.2d,373(Tenn.1972),andupheldthevalidityoftheGovernor'scommutation.Fields,slipop.at3234. InBowen,oursupremecourtwasaddressingasituationverysimilartotheoneinthecasesubjudiceinwhichtheGovernorhadcommutedBowen'ssentencefromdeathtoninetynineyears.Thesupremecourtstated,"thepetitioner'spunishment,asreducedbytheGovernor'saction,isconstitutionallypermissibleandwaslawfullyimposed;sinceitisareductionfromthepunishmentfixedbythejury,thepetitionercannotbeheardtocomplain."Relyingonsaidlanguage,thiscourtspecificallyaffirmedtheDefendant'sninetynineyearsentenceonhisdirectappeal.Thisissuehasbeenpreviouslydeterminedbythiscourt. Second,itisclearthatthethreeyearstatuteoflimitationsforfilingapostconvictionpetitionexpiredlongpriortothefilingofthispetition.SeeTenn.CodeAnn.4030102.ThegroundsforreliefallegedbythepetitioneractuallyaroseatthetimetheGovernorcommutedtheDefendant'ssentencetoninetynineyears.TheapplicationofthestatutedidnotdeprivetheDefendantofareasonableopportunitytopresenthisclaim.SeeSandsv.State,__S.W.2d__(Tenn.1995). Third,eveniftheDefendant'spetitionwasnotbarredbythestatuteoflimitationsandevenifthisissuehadnotbeenpreviouslydetermined,wewouldconcludethattheDefendant'sargumenthasnomerit.ThiscourtrecentlyaddressedtheconstitutionalauthorityoftheGovernorofTennesseetocommuteasentence.InRicksv.State,882S.W.2d387(Tenn.Crim.App.),perm.toappealdenied,id.(Tenn.1994),thiscourtstatedasfollows:8  Thepowerofagovernortocommuteaprisoner'ssentenceisrootedintheTennesseeConstitution.ArticleIII,Section6oftheConstitutionprovides:"He[thegovernor]shallhavepowertograntreprievesandpardons,afterconviction,exceptincasesofimpeachment.Itisawellestablishedprincipleoflawthatthepowerto"grantreprievesandpardons"embracestherighttocommuteasentence.In59Am.Jur.2dPardonandParole23(1987),itissaid:8 8 Thepowertocommuteasentenceisapartofthepardoningpowerandmaybeexercisedunderageneralgrantofthatpower.Thegeneralpowernecessarilycontainsinitthelesserpowerofremissionorcommutation.Ifthewholeoffensemaybepardoned,afortiori,apartofthepunishmentmayberemittedorthesentencecommuted.8  Neitherthelegislativenorthejudicialbranchofgovernmenthastheauthoritytoregulateorcontrolthegovernor'spowertocommuteasentence.Id.at391(footnotesomitted). AtthetimetheGovernorcommutedtheDefendant'ssentence,theDefendantwasunderasentenceofdeath.ItisapparentthattheGovernorissuedthecommutationinresponsetothedecisionoftheSupremeCourtoftheUnitedStates,onJune29,1972,inFurmanv.Georgia,408U.S.238(1972).However,asthiscourtstatedinBowen:8  Weconclude,therefore,thatthejudgmentinacriminalcase,whileitisinprocessofappellatereview,cannotberegardedasvoid,becauseofthepronouncementofajudgmentinanothercase.Conceding,aswedo,thattheUnitedStatesSupremeCourt'sopinionsarebindingonthisCourt,wecannotconcedethatwhatithastosayhastheimmediateeffectofvoidingjudgmentsofthisCourtwhicharenotinvolvedinproceedingsbeforeit.AfterthepronouncementoftheGeorgiaandTexasopinionsbytheUnitedStatesSupremeCourt,itremainedforthecourtsofthisstatetoapplytheprinciplessettledthereintoitsjudgments;whichwerepresumptivelyvaliduntilthathadbeendone.8  So,atthetimetheGovernorofTennesseecommutedthedeathsentenceinthiscasetoninetynineyears,itstoodasthejudgmentinanyothercriminalcase,subjecttobeingcorrectedasmightberequiredtomakeitconformtothefederalconstitutionasrequiredbytheUnitedStatesSupremeCourt'sopinionsintheFurman,Jackson,andBranchcases,supra.Itwassimplyajudgmentinacriminalcasethatwassubjecttoreviewastolegalorconstitutionalinfirmitiesbytheappellateprocessesaffordedinthisstate.488S.W.2dat375. TheDefendantcorrectlyarguesthatourSupremeCourthasheldthattheonlylegallyeffectivepunishmentforfirstdegreemurderonthedateofhiscrimewaslifeimprisonmentasestablishedbyChapter181ofthePublicActsof1915.Millerv.State,584S.W.2d758(Tenn.1979).OurcourthasfollowedMillerandmodifiedsentencestolifeimprisonment.See,e.g.,Statev.Green,613S.W.2d229,231(Tenn.Crim.App.1980,perm.toappealdenied,id.(Tenn.1981);seealsoStatev.Robinson,622S.W.2d62,66(Tenn.Crim.App.1980);HarrisPercyWynnv.State,No.__,HamiltonCo.(Tenn.Crim.App.,Knoxville,filedMay12,1993). Therefore,theonlysentencethatcouldlegallyhavebeenorderedbyajudgeorjurywaslifeimprisonment.Weconclude,however,thatthesecasesandthelawsetforththereindonotandcannotrestricttheconstitutionalauthorityoftheGovernortocommuteadefendant'ssentencetoatermlessthanlife. Asthiscourthasheld,asentenceofninetynineyearsiswithintherangeofalifesentence.Statev.Gann,733S.W.2d113(Tenn.Crim.App.),perm.toappealdenied,id.(Tenn.1987);Blandv.State,451S.W.2d699(Tenn.Crim.App.1969),cert.denied,id.(Tenn.1970).ThecruxoftheDefendant'sargumentlieswiththemannerofcomputingparoleeligibility,notwiththeactionoftheGovernor.Inshort,thesentenceofninetynineyearsorderedbytheGovernorintheexerciseofhisconstitutionalcommutationauthorityisnotanillegalsentence. ThejudgmentofthetrialcourtdenyingtheDefendantpostconvictionreliefisaffirmed.     ____________________________________     DAVIDH.WELLES,JUDGECONCUR:___________________________________PAULG.SUMMERS,JUDGE___________________________________WILLIAMM.BARKER,JUDGE