Justia Criminal Law Opinion Summaries

Defendant-appellant Aaron Thompson was convicted by jury of multiple crimes for his role in the 2013 double murder of Joe and Olga Connell. The Delaware Supreme Court affirmed his convictions on direct appeal. Thompson moved for postconviction relief under Superior Court Criminal Rule 61. The Superior Court denied his motion. The court found that Thompson’s trial counsel was not constitutionally ineffective for failing to investigate the connection between Thompson and a property near the crime scene at the time of the killings. The court also held that trial and appellate counsel did not have a conflict of interest when he represented the State’s ballistics expert in an unrelated criminal proceeding during Thompson’s direct appeal. Thompson appealed the Superior Court’s denial of his motion for postconviction relief. But finding no error, the Supreme Court again affirmed the Superior Court’s judgment. View "Thompson v. Delaware" on Justia Law

Defendant-appellant Stephen Wheeler Stephen Wheeler was convicted in on four felonies for his role in a violent home invasion. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison. After the Delaware Supreme Court affirmed those convictions, Wheeler returned to the superior court seeking postconviction relief in the form of a new trial. He argued his convictions were the product of an ill-advised waiver of his right to have his case heard and decided by a jury. According to Wheeler, his lawyer counseled him to let a judge, sitting without a jury, determine his guilt or innocence. Wheeler contended that he gave up a vitally important constitutional right because of his lawyer’s constitutionally deficient representation and that his convictions were so tainted by that decision that they could not stand. The superior court denied the motion for relief based primarily on its assessment of the relative credibility of Wheeler and his trial counsel: crediting counsel’s account of the advice he had shared with Wheeler, while discounting Wheeler’s version. The court also found, after hearing from Wheeler and his trial counsel at a postconviction evidentiary hearing, that Wheeler had made an informed strategic decision to proceed with a bench trial. Deferring to these credibility determinations, and finding no other reversible error, the Supreme Court affirmed the denial of Wheeler's motion. View "Wheeler v. Delaware" on Justia Law

Brian Winningham was driving a fully loaded tractor-trailer on Interstate 95 in Delaware when he diverted his attention from the road ahead and failed to notice stopped traffic backed up in the travel lane waiting to exit the highway. Winningham crashed his tractor-trailer at highway speed into three stopped cars and killed two people while injuring two others. After a bench trial, the judge found Winningham guilty of two counts of criminally negligent homicide and other offenses. On appeal, Winningham argued that his criminally negligent homicide convictions should have been overturned because his only driving infraction was a momentary inattention from the roadway. Winningham also argued that the trial court erred because it found only that he failed to perceive a risk of “serious physical injury” instead of a failure to perceive a risk of “death.” The Delaware Supreme Court affirmed, finding a rational trier of fact could have found that under the circumstances, Winningham’s inattention was prolonged enough that it was a gross deviation from the standard of care that a reasonable person would observe. Further, the trial court’s verdict shows that the court did not misunderstand or misapply the law. Even if it did, the Supreme Court held the error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. View "Winningham v. Delaware" on Justia Law

Theopalis Gregory, a former City of Wilmington Council President and Delaware lawyer, was convicted by jury for official misconduct. The charges stemmed from a $40,000 discretionary grant Gregory earmarked for his non-profit organization before leaving office. He personally received at least $15,000 of the grant after he left office. On appeal, Gregory argued the jury instructions were flawed because the trial judge did not define for the jury “official functions,” a necessary element of an official-misconduct conviction. He also argued that the evidence at trial was insufficient to support his conviction because he was not performing official functions when he earmarked funds for his nonprofit. The Delaware Supreme Court affirmed Gregory’s conviction: Gregory did not object to the jury instructions, and the trial judge did not plainly err when he instructed the jury using the words of the statute. Further, the Court was satisfied that the jury had more than sufficient evidence to find that Gregory was performing official functions when he earmarked the $40,000. View "Gregory v. Delaware" on Justia Law

Defendant-appellant Derek Hopkins appealed his convictions for Drug Dealing, Disregarding a Police Officer’s Signal, Conspiracy in the Third Degree, Resisting Arrest, Illegal Possession of a Controlled Substance (2 counts), Driving While Suspended or Revoked, Reckless Driving, Failure to Transfer Title and Registration, Unreasonable Speed, and Failure to Stop at a Stop Sign. He was also found “responsible” for possession of marijuana. On appeal, he argued: (1) the superior court abused its discretion by refusing to accept a plea agreement offered by the State and the defense on the morning of trial; (2) the superior court erred as a matter of law by denying his motion for judgment of acquittal as to the charge of Drug Dealing; and (3) the cumulative effect of the errors was to prejudice his substantial rights, requiring the convictions to be vacated. The Delaware Supreme Court found no merit to the defendant’s claims and affirmed his convictions. View "Hopkins v. Delaware" on Justia Law

