Opinion
No. 2020-K-00276
06-22-2020
STATE of Louisiana v. Eric J. BROWN
Writ application denied.
Johnson, C.J., additionally concurs and assigns reasons.
Weimer, J., would grant.
JOHNSON, C.J., additionally concurs and assigns reasons:
I concur in the denial of the defendant's writ application despite his conviction by a non-unanimous jury verdict in this case. After Mr. Brown was re-sentenced pursuant to Miller v. Alabama 567 U.S. 460, 132 S.Ct. 2455, 183 L.Ed.2d 407 (2012) and Montgomery v. Louisiana , ––– U.S. ––––, 136 S. Ct. 718, 193 L.Ed.2d 599 (2016), he was entitled to an appeal of his new sentence, not the underlying conviction. La.C.Cr.P. art. 912(C)(1). Therefore his 1996 conviction was final long before the United States Supreme Court's decision in Ramos v. Louisiana , ––– U.S. ––––, 140 S. Ct. 1390, 206 L.Ed.2d 583 (2020). I write separately to emphasize that this writ denial does not preclude Mr. Brown from making a collateral challenge to his conviction by non-unanimous jury verdict under La. C. Cr. P. art. 930.3(1) and 930.8(A)(2).