State v. Rowland

¶1 The issue in this case is whether Blakely v. Washington, 542 U.S. 296, 124 S. Ct. 2531, 159 L. Ed. 2d 403 (2004), applied at petitioner Michael Rowland’s resentencing hearing where Rowland previously received an exceptional sentence on facts found by the judge. In 1991, Rowland was convicted of first degree murder and taking a motor vehicle without permission. In 2007, Rowland challenged his sentence on the basis that his offender score was erroneous. The Court of Appeals agreed and remanded for resentencing. The resentencing court found Blakely did not apply and reimposed the exceptional…