After a two-day bench trial in 2021, a superior court judge convicted Marlon Thomas of second degree rape, third degree unlawful sexual contact, and other charges. The judge sentenced Thomas to fifty-five years in prison, suspended after twenty-five years for decreasing levels of supervision. Thomas did not testify in his defense. Thomas raised one issue on appeal: whether the superior court erred by failing to raise with Thomas his right to testify and failing to ensure that his waiver of the right to testify was voluntary, knowing and intelligent. The Delaware Supreme Court affirmed Thomas’s convictions for three reasons: (1) Thomas waived his state constitutional claim by failing to support it on appeal; (2) there was no federal constitutional requirement that the trial judge have a colloquy with the defendant before waiving his right to testify; and (2) given that the fact finder was the judge and not a jury, the trial judge handled the right to testify issue with appropriate sensitivity to avoid prejudicing Thomas’s decision whether to testify. View "Thomas v. State" on Justia Law

In September 2020, a superior court grand jury indicted defendant-appellant Eric Lloyd for Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited (“PFBPP”), Possession of Ammunition by a Person Prohibited (“PABPP”), Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Marijuana, and Operation of an Unregistered Motor Vehicle. Approximately one year later Lloyd moved to suppress evidence obtained during an administrative search of his living quarters. The court denied the motion. On appeal, Lloyd argued the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress, claiming the probation officer who authorized the search lacked exigent circumstances and failed to substantially comply with Department of Corrections Probation and Parole Procedure 7.19. Finding no reversible error, the Delaware Supreme Court affirmed the denial of Lloyd’s motion to suppress and his subsequent conviction and sentence. View "Lloyd v. Delaware" on Justia Law

Defendant Alvin Hines was indicted by grand jury on: (1) Possession of a Weapon with a Removed, Obliterated or Altered Serial Number (the “Serial Number Charge”), (2) Possession of a Firearm While Under the Influence (the “Drug Charge”), and (3) Discharging a Firearm on a Street. Following a two-day jury trial, the jury returned guilty verdicts on the first two counts. Hines was sentenced to three years at Level 5, suspended for one year at Level 2 for the Serial Number Charge and to one year at Level 5, suspended for one year at Level 2 for the Drug Charge. During his trial, Hines moved for judgment of acquittal on the Serial Number Charge following the State’s case-in-chief. The trial court denied Hines’ motion. Hines argued the superior court erred in denying his motion because the evidence was insufficient to show that he knew that the firearm at issue had an obliterated serial number. To this, the Delaware Supreme Court found the argument lacked merit: at least two police officers testified that someone holding that firearm would know its serial number had been removed. Therefore, the Court found sufficient evidence existed for the jury to infer that Hines knew about the obliterated serial number, and affirmed the superior court denial of his motion for judgment of acquittal. View "Hines v. Delaware" on Justia Law

Defendant-appellant Timothy McCrary appealed his convictions on four counts of Unlawful Sexual Contact in the First Degree. At the time of the commission of the offenses, defendant was an aide at Harrington Head Start Preschool (“Head Start”). The four convictions involved three of the preschool students. He raised three claims: (1) the trial court erred in admitting two, prior, out-of-court statements of one of the victims under 13 Del. C. § 3513 thereby denying him his right to confront the witnesses against him in violation of the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution; (2) the trial court abused its discretion by admitting another victim’s prior, out- of-court statement under 11 Del. C. § 3507 because the State failed to lay a proper foundation for the statement’s admission; and (3) the prejudicial effect of the errors deprived him of a fair trial. Finding no reversible error, the Delaware Supreme Court affirmed defendant's convictions. View "McCrary v. Delaware" on Justia Law

At a political rally for a Delaware U.S. Senate candidate, video and photographic evidence captured defendant-appellant Michael Hastings unholstering his handgun and pointing the weapon, ready-to-fire, at protesters across the street from the rally. He also left the handgun unattended on the ground. The State charged Hastings with one count of Reckless Endangering in the First Degree and one count of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony. A jury convicted Hastings of both counts. The judge sentenced Hastings to four years at Level V incarceration followed by decreasing levels of supervision. Hastings argued: (1) the trial court incorrectly instructed the jury on what a “substantial risk” of death is; (2) the evidence was insufficient to support a reckless endangering conviction; and (3) the cumulative effect of these errors required both convictions to be vacated. Finding no reversible error, the Delaware Supreme Court affirmed Hastings' convictions. View "Hastings v. Delaware" on Justia Law