Com. v. Bruno, G., Jr. ( 2019 )

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NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
: PENNSYLVANIA
:
v. :
:
:
GUISEPPE BRUNO, JR. :
:
Appellant : No. 310 MDA 2019
Appeal from the Judgment of Sentence Entered October 3, 2018
In the Court of Common Pleas of Berks County Criminal Division at
No(s): CP-06-CR-0005038-2016
BEFORE: DUBOW, J., NICHOLS, J., and MUSMANNO, J.
MEMORANDUM BY NICHOLS, J.: FILED OCTOBER 11, 2019
Appellant Guiseppe Bruno, Jr. appeals from the judgment sentence
imposed following his jury trial conviction for persons not to possess firearms.1
Appellant challenges the sufficiency and weight of the evidence, the trial
court’s evidentiary ruling, and the discretionary aspects of his sentence. We
affirm.
The trial court set forth the relevant facts of this appeal as follows:
On September 27, 2014, at approximately 3:00 A.M., Officers
Sholedice and Dickson were on patrol around N. 5th Street and
Elm Street, City of Reading. . . . They heard two shots close in
time and immediately went to investigate. The Officers noticed a
male of average build dressed in dark clothing running down Elm
Street. He was coming from the area where the Officers heard
the shots. They attempted to verbally engage the man but he fled
and the Officers pursued. As the Officers attempted to make entry
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1 18 Pa.C.S. § 6105(a)(1).
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into the alley, another group of shots rang out from the other end
of the alley. The Officers took cover and requested back-up.
Additional police arrived and it was discovered that the alley led
to an apartment building on N. 5th Street. After checking the
other floors unsuccessfully, the police found people on the third
floor and a search waiver was signed by the apartment tenant.
During the search, a Ruger P85 9 mm was found. The tenant also
found a second gun, a Raven Arms Model #MP-25 .25 caliber, in
a trash can after the police had left. He called the police who
subsequently recovered the second gun. Only the 9 mm Ruger
was processed for DNA. The results concluded that [Appellant’s]
DNA was present on the Ruger.
The other occupants of the apartment were interviewed about the
shots fired. In the course of the investigation, it was discovered
that [Appellant] left the apartment and was outside for just a few
minutes when the others heard shots. [Appellant] came running
back into the apartment after the shots were heard, sweating and
out of breath. He went to the window, fired multiple shots out of
the window, then took off his shirt and lay down on the floor a few
minutes before the police arrived.
Trial Ct. Op., 5/7/19, at 2-3.
On November 29, 2016, the Commonwealth filed a criminal information
charging Appellant with two counts of persons not to possess firearms. One
count related to the 9 mm firearm found by police, and the second count
related to the .25 caliber firearm discovered by the apartment tenant.
Appellant proceeded to a jury trial on September 25, 2018. At that
time, the parties stipulated that Appellant had prior convictions for robbery
and conspiracy, which rendered him ineligible to possess a firearm. See
Commonwealth’s Trial Ex. 9.
In addition to various police witnesses, the Commonwealth called
Nadine Kaufman, who was Appellant’s girlfriend at the time of the incident.
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See N.T. Trial, 9/25/18-9/26/18, at 133. Ms. Kaufman testified that she and
Appellant were present at the apartment on the night of the shooting. Id. at
134-35. Ms. Kaufman confirmed that Appellant “stepped out of the
apartment” to cool down for approximately two to five minutes. Id. at 136-
37. Appellant returned to the apartment, and the police arrived shortly
thereafter. Id. at 137.
Ms. Kaufman also testified that her father owned several firearms, and
her father had shown the firearms to Appellant. Id. at 133-34. Although Ms.
Kaufman indicated that Appellant had been to her parents’ house on prior
occasions, Ms. Kaufman denied that Appellant ever told her that he had taken
her father’s firearms.2 Id. at 138-39.
At that point, the parties went to a sidebar. Id. at 140. The
Commonwealth asked that the jury be excused, and it requested an
opportunity to play a video recording of Ms. Kaufman’s 2014 interview with
police to refresh her recollection of certain statements Appellant made to her
about possessing firearms.3 Id. at 140-42. The trial court excused the jury
and permitted the Commonwealth to show the video to Ms. Kaufman. Id. at
141.
