Case Title: DeBruce v. State

Citation: 

Docket Number: 239, 2018

State: delaware

Court: Delaware Supreme Court

Date: 2018-11-05T00:00:00Z

Document:
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
MALACHAI Z. DEBRUCE (f/k/a 
MICHAEL D. GLENN), 
 
Defendant Below- 
Appellant, 
 
v. 
 
STATE OF DELAWARE, 
 
Plaintiff Below- 
Appellee. 
§ 
§  No. 239, 2018 
§ 
§ 
§ 
§  Court Below—Superior Court 
§  of the State of Delaware 
§   
§  ID. No. K1608006240 
§ 
§ 
§ 
 
 
 
 
 
Submitted: September 7, 2018 
 
 
 
 
  Decided:  November 5, 2018 
 
Before VALIHURA, VAUGHN, and SEITZ, Justices. 
 
O R D E R 
 
Upon consideration of the parties’ briefs and the record below, it 
appears to the Court that: 
 
(1) 
The defendant-appellant, Malachai DeBruce, filed this appeal 
from the Superior Court’s order dated April 5, 2018, denying his motion for 
correction of sentence.  DeBruce argues on appeal that the Superior Court’s 
February 7, 2018 order sentencing him for a violation of probation was illegal 
because the total sentence imposed exceeded the time remaining on his 
original sentence.  
 
2 
(2) 
In its answering brief, the State agrees that the total suspended 
portion of DeBruce’s original sentence was eighteen months and, thus, 
concedes that the Superior Court’s VOP sentence totaling twenty-seven 
months is illegal.  The State requests that this matter be remanded to the 
Superior Court with directions to correct its sentence by reducing the Level 
III portion of DeBruce’s VOP sentence from one year to three months.  We 
agree. 
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that the judgment of the 
Superior Court is REVERSED.  This matter is hereby REMANDED to the 
Superior Court to resentence DeBruce in accordance with this order.  
Jurisdiction is not retained. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BY THE COURT: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/ James T. Vaughn, Jr. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Justice