State v. Fowler

38 P.3d 335 (2002)

Study Aids
Case Briefs Overview
Casebooks
Case Briefs
S
From our private database of 46,300+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

State v. Fowler

Washington Supreme Court
38 P.3d 335 (2002)

  • Written by Rose VanHofwegen, JD

Facts

Joshua Fowler (defendant) had no criminal history before he stayed up for three days drinking alcohol and doing methamphetamine. After leaving a bar, Fowler and some companions went to Ken Carroll’s apartment to collect a debt Fowler believed Carroll owed him. Fowler brought a gun and a knife. Fowler hit Carroll in the head with the gun, beat him, and threatened to cut him. Fowler also hit Carroll’s roommate in the face with the flat side of the knife and threatened to cut his throat. Fowler and his companions then took some items and money before leaving. Fowler later turned himself in and pled guilty to first-degree robbery. At sentencing, the trial court determined that the sentencing range for his offense was 31 to 41 months, plus a mandatory five-year firearm enhancement. Fowler requested an exceptional sentence of six months, asserting three mitigating factors. The trial judge did not find any of those factors but nonetheless imposed an exceptional 15-month sentence based on Fowler (1) having no violent or pertinent criminal history, (2) suffering from sleep deprivation, (3) exhibiting isolated aberrational behavior, (4) having strong family support, and (5) having low to moderate risk of reoffending. The state appealed the sentence, and the appellate court reversed. Fowler petitioned the Washington Supreme Court for review.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Alexander, C.J.)

Dissent (Madsen, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 805,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Berkeley, and Northwestern—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead our student testimonials

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 805,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 805,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,300 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership

Casebooks

Corrections and Sentencing

Key Terms