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2 Subsequent testimony from Criminal Investigator Wendell Buck of the
Reading Police Department confirmed that Ms. Kaufman’s father was the
registered owner of both firearms recovered from the crime scene. See N.T.
Trial at 161.
3Police conducted Ms. Kaufman’s interview at 7:00 a.m. on September 27,
2014, approximately four hours after the initial gunshots. See N.T. Trial at
162.
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Before the Commonwealth started the video, Ms. Kaufman testified that
she was intoxicated at the time of her interview, so she did not believe that
watching the video would refresh her recollection. Id. at 142. Appellant’s
counsel then objected to the playing of the video, claiming it would not refresh
the witness’ recollection. Id. The trial court overruled the objection and
allowed the Commonwealth to play the video. Id.
In the video, Ms. Kaufman informed investigators that Appellant had
shown her the firearms, telling her that he was “going to keep them for
safety.” Id. at 143. At the conclusion of the video, however, Ms. Kaufman
insisted that it had not refreshed her recollection. Id. The jury returned to
the courtroom, the Commonwealth concluded its direct examination, and
Appellant’s counsel cross-examined Ms. Kaufman. Id. at 143-50. On cross-
examination, Ms. Kaufman reiterated that she had consumed a large amount
of alcohol on the night in question, “taking shots of vodka and that’s all I can
remember.” Id. at 149.
On the second day of trial, the Commonwealth presented testimony
from Investigator Buck, who conducted the 2014 interview with Ms. Kaufman.
Id. at 162. Prior to Investigator Buck’s testimony, the Commonwealth
informed the trial court that it intended to play portions of Ms. Kaufman’s
videotaped interview for the jury during Investigator Buck’s direct
examination. Id. at 154-55. Appellant’s counsel objected, arguing that Ms.
Kaufman’s recorded statements were hearsay, and no exception to the
hearsay rule permitted their admission as substantive evidence. Id. at 156.
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The Commonwealth responded that the evidence was being offered as a prior
inconsistent statement, and “any argument as to the inconsistency goes to
weight rather than admissibility.” Id. at 157. The court overruled Appellant’s
objection and permitted the Commonwealth to play the video. Id. at 158,
165.
After the Commonwealth played the video, Investigator Buck confirmed
that it was a fair and accurate representation of his interview with Ms.
Kaufman.4 Id. at 165. Further, Investigator Buck testified that Ms. Kaufman
did not appear to be intoxicated at the time of the interview. Id. at 163-64.
Ultimately, the jury found Appellant guilty of the count related to
possession of the 9 mm firearm. The jury found Appellant not guilty of the
count related to possession of the .25 caliber firearm.
The trial court conducted Appellant’s sentencing hearing on October 3,
2018. At that time, the Commonwealth stated that Appellant’s prior record
score (PRS) was four. Appellant disputed the calculation of his PRS, arguing
that it was three because his prior robbery conviction was an element of
persons not to possess firearms. The trial court considered the parties’
arguments and announced Appellant’s sentence as follows:
Okay. The sentence in this matter, the [c]ourt has taken into
consideration all of the information provided at this hearing,
including the disagreement with regard to whether the [PRS] is
three or a four, the [c]ourt does not find that it is necessary to
distinguish that because there [is] commonality between . . . the
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4Ms. Kaufman’s interview was on a CD that was marked as Commonwealth’s
Exhibit 36. This CD was not included with the certified record on appeal.
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two sentencing guidelines and they are only guidelines in any
case.
N.T. Sentencing Hr’g, 10/3/18, at 8. At the conclusion of the hearing, the trial
court sentenced Appellant to four to ten years’ imprisonment.5
Appellant timely filed post-sentence motions on October 12, 2018. In
his motions, Appellant challenged the sufficiency and the weight of the
evidence. Appellant also claimed that the trial court erroneously admitted Ms.
Kaufman’s videotaped interview, where “Ms. Kaufman did not answer
questions about the substance of the statement during her testimony, [and]
Ms. Kaufman was not available for cross-examination about the prior video
statement.” Post-Sentence Mot., 10/12/18, at ¶ 21.
Further, Appellant argued that the trial court should have determined
his PRS at the sentencing hearing. Therefore, Appellant requested that “the
court reconsider his argument with regard to the [PRS], make a definitive
determination as to the [PRS] to be applied . . . and determine the applicable
sentencing guidelines.” Id. at ¶ 38. The trial court denied Appellant’s post-
sentence motion on January 29, 2019.
