Case Title: Warren v. State

Citation: 

Docket Number: 543, 2012

State: delaware

Court: Delaware Supreme Court

Date: 2012-11-20T00:00:00Z

Document:
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
KEITH WARREN, 
 
Defendant Below- 
Appellant, 
 
v. 
 
STATE OF DELAWARE, 
 
Plaintiff Below- 
Appellee. 
§ 
§  No. 543, 2012 
§ 
§ 
§ 
§  Court Below─Superior Court 
§  of the State of Delaware, 
§  in and for Kent County 
§  Cr. ID 91K02432DI 
§ 
§ 
 
 
 
 
 
Submitted:  November 16, 2012 
 
 
 
 
  Decided:  November 20, 2012 
 
 
 
 
 
Before STEELE, Chief Justice, HOLLAND, and JACOBS, Justices. 
 
O R D E R 
 
This 20th day of November 2012, upon consideration of the appellant’s 
motion for remand and the State’s response thereto, it appears to the Court that: 
(1) 
The appellant, Keith Warren, filed this appeal, pro se,1 from the 
Superior Court’s order denying his second motion for postconviction relief.  
Warren argued to the Superior Court that his life sentence without the possibility of 
parole for a crime he committed at the age of 17 is unconstitutional in light of the 
United States Supreme Court’s recent decision in Miller v. Alabama, 132 S. Ct. 
                                                 
1 After the appeal was filed, Warren filed a motion for appointment of counsel, which this Court 
granted. 
2 
 
2455 (2012).  The Superior Court summarily dismissed Warren’s petition without 
considering the merits of his claim. 
(2) 
Warren’s newly-appointed counsel has filed a motion requesting the 
Court to remand this matter to the Superior Court to address, as a matter of first 
impression, whether the decision in Miller applies retroactively.  Counsel further 
argues that, if the Superior Court determines that Miller does apply retroactively, 
then Warren is entitled to an evidentiary hearing for a determination of the 
appropriate sentence in his case. 
(3) 
The State does not oppose the motion for remand.  
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that the motion for remand is 
GRANTED.  This matter shall be remanded to the Superior Court for consideration 
of whether Miller is retroactively applicable to Warren’s mandatory life sentence 
without parole.  Jurisdiction is not retained. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BY THE COURT: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/ Myron T. Steele 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Chief Justice