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($$   1  ..' dxdP Pd<  9p`(Arial* (C << G !&  +"  //   YYY FILED/X August19,1997CecilCrowson,Jr./AppellateCourtClerk   !#d#&   $             ݀Theconvictionandsentenceintheaggravatedarsoncasearenotatissueinthepresentappeal.PtPtHH(FG(HH(d'hStyl{WP}01  HH  2$HH  Geneva  <Px443!#4$*$$*$ KK  Geneva  Geneva .,6 Geneva   h HD: Geneva  h HD: Geneva ! . &        H \RA'\ *  \RA'\/R01(A1-j|`  `@R @ INTHECOURTOFCRIMINALAPPEALSOFTENNESSEE̜@ ATJACKSON̜@ JULY1997SESSIONSTATEOFTENNESSEE,   )      ) C.C.A.No.02C019610CR00321 Appellee,     )      ) SHELBYCOUNTYVS.      )      ) HON.L.T.LAFFERTY,      ) JUDGEKERWINL.WALTON,   )      ) (SentencingRecklessHomicide)  Appellant.     )FORTHEAPPELLANT:      FORTHEAPPELLEE:A.C.WHARTON     JOHNKNOXWALKUP(ofcounselonappeal)     AttorneyGeneral&Reporter̜ShelbyCountyPublicDefender ̜       JANISL.TURNERW.MARKWARD     AssistantAttorneyGeneral (onappeal)      450JamesRobertsonParkwayAssistantPublicDefender    Nashville,Tennessee372430493147Jefferson,Ste.900    Memphis,Tennessee38103   WILLIAML.GIBBONS       DistrictAttorneyGeneral BETTYTHOMAS(attrial)       KEVINRARDIN AssistantPublicDefender    KARENCOOK    ShelbyCountyPublicDefendersOffice  AssistantDistrictAttorneysGeneral̜201PoplarAve.SecondFloor   201PoplarAve.Ste.301 ̜ Memphis,Tennessee38103    Memphis,Tennessee381031947 OPINIONFILED:__________________AFFIRMEDJOEG.RILEY,JUDGE  ̜ @ OPINION7TXXdXXd7  Thedefendant,KerwinL.Walton,appealsasofrightfromthesentenceimposedbytheShelbyCountyCriminalCourt.Hewasconvictedofrecklesshomicide,aClassDfelony.AsaRangeI,StandardOffender,thetrialcourtsentencedthedefendanttofour(4)yearsincarceration,torunconsecutivelytoatwentyfive(25)yearsentenceforaggravatedarsonarisingoutofthesameincident.Inchallengingthesentenceforrecklesshomicide,defendantpresentstwo(2)issuesforreview:(1)whetherthetrialcourtimposedanexcessivesentencebyrelyinguponnonstatutoryenhancementfactors;and(2)whetherthetrialcourterredbyorderinghissentencetobeservedconsecutively.ThejudgmentofthetrialcourtisAFFIRMED.̜@ FACTS Thetragicfactsofthiscaseinvolvethedeathofaninfant,thirteen(13)monthsofage,asaresultofblunttraumatothestomach.Briefly,theevidenceattrialestablishedthatatthetimeoftheoffensethedefendantwastheboyfriendofthevictimsmother.Thenightthevictimdied,themotherhadleftthechildunderthesupervisionofthedefendant.Theinfantwouldnotstopcryingandthedefendantstruckhiminthestomach,ultimatelycausinghisdeath.Defendantsetthehouseonfireinanefforttoconcealthedeath.Hewassubsequentlychargedwithaggravatedarsonandmurderinthefirstdegreebasedonaggravatedchildabuse. Thedefendantwasconvictedofaggravatedarsonandreceivedatwentyfive(25)yearsentence. 2   כInaseparatetrial,thedefendantwasconvictedofrecklesshomicide.Hereceivedfour(4)yearsincarcerationtobeservedconsecutivelytotheaggravatedarsonsentence,aneffectivesentenceoftwentynine(29)years. Atthesentencinghearing,thetrialcourtenhancedthedefendantssentencebasedonthefollowingfactors:(1)thevictimwasparticularlyvulnerablebecauseofϜage;(2)thedefendantwasonmisdemeanorprobationatthetimeoftheoffense;and(3)therewasanabuseofthecorpsetoconcealthehomicide.Findingnoapplicablemitigatingfactors,thecourtimposedthemaximumfour(4)yearsentence.Thecourtnotedthatthedefendantwasarisktosocietyandwasadangerousoffender;thereforethetrialcourtorderedthesentencetobeservedconsecutivelytotheaggravatedarsonsentence.̜@ I.ExcessiveSentence Thedefendantarguesthatthetrialcourtimposedanexcessivesentencebyimproperlyrelyinguponnonstatutoryenhancementfactors. ThisCourtsreviewofthesentenceimposedbythetrialcourtisdenovowithapresumptionofcorrectness.Tenn.CodeAnn.4035401(d).Thispresumptionisconditioneduponanaffirmativeshowingintherecordthatthetrialjudgeconsideredthesentencingprinciplesandallrelevantfactsandcircumstances.Statev.Ashby,823S.W.2d166,169(Tenn.1991).Theburdenisupontheappealingpartytoshowthatthesentenceisimproper.Tenn.CodeAnn.4035401(d)SentencingCommissionComments.Inconductingourreview,wearerequired,pursuanttoTenn.CodeAnn.4035210,toconsiderthefollowingfactorsinsentencing:8 (1)[t]heevidence,ifany,receivedatthetrialandthesentencinghearing;(2)[t]hepresentencereport;(3)[t]heprinciplesofsentencingandargumentsastosentencingalternatives;(4)[t]henatureandcharacteristicsofthecriminalconductinvolved;(5)[e]videnceandinformationofferedbythepartiesontheenhancementandmitigatingfactorsin4035113and4035114;and(6)[a]nystatementthedefendantwishestomakeinhisownbehalfaboutsentencing. Ifnomitigatingorenhancementfactorsforsentencingarepresent,Tenn.CodeAnn.4035210(c)providesthatthepresumptivesentenceshallbetheminimumsentencewithintheapplicablerange.SeeStatev.Fletcher,805S.W.2d785(Tenn.Crim.App.1991).However,ifsuchfactorsdoexist,atrialcourtshouldstartattheminimumsentence,enhancetheminimumsentencewithintherangeforϜenhancementfactorsandthenreducethesentencewithintherangeforthemitigatingfactors.Tenn.CodeAnn.4035210(e).Noparticularweightforeachfactorisprescribedbythestatute,astheweightgiventoeachfactorislefttothediscretionofthetrialcourtaslongasitsfindingsaresupportedbytherecord.Statev.Moss,727S.W.2d229,240(Tenn.1986);Statev.Santiago,914S.W.2d116,125(Tenn.Crim.App.1995);seealsoTenn.CodeAnn.4035210SentencingCommissionComments.Nevertheless,shouldtherebenomitigatingfactors,butenhancementfactorsarepresent,atrialcourtmaysetthesentenceabovetheminimumwithintherange.Tenn.CodeAnn.4035210(d);seeManningv.State,883S.W.2d635,638(Tenn.Crim.App.1994). Thedefendantwasconvictedofrecklesshomicide,aClassDfelony.ThesentencerangeforaRangeI,StandardOffender,istwo(2)tofour(4)years.Thetrialcourtenhanceddefendantssentencebasedonone(1)statutoryenhancementfactor,thevictimwasparticularlyvulnerablebecauseofage,andtwo(2)nonstatutoryenhancementfactors,thatthedefendantwasonmisdemeanorprobationandabuseofthecorpse.Thecourtfoundnomitigatingfactorsandimposedthemaximumsentencewithintherange. Thestateconcedesandweagreethatthetrialcourterroneouslyreliedupontheabovetwononstatutoryenhancementfactors.SeeStatev.Strickland,885S.W.2d85(Tenn.Crim.App.1993).Uponourdenovoreview,however,wefindtherecordestablishesthatthevictimwastreatedwithexceptionalcruelty.Tenn.CodeAnn.4035114(5).Accordingtothemedicalexaminer,thevictimwaslefttosuffer themostpainfulinjuryahumanbodycansufferforaperioduptosix(6)hours.Duringthistime,thedefendantdidnotseekmedicalassistanceandchosetosocializewithfriends.Basedupontheenhancementfactorsandtheabsenceofanymitigatingfactors,themaximumsentenceoffour(4)yearsisclearlyjustified.̜ @ II.ConsecutiveSentencing Thedefendantarguesthetrialcourterredinorderingaconsecutivesentence.Specifically,hecontendsthatheisnotadangerousoffenderandthatthetrialcourtfailedtoconsideralloftheapplicablecriteriaasrequiredbyStatev.Wilkerson,905S.W.2d933(Tenn.1995). ConsecutivesentencingisgovernedbyTenn.CodeAnn.4035115.Thetrialcourtmayordersentencestorunconsecutivelyifitfindsbyapreponderanceoftheevidencethatoneormoreoftherequiredstatutorycriteriaexist.Statev.Black,924S.W.2d912,917(Tenn.Crim.App.1995).Furthermore,thecourtisrequiredtodeterminewhethertheconsecutivesentences(1)arereasonablyrelatedtotheseverityoftheoffensescommitted;(2)servetoprotectthepublicfromfurthercriminalconductbytheoffender;and(3)arecongruentwithgeneralprinciplesofsentencing.Statev.Wilkerson,905S.W.2dat939. ThetrialcourtspecificallyfoundthedefendanttobeadangerousoffenderunderTenn.CodeAnn.4035115(b)(4).Weagree,especiallysinceotherpersonsbesidesthevictimwereputatgreatriskbysettingfiretotheresidence.Furthermore,consecutivesentencingisappropriatesincethedefendantwasonprobationatthetimeoftheinstantoffense.Tenn.CodeAnn.4035115(b)(6).ϜThetrialcourtfounddefendanttobea risktosocietywhich,inessence,isafindingthatconsecutivesentencingisnecessarytoprotectthepublicfromfurthercriminalactsbythedefendant.Ourdenovoreviewalsoindicatesthattheconsecutivesentenceisreasonablyrelatedtotheseverityoftheoffenses.Aneffectivesentenceoftwentynine(29)yearsforaggravatedarsonandrecklesshomicideisalsocongruentwiththegeneralprinciplesofsentencing.Accordingly,theconsecutivesentenceswereproperlyimposedbythetrialcourt.̛̜ ThejudgmentofthetrialcourtisAFFIRMED.        򀀀       JOEG.RILEY,JUDGE̜CONCUR:̛̜򀀀̜JOEB.JONES,PRESIDINGJUDGE򀀀DAVIDH.WELLES,JUDGE