Appellant timely filed a notice of appeal and a court-ordered Pa.R.A.P.
1925(b) statement. The trial court filed a responsive opinion concluding (1)
sufficient evidence supported the conviction where Appellant had access to
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5 The offense gravity score (OGS) for persons not to possess firearms
(loaded/ammo available) is ten. See 204 Pa. Code § 303.15. With an OGS
of ten and a PRS of three, the standard range of the guidelines is forty-two to
fifty-four months. See 204 Pa. Code § 303.16(a). With an OGS of ten and a
PRS of four, the standard range of the guidelines is forty-eight to sixty months.
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the firearm and investigators found his DNA on the firearm; (2) the verdict
was not against the weight of the evidence; (3) Ms. Kaufman’s statements in
the videotaped interview qualified as exceptions to the hearsay rule, pursuant
to Pa.R.E. 803.1; and (4) the trial court followed all appropriate procedures at
the sentencing hearing.
Appellant now raises four issues for our review:
1. Whether the Commonwealth failed to present sufficient
evidence to support a verdict of guilty of persons not to possess
firearms where the Commonwealth failed to prove the required
elements of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt; specifically,
the Commonwealth failed to prove that Appellant had actual or
constructive possession of the 9 mm Ruger pistol, including the
power and intent to control the firearm.
2. Whether the trial court erred by not granting a new trial where
the guilty verdict for persons not to possess a firearm was against
the weight of the evidence, where the testimony of the DNA
analyst clearly indicated it was possible that Appellant’s DNA could
be on the 9 mm Ruger pistol without him actually touching the
firearm and testified that she could not tell if the DNA on the
firearm came directly from Appellant or if it was transferred there
by another person or item; and where the video statement of
Nadine Kaufman admitted at trial was unreliable and where there
was a lack of evidence presented by the Commonwealth to prove,
beyond a reasonable doubt, Appellant’s intent and power to
control the firearm.
3. Whether the trial court erred by admitt[ing] the video
statement of Nadine Kaufman as evidence, as the video did not
refresh [her] recollection during her testimony, and, as she did
not answer questions about the substance of the statement and
Appellant did not have a prior opportunity to cross-examine her in
regard to the statement, she was unavailable for cross-
examination, the video statement was inadmissible hearsay and
its admission into evidence was improper and a violation of the
Confrontation Clause.
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[4]. Whether the trial court erred and abused its discretion in
sentencing Appellant to not less than forty-eight (48) months nor
more than one-hundred and twenty (120) months’ incarceration
where the trial court did not determine whether Appellant’s [PRS]
was a three or a four and the trial court simply sentenced
Appellant within both ranges.
Appellant’s Brief at 6-8 (some capitalization omitted).
In his first issue, Appellant contends that the Commonwealth failed to
establish that he controlled or possessed the firearm. Id. at 16. Appellant
maintains that the police officers provided a “generic description of the
individual who fired shots near the 400 block of Elm Street.” Id. at 17.
Appellant emphasizes that “[t]he police lost sight of the shooter as he entered
a breezeway connected to a courtyard and the apartment building,” and
“[t]here was no testimony where an officer saw the unknown shooter enter
the apartment building.” Id. at 17-18. Regarding the DNA evidence,
Appellant insists that the Commonwealth’s expert “could not say that
[Appellant] at any time possessed the firearm,” and the DNA “profiles of at
least [two] people were recovered from the firearm.” Id. at 18. Appellant
concludes that the Commonwealth’s evidence was insufficient to establish the
element of possession beyond a reasonable doubt. Id. at 19.
Our standard of review for sufficiency claims is as follows:
The standard we apply in reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence
is whether viewing all the evidence admitted at trial in the light
most favorable to the verdict winner, there is sufficient evidence
to enable the fact-finder to find every element of the crime beyond
a reasonable doubt. In applying the above test, we may not weigh
the evidence and substitute our judgment for the fact-finder. In
addition, we note that the facts and circumstances established by
the Commonwealth need not preclude every possibility of
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innocence. Any doubts regarding a defendant’s guilt may be
resolved by the fact-finder unless the evidence is so weak and
inconclusive that as a matter of law no probability of fact may be
drawn from the combined circumstances. The Commonwealth
may sustain its burden of proving every element of the crime
beyond a reasonable doubt by means of wholly circumstantial
evidence. Moreover, in applying the above test, the entire record
must be evaluated and all evidence actually received must be
considered. Finally, the trier of fact while passing upon the
credibility of witnesses and the weight of the evidence produced,
is free to believe all, part or none of the evidence.
