LUIS ALFARO, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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Luis Alfaro, a juvenile offender, appealed the summary denial of post-conviction relief motions challenging his concurrent thirty-year sentences for armed robbery crimes as unconstitutional under Graham v. Florida. The court reversed and remanded, finding that recent Florida Supreme Court precedent (Johnson v. State) established that juveniles sentenced to term-of-years sentences exceeding twenty years must receive meaningful opportunities for early release based on rehabilitation.
The court held that Graham requires juvenile nonhomicide offenders receiving term-of-years sentences of more than twenty years to have a meaningful opportunity for early release based on a demonstration of rehabilitation and maturity. Alfaro's thirty-year sentences violated this requirement regardless of whether they constitute de facto life sentences, and he is entitled to resentencing.
[1] A juvenile nonhomicide offender's term-of-years sentence must include a meaningful opportunity for early release based on a demonstration of rehabilitation and maturity.
[2] Term-of-years sentences for juvenile offenders do not have to constitute de facto life sentences for Graham v. …
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“a juvenile nonhomicide offender's term-of-years sentence must include a meaningful opportunity for early release based on a demonstration of rehabilitation and maturity”
Establishes the constitutional requirement under Graham that applies to Alfaro's sentences
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAlfaro, a juvenile offender, was sentenced to concurrent thirty-year sentences for several armed robberies and attempted armed robberies. He filed two…
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This is a consolidated appeal from the summary denial of two motions for post-conviction relief filed pursuant to Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.800(a). In both cases, Luis Alfaro asserted that the concurrent thirty-year sentences he received for .several armed robberies and attempted armed robberies he committed as a juvenile are unconstitutional under Graham v. Florida, 560 U.S. 48, 130 S.Ct. 2011, 176 L.Ed.2d 825 (2010). Based on recent developments in the law interpreting Graham, we conclude that the postcon-viction court erred in denying relief.
The postconviction court initially denied relief based on its conclusion that Alfaro’s thirty-year sentences did not constitute de facto life sentences and were therefore not illegal under Graham. The supreme court subsequently issued its decision in Kelsey v. State, 206 So.3d 5, 10 (Fla. 2016), expressly stating that term-of-years sen*516tences do not have to constitute de facto life sentences in order for Graham to apply. Alfaro filed a renewed motion for post-conviction relief asserting that he was entitled to resentencing under Kelsey. The postconviction court again denied relief, concluding that Kelsey only applied to juvenile offenders like Kelsey who initially received life sentences but had been resen-tenced to a term of years under Graham.
After the postconviction court denied Al-faro’s second rule 3.800(a) motion, the supreme court issued an opinion clarifying that Kelsey applies to all juveniles who have been sentenced to term-of-year sentences of more than twenty years in prison but who would not have the opportunity for judicial review as provided in chapter 2014-220, Laws of Florida. Johnson v. State, 215 So.3d 1237, 1239 (Fla. 2017). The court concluded that under Graham a juvenile nonhomicide offender’s term-of-years sentence must include a meaningful opportunity for early release based on a demonstration of rehabilitation and maturity. .Id. at 1243. This court has applied that rationale to a juvenile defendant who received concurrent sentences of thirty years in- prison followed by ten years’ probation even though he had not been resen-tenced under Graham. See Mosier v. State, No. 2D16-5457, 235 So.3d 957, 958, 2017 WL 4557832, at *1 (Fla. 2d DCA Oct. 13, 2017) (relying on Johnson to find a juvenile offender’s sentence illegal under Graham).
Accordingly, we reverse the orders denying postconviction relief and remand for Alfaro to be resentenced as provided in Mosier.
Reversed and remanded with directions.
NORTHCUTT and CRENSHAW, JJ., Concur.
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Citator
Cited By (15 total)
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Hart v. State, 246 So. 3d 417 (Fla. 4th DCA 2018)
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Pedroza v. State, 244 So. 3d 1128 (Fla. 4th DCA 2018)
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Stokes v. State, 271 So. 3d 1000 (Fla. 4th DCA 2019)
Previewing 3 of 15 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- Graham v. Florida (1st Cir. 2010)
- Kelsey v. State, 206 So.3d 5 (Fla. 2016)
- Johnson v. State, 215 So. 3d 1237 (Fla. 2017)
- Mosier v. State, 235 So. 3d 957 (Fla. 2d DCA 2017)