# Commonwealth v. Valentine

> Superior Court of Pennsylvania · October 3, 2014 · 2014 Pa. Super. 220

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/cases/4969276

## Case

- **Full name:** COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania v. Jose R. VALENTINE
- **Court:** Superior Court of Pennsylvania
- **Decided:** October 3, 2014
- **Citations:** 2014 Pa. Super. 220; 101 A.3d 801; 2014 Pa. Super. LEXIS 3420
- **Precedential status:** Published
- **Opinion:** Concurring in part by Gantman
- **Judges:** Allen, Fitzgerald, Gantman
- **Cited by:** 333 later opinions in the Frix Law Library

## Citator (automated)

- No negative treatment found by the automated citator. That is not the same as a confirmation that the case is good law; read the citing cases.
- Full citator and citing cases: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/cases/4969276

## How later opinions describe it (automated extraction)

- concluding, in accordance with Newman, that a court of common pleas had performed “an impermissible legislative function” by submitting special interrogatories to a jury in an effort to work around the unconstitutional terms of a statute directing that fact-finding relative to…
- holding that there was sufficient evidence to prove the assailant’s identity where the complainant identified the appellant as the assailant shortly after the crime occurred, at the preliminary hearing, and at trial, and the complainant’s purse was found -6- J-S52030-19 in a d…
- finding that § 9712 violates the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Alleyne v. United States, — U.S. -, 133 S.Ct. 2151, 186 L.Ed.2d 314 (2013), which requires that any facts leading to an increase in manda tory minimum sentence must be presented to a jury and proven bey…
- stating that “[a]lthough common items of clothing and general -5- J-S42027-18 physical characteristics are usually insufficient to support a conviction, . . . [g]iven additional evidentiary circumstances, any indefiniteness and uncertainty in the identification testimony goes …
- holding that Appellant’s actions of pointing a gun at his victim and threatening to shoot her would have placed a reasonable person in fear of serious bodily injury, and that the evidence was sufficient to sustain appellant’s robbery conviction

## Opinion text

*813 CONCURRING OPINION BY
GANTMAN, P.J.:
I agree with the majority that sufficient evidence supported Appellant’s robbery conviction. I am also compelled to agree that we must vacate the judgment of sentence and remand for re-sentencing, given the binding nature of this Court’s recent en banc decision in Commonwealth v. Newman, 99 A.3d 86 (2014). The majority logically extends Newman to declare that 42 Pa.C.S.A. §§ 9712 and 9713 are likewise unconstitutional.
I write separately, however, to address an alternative available to the court upon re-sentencing. The sentencing court, perhaps, could apply a deadly weapon enhancement to Appellant’s sentence without running afoul of Newman. See Commonwealth v. Buterbaugh, 91 A.3d 1247 , 1270 n. 10 (Pa.Super.2014) (explaining that if sentencing enhancement applies, court is required to raise standard guideline range; however, court retains discretion to sentence outside guideline range; therefore, application of sentencing enhancement does not violate holding in Alleyne v. United States, — U.S. -, 133 S.Ct. 2151 , 186 L.Ed.2d 314 (2013)).
Thus, I accept the majority’s ultimate decision to vacate the judgment of sentence and remand for re-sentencing without consideration of mandatory mínimums set forth in Sections 9712 and 9713. Accordingly, I concur in the result.
Judge ALLEN joins this Concurring Opinion.
Justice FITZGERALD joins this Concurring Opinion.

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Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/cases/4969276. Public record. Not legal advice.