Commonwealth v. Tucker, 143 A.3d 955, 964 (Pa. Super. 2016) (citation
and brackets omitted).
Section 6105 of the Crimes Code provides that persons convicted of
certain enumerated offenses “shall not possess, use, control, sell, transfer or
manufacture or obtain a license to possess, use, control, sell, transfer or
manufacture a firearm in this Commonwealth.” 18 Pa.C.S. § 6105(a)(1).
Further, “[p]ossession can be found by proving actual possession, constructive
possession, or joint constructive possession.” Commonwealth v. Parrish,
191 A.3d 31, 36 (Pa. Super. 2018) (citation omitted), appeal denied, 202 A.3d
42 (Pa. 2019).
Where a defendant is not in actual possession of the prohibited
items, the Commonwealth must establish that the defendant had
constructive possession to support the conviction. Constructive
possession is a legal fiction, a pragmatic construct to deal with the
realities of criminal law enforcement. We have defined
constructive possession as conscious dominion, meaning that the
defendant has the power to control the contraband and the intent
to exercise that control. To aid application, we have held that
constructive possession may be established by the totality of the
circumstances.
It is well established that, as with any other element of a crime,
constructive possession may be proven by circumstantial
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evidence. In other words, the Commonwealth must establish
facts from which the trier of fact can reasonably infer that the
defendant exercised dominion and control over the contraband at
issue.
Id. at 36-37 (citations, brackets, and quotation marks omitted).
Instantly, the trial court evaluated the Commonwealth’s evidence as
follows:
The Officers followed the person believed to have fired the shots
to the location where [Appellant] was found. Although the police
did not get a clear view of the shooter, the shooter was described
as male and of average build. None of the other people in the
apartment building fit this description. [Appellant] was found
sweaty and lying on the floor. The gun was found in the same
location that [Appellant] was found. The gun was registered to
[Appellant’s] girlfriend’s father. Most significantly, [Appellant’s]
DNA matched DNA that was collected from the gun.
[Appellant] argues that the Commonwealth failed to prove that he
had actual or constructive possession of the gun. . . . In this case,
[Appellant] had access to the gun as he was found in the same
apartment as the gun. Although there was no testimony at trial
that he was seen holding the gun, the fact that his DNA was found
on the gun would allow a jury to reasonably conclude that he had
possessed the gun.
Trial Ct. Op. at 4 (record citations omitted).
Viewing this evidence in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth
as verdict winner, the Commonwealth presented sufficient evidence to
establish Appellant’s constructive possession of the firearm. See 18 Pa.C.S.
§ 6105(a)(1); Parrish, 191 A.3d at 36; Tucker, 143 A.3d at 964. Therefore,
Appellant is not entitled to relief on his first claim.
In his second issue, Appellant asserts “[t]he Commonwealth built its
case on weak, contradictory and vacuous circumstantial evidence.”
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Appellant’s Brief at 19. Appellant acknowledges that the Commonwealth
provided expert testimony about the DNA recovered from the firearm, but he
insists that “[t]he expert testimony on the issue . . . adversely impacted the
weight of the evidence.” Id. at 20. Appellant reiterates that investigators
recovered multiple DNA profiles from the firearm, “the second DNA profile
remains unknown and was not identified” at trial, and “the expert could not
testify as to how the DNA got onto the weapon.” Id. Appellant also argues
that the police did not know the identity of the shooter, and Appellant “was
not identified until he was discovered in [the] apartment on the floor.” Id.
Appellant concludes that the verdict was against the weight of the evidence.
Id.
Our standard of review regarding challenges to the weight of the
evidence is as follows:
A claim alleging the verdict was against the weight of the evidence
is addressed to the discretion of the trial court. Accordingly, an
appellate court reviews the exercise of the trial court’s discretion;
it does not answer for itself whether the verdict was against the
weight of the evidence. It is well settled that the [fact-finder] is
free to believe all, part, or none of the evidence and to determine
the credibility of the witnesses, and a new trial based on a weight
of the evidence claim is only warranted where the [fact-finder’s]
verdict is so contrary to the evidence that it shocks one’s sense of
justice. In determining whether this standard has been met,
appellate review is limited to whether the trial judge’s discretion
was properly exercised, and relief will only be granted where the
facts and inferences of record disclose a palpable abuse of
discretion.
