State v. Mattox

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After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder, aggravated kidnapping, and aggravated robbery. The district court imposed a hard fifty sentence for first-degree murder under Kan. Stat. Ann. 21-4635 without fact-finding by the jury. The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant’s convictions but vacated his hard fifty sentence, holding that Defendant was sentenced in violation of the Sixth Amendment because the district court, rather than the jury, found the existence of aggravating factors by a preponderance of the evidence, rather than beyond a reasonable doubt, in violation of Alleyne v. United States. Remanded for resentencing. View "State v. Mattox" on Justia Law