WPC 2U: % 0 w@4(<K 0 S 0Ds 0J 0T 0^U 0h 0r 0| 0 0 1u 0d B 0@ D3U U * B) DC AM k j9 AQ 0D 0D D/B Bqv~v,cAZ"Arial RegularX(`$TR[A' Legal3'A' Legal3'T7GXXdXXd7  PQERSETUDVWӀcf*#3|xf((3$ `!TR[A' Legal3'A' Legal3'T7yXXdd7    `   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)P 8Mac DefaultMac Default ` X d("$    'dxd<  9p`(Arial% Line 7 d$$$$7Border 1dd* %C << G  !  #d##    ! \RA'\#d#   +"  #   YYY FILED#X October1,1997CecilCrowson,Jr.#AppellateCourtClerk  ` !#d##     \RA'\#d#   #\RA'\7yXXdd7     Thus,theappellant,whoqualifiedasarangeIoffender,pledguiltyasarangeIIoffender(thirtyfivepercentreleaseeligibility)toarangeIII,sentencingrangeoffortyfiveyears.ThesentencingrangeforarangeIIoffenderofaclassAfelonyistwentyfivetofortyyears;thesentencingrangeforarangeIIIoffenderisfortytosixtyyears.Tenn.CodeAnn.4035112(b)(1)(1990).*+ ,-C<< CLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5(3$ !  ($$   1  ..' dxdP Pd  !#d##     \RA'\#d#   #\RA'\     Thedefendant,Hicks,wasindictedforfirstdegreemurderbutultimatelypledguiltyasarangeIoffendertovoluntarymanslaughter,aclassCfelony.Aspartofthepleaagreement,Hickswassentencedtoatermofimprisonmentoftenyears.AtthetimeHickswassentenced,themaximumsentenceforarangeIoffenderofaclassCfelonywassixyears.PtPtHH(FG(HH(d'hStyl{WP}01  HH  2$HH  Geneva  <Px443!#4$*$$*$ KK  Geneva  Geneva .,6 Geneva   h HD: Geneva  h HD: Geneva ! . #     \RA'\#Xd##Xd#   @ INTHECOURTOFCRIMINALAPPEALSOFTENNESSEE@ ATJACKSON̜*R&'%A1-j|l` e `@Rߛ@ AUGUSTSESSION,1997ODELLRAY,JR.,   )     ) No.02C019607CR00234 Appellant   )     ) SHELBYCOUNTYvs.     )     ) Hon.ARTHURT.BENNETT,JudgeSTATEOFTENNESSEE,  )     ) (PostConviction) Appellee   ) FortheAppellant:    FortheAppellee: MELANIEE.TAYLOR    CHARLESW.BURSON 50NorthFrontStreet   AttorneyGeneralandReporterSuite1150 Memphis,TN38103   KARENM.YACUZZO       AssistantAttorneyGeneral       CriminalJusticeDivision      450JamesRobertsonParkway      Nashville,TN372430493                WILLIAMGIBBONS       DistrictAttorneyGeneral      DAVIDSHAPIRO and       JENNIFERNICHOLS       Asst.DistrictAttorneysGeneral      CriminalJusticeComplex      Suite301      Memphis,TN38103OPINIONFILED:򀀀̛̜AFFIRMED DavidG.Hayes Judge0 @  OPINION  Theappellant,OdellRay,Jr.,wasindictedbyaShelbyCountyGrandJuryfortheApril30,1993,premeditatedmurderofWillieHicks.Ontheseconddayoftheappellant'sscheduledtrial,heenteredaguiltypleatoareducedchargeofseconddegreemurder.Pursuanttohispleaagreement,theappellantwassentencedtofortyfiveyearsintheDepartmentofCorrection,withathirtyfivepercentreleaseeligibilitydate,asarangeIIoffender. (   כOnJune16,1994,theappellantfiledaprosepetitionforpostconvictionrelief,thispetitionwaslateramendedonFebruary23,1995,withtheassistanceofcounsel.Theappellant'spetitionallegesthathistrialcounselwasineffectiveandthatthetrialcourtimposedanillegalsentence,i.e.,thesentenceimposedwasoutsidetheapplicablesentencingrange.Inreferencetohisineffectiveassistanceofcounselclaim,theappellantcontendsthat(1)counselfailedtoconferwithhimconcerningmattersofdefense;(2)counselfailedtoconductappropriateinvestigationsanddiscovery;(3)counselfailedtoinformthedefendantthathewaspleadingoutsidehisrange;and(4)counselfailedtosubmitanymotionsonthedefendant'sbehalf.Thepostconvictioncourt,afterconductinganevidentiaryhearing,deniedtheappellantrelief.Theappellantnowappealsthisdenial. Thetestimonyattheevidentiaryhearingrevealedthatdefensecounselmetwiththeappellantonfourorfiveoccasions,eachlastingbetweenthirtyandfortyfiveminutes.AlloftheState'switnessesandthemajorityofpotentialdefensewitnesseswereinterviewed.NodiscoverymotionswerefiledbecausetheStatepermittedanopenexaminationoftheircasefile.Trialcounseltestifiedthatheexaminedtheentirefile"pageforpage,paperforpaper."Testimonyattheevidentiaryhearingrevealedthat,hadthetrialproceeded,atleastfourwitnesseswouldhavetestifiedthattheyobservedtheappellantshootthevictimapproximatelyninetimesatpointblankrange.TrialcounselstatedthattheState'sinitialsettlementofferwastwentyyears;theappellantrejectedthisoffer.However,afterthefirstdayofhisscheduledtrial,theappellantindicatedthathewantedtopursueaguiltyplea.Atthispoint,trialcounselattemptedtorenegotiatetheinitialtwentyyearoffer,whichwasrejectedbytheStatewithacounterofferoffortyfiveyearsasarangeIIoffender.TheappellantindicatedthathewouldaccepttheState'sofferoffortyfiveyears.Counselinformedtheappellantthat,asaconsequenceofacceptingtheState'sfinalofferoffortyfiveyearsasarangeIIoffender,hewouldbeacceptingasentencefiveyearsoutsidetherange. Indenyingrelief,thepostconvictioncourtaccreditedthetestimonyoftheappellant'strialcounselandconcludedthattheappellanthadfailedtoshoweitherthat"counsel'srepresentationfellbelowtherangerequiredin[Baxterv.Rose,523S.W.2d930,936(Tenn.1975)],"orthatcounselcommitted"errorsthatprejudiced[theappellant]suchastodeprivehimofafairtrialwithareliableresult."Stricklandv.Washington,466U.S.668,694,104S.Ct.2052,2068(1984).Thecourtfurtherfoundthatbothdefensecounselandthecourt"painstakinglyandscrupulouslyadvised[theappellant]ofhisrightsandtheRangetowhichhewaspleading."Thecourtconcludedthatthefortyfiveyearsentence,althoughoutsidetheapplicablerange,i.e.,fortyyears,was,nonetheless,valid. Whenthiscourtundertakesreviewofalowercourt'sdecisiononapetitionforpostconvictionrelief,thelowercourt'sfindingsoffactaregiventheweightofajuryverdictandareconclusiveonappealabsentafindingthattheevidencepreponderatesagainstthejudgment.Clennyv.State,576S.W.2d12,14(Tenn.Crim.App.1978),cert.denied,441U.S.947,99S.Ct.2170(1979).Inthisregard,weconcludethattheproofdoesnotpreponderateagainstthefindingsofthepostconvictioncourtthattrialcounsel'sperformancewasnotdeficient.Accordingly,theappellant'sassertionofineffectiveassistanceiswithoutmerit. Althoughthiscourthasbeendividedastowhether"asentencewithinonerangecoupledwithareleaseeligibilityofanotherrangeislegal,"wefindtherecentdecisionofoursupremecourtinStatev.Hicks,945S.W.2d706(Tenn.1997),dispositiveofthisveryissue.InHicks,thecourtheldthatsuchasentenceisvalid"whenimposedasaresultofapleabargainagreemententeredvoluntarilyandknowingly." /   ׀Id.Thecourtaddedthat,"wherethepartiesnegotiateingoodfaithandtherearenoallegationsoffraudormisfeasance,thepartiesareprecludedfromattackingonappealtheagreedrangeimposedbythetrialcourt."Id.at708.Thus,theappellant'sknowingandvoluntaryguiltyplea,absentanyevidenceoffraudorbadfaithonbehalfoftheState,waivedanyrightoftheappellanttolaterchallengethelegalityofthesentenceimposedbythetrialcourt.Accordingly,wefindnoerroroflawmandatingreversalofthecourt'sjudgment.Thepostconvictioncourt'sdenialoftheappellant'spetitionforpostconvictionreliefisaffirmed.     ____________________________________     DAVIDG.HAYES,JudgeCONCUR:________________________________JERRYL.SMITH,Judge________________________________THOMAST.WOODALL,Judge