Commonwealth v. Landis, 89 A.3d 694, 699 (Pa. Super. 2014) (citation
omitted).
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We have explained that
a new trial should not be granted because of a mere conflict in the
testimony or because the judge on the same facts would have
arrived at a different conclusion. Rather, the role of the trial court
is to determine that notwithstanding all the evidence, certain facts
are so clearly of greater weight that to ignore them, or to give
them equal weight with all the facts, is to deny justice. A motion
for a new trial on the grounds that the verdict is contrary to the
weight of the evidence concedes that there is sufficient evidence
to sustain the verdict; thus the trial court is under no obligation
to view the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict
winner.
Id. (citation and brackets omitted).
Instantly, the trial court considered the testimony from the
Commonwealth’s DNA expert and determined that it supported the jury’s
verdict:
The DNA Analyst . . . testified that there was a mixture of at least
two people’s DNA found on the gun. However, the DNA that was
identified as [Appellant’s] contributed the most DNA to the profile.
The DNA Analyst did state that there was no definitive way to
determine how [Appellant’s] DNA got onto the gun. However,
when asked about secondary and tertiary DNA transfer, the DNA
Analyst stated that “the further along [down] that line you go, the
less likely [a DNA transfer] is to occur but it can occur.” The DNA
Analyst stated that there was “quite a bit of DNA present” on the
sample she received and that she was able to get “a very good
profile off of that.” Based on the significant amount of DNA found
on the gun, there is ample evidence to believe that [Appellant]
had control of the gun.
Trial Ct. Op. at 5-6 (record citations omitted) (emphasis in original).
Regarding the additional evidence of record, the trial court noted that
the jury could have found some of Ms. Kaufman’s testimony to be credible.
Id. at 6. Significantly, Ms. Kaufman admitted that Appellant had been to her
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parents’ house, and he had seen her father’s firearms. Id. Further, Ms.
Kaufman testified that Appellant left the apartment for a brief period around
the same time that the officers encountered the shooter. Id.
Following our review, we discern no abuse of discretion in the trial
court’s decision to deny Appellant’s weight claim. See Landis, 89 A.3d at
699. The trial court appropriately concluded that the verdict was not so
contrary to the evidence as to require a new trial. See id. Further, we decline
to reassess the credibility of the Commonwealth’s witnesses and to reweigh
the testimony and evidence presented at trial. See Commonwealth v.
West, 937 A.2d 516, 523 (Pa. Super. 2007) (emphasizing that the trier of
fact is “free to believe all, part or none of the evidence,” and “[t]his Court may
not [re]weigh the evidence or substitute its judgment [f]or that of the fact
finder” (citation omitted)). Accordingly, Appellant’s challenge to the weight
of the evidence merits no relief.
In his third issue, Appellant argues that the admission of Ms. Kaufman’s
videotaped police interview as substantive evidence violated the Sixth
Amendment’s Confrontation Clause:
In this specific case, the [trial c]ourt erred in admitting the
[Kaufman] video statement because it was not reliable. The
courts have determined that the best way to test reliability is
through the use of cross-examination. The Commonwealth
attempted to refresh the recollection of the witness . . . through
having her view her prior videotaped statement. The witness’s
recollection was not refreshed and therefore [she was] unavailable
for cross-examination.
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Appellant’s Brief at 21-22 (record citations omitted). Appellant concludes the
trial court committed reversible error by admitting the videotaped interview
into evidence. Id. at 22.
This Court’s standard of review for issues regarding the admissibility of
evidence is well settled:
Questions concerning the admissibility of evidence are within the
sound discretion of the trial court . . . and we will not reverse a
trial court’s decision concerning admissibility of evidence absent
an abuse of the trial court’s discretion. An abuse of discretion is
not merely an error of judgment, but is rather the overriding or
misapplication of the law, or the exercise of judgment that is
manifestly unreasonable, or the result of bias, prejudice, ill-will or
partiality, as shown by the evidence of record. If in reaching a
conclusion the trial court over-rides [sic] or misapplies the law,
discretion is then abused and it is the duty of the appellate court
to correct the error.
Commonwealth v. Belknap, 105 A.3d 7, 9-10 (Pa. Super. 2014) (alterations
in original and citations, some brackets, and quotation marks omitted).
Hearsay is an out-of-court statement made by a declarant, which a party
seeks to offer into evidence to prove the truth of the matter asserted in the
statement. Pa.R.E. 801(c). Generally, hearsay is not admissible except as
provided by the Pennsylvania Rules of Evidence, by other rules prescribed by
the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, or by statute. Pa.R.E. 802. “The rationale
for the hearsay rule is that hearsay is too untrustworthy to be considered by
the trier of fact.” Commonwealth v. Charlton, 902 A.2d 554, 559 (Pa.
Super. 2006) (citation omitted).
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“Exceptions have been fashioned to accommodate certain classes of
hearsay that are substantially more trustworthy than hearsay in general, and
thus merit exception to the hearsay rule.” Id. (citation omitted).
Pennsylvania Rule of Evidence 803.1(1) provides one such exception:
The following statements are not excluded by the rule
against hearsay if the declarant testifies and is subject to cross-
examination about the prior statement:
* * *
(1) Prior Inconsistent Statement of Declarant-
Witness. A prior statement by a declarant-witness that is
inconsistent with the declarant-witness’s testimony and:
* * *
(C) is a verbatim contemporaneous electronic recording of
an oral statement.
Pa.R.E. 803.1(1)(C); see also Commonwealth v. Enix, 192 A.3d 78, 81 (Pa.
Super. 2018) (noting that “[a] prior inconsistent statement may be offered
not only to impeach a witness, but also as substantive evidence if it meets
additional requirements of reliability” (citation omitted)). “It is well-settled
that admitting a declarant’s prior inconsistent statement does not violate the
Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment when the declarant, [her]self,
testifies as a witness at trial and is subject to cross-examination.”
Commonwealth v. Hanible, 30 A.3d 426, 444 (Pa. 2011) (citations
omitted).
Instantly, Ms. Kaufman’s videotaped interview was inconsistent with her
trial testimony that, prior to Appellant’s arrest, she was unaware that he might
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have possessed her father’s firearms. See N.T. Trial at 138, 143. At trial,
Investigator Buck confirmed that the videotape was “a fair and accurate
representation” of the interview, which occurred approximately four hours
after police encountered the shooter. Id. at 162, 165.
Although Appellant now claims that the Commonwealth’s inability to
refresh Ms. Kaufman’s recollection rendered her unavailable for cross-
examination, we emphasize that Ms. Kaufman testified as a witness at trial
and was subject to cross-examination. See Hanible, 30 A.3d at 444.
Moreover, Appellant took advantage of the opportunity to cross-examine Ms.
Kaufman, eliciting testimony about the amount of alcohol she consumed on
the night in question. See N.T. Trial at 148-49. Therefore, we conclude that
the trial court did not abuse its discretion by permitting the Commonwealth to
play the videotape for the jury, because Ms. Kaufman’s interview statements
were not excluded by the hearsay rule. See Pa.R.E. 803.1(1)(C); Belknap,
105 A.3d at 9-10.
In his fourth issue, Appellant asserts that “[a] trial court has broad
discretion . . . when sentencing; however, the trial court must use the
sentencing guidelines as guideposts in its decision.” Appellant’s Brief at 22-
23 (citation omitted). Further, Appellant cites 204 Pa. Code § 303.2(a)(2) for
the proposition that a trial court “must establish the defendant’s [PRS]” in
order to determine a guideline sentence. Id. at 23. Appellant concludes the
trial court erred by failing to determine his PRS, and the imposition of a
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sentence without a definitive PRS constituted an abuse of discretion. Id. at
23-24.
“[C]hallenges to the discretionary aspects of sentencing do not entitle
an appellant to review as of right.” Commonwealth v. Derry, 150 A.3d 987,
991 (Pa. Super. 2016) (citation omitted). Rather, before reaching the merits
of such claims, we must determine:
(1) whether the appeal is timely; (2) whether [the a]ppellant
preserved his issues; (3) whether [the a]ppellant’s brief includes
a concise statement of the reasons relied upon for allowance of
appeal with respect to the discretionary aspects of sentence; and
(4) whether the concise statement raises a substantial question
that the sentence is inappropriate under the [S]entencing [C]ode.
Commonwealth v. Corley, 31 A.3d 293, 296 (Pa. Super. 2011) (citation
omitted).
Here, Appellant timely filed a notice of appeal, preserved his claim in
the post-sentence motions, and included a concise statement of reasons relied
upon for allowance of appeal in his brief. See id. Additionally, the claim that
the trial court misapplied the sentencing guidelines by failing to determine a
defendant’s PRS raises a substantial question. See Commonwealth v.
Johnson, 758 A.2d 1214, 1216 (Pa. Super. 2000) (explaining that the
appellant presented a substantial question in claiming that the sentencing
court misapplied the sentencing guidelines by miscalculating the PRS).
Therefore, we will review Appellant’s claim.
Our well-settled standard of review is as follows:
Sentencing is a matter vested in the sound discretion of the
sentencing judge, and a sentence will not be disturbed on appeal
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absent a manifest abuse of discretion. In this context, an abuse
of discretion is not shown merely by an error in judgment. Rather,
the appellant must establish, by reference to the record, that the
sentencing court ignored or misapplied the law, exercised its
judgments for reasons of partiality, prejudice, bias or ill will, or
arrived at a manifestly unreasonable decision.
Commonwealth v. Raven, 97 A.3d 1244, 1253 (Pa. Super. 2014) (citation
omitted).
“The court shall consider the sentencing guidelines in determining the
appropriate sentence for offenders convicted of . . . felonies and
misdemeanors.” 204 Pa. Code § 303.1(a). Further, the Pennsylvania
Administrative Code provides the following procedure for determining a
guideline sentence:
(a) For each conviction offense of a judicial proceeding, the
procedure for determining the guideline sentence shall be as
follows:
(1) Determine the Offense Gravity Score as described in §
303.3 and § 303.15.
(2) Determine the Prior Record Score as described in §
303.4-§ 303.8.
(3) Determine the guideline sentence recommendation as
described in § 303.9-§ 303.14 . . . .
204 Pa. Code § 303.2(a).
When imposing a sentence, a court is required to consider the
particular circumstances of the offense and the character of the
defendant. In particular, the court should refer to the defendant’s
prior criminal record, his age, personal characteristics and his
potential for rehabilitation. Where the sentencing court had the
benefit of a presentence investigation report (“PSI”), we can
assume the sentencing court was aware of relevant information
regarding the defendant’s character and weighed those
considerations along with mitigating statutory factors. Further,
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where a sentence is within the standard range of the guidelines,
Pennsylvania law views the sentence as appropriate under the
Sentencing Code.
Commonwealth v. Moury, 992 A.2d 162, 171 (Pa. Super. 2010) (citations
and quotation marks omitted).
Instantly, the record includes a guideline sentence form from the
Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing. Although the trial court did not
explicitly state that Appellant’s PRS was four, the form listed Appellant’s OGS
as ten, his PRS as four, and a standard range of forty-eight to sixty months.
See Guideline Sentence Form, filed 10/15/18, at 1. Accordingly, the sentence
imposed reflects the trial court’s determination that this information was
correct. Further, the trial court denied Appellant’s post-sentence motion,
which challenged the trial court’s finding that the PRS was four.
We also note that Appellant’s underlying argument that his PRS should
not have included his prior conviction for robbery lacks merit. We conclude
that the trial court’s use of the prior conviction in calculating Appellant’s PRS
did not constitute “double counting” in violation of the Sentencing Guidelines,
because Appellant’s prior conviction was not an element of the offense of
persons not to possess firearms. See Commonwealth v. Keiper, 887 A.2d
317, 321 (Pa. Super. 2005) (rejecting an appellant’s argument that a prior
burglary conviction was an element of persons not to possess firearms).
Moreover, Pennsylvania law views a standard range sentence as
appropriate under the Sentencing Code. See Moury, 992 A.2d at 171. The
trial court also had the benefit of a PSI report. See N.T. Sentencing Hr’g at
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4. Therefore, we can assume the trial court was aware of the relevant
information regarding Appellant’s character and other pertinent sentencing
factors. See Moury, 992 A.2d at 171. Under these circumstances, Appellant
has failed to establish that the trial court ignored or misapplied the law, and
we cannot say that the trial court abused its discretion. See Raven, 97 A.3d
at 1253.
Judgment of sentence affirmed.
Judgment Entered.
Joseph D. Seletyn, Esq.
Prothonotary
Date: 10/11/2019
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