Case Title: Gibbs v. State

Citation: 

Docket Number: 673, 2010

State: delaware

Court: Delaware Supreme Court

Date: 2011-04-12T00:00:00Z

Document:
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
MYRON GIBBS, 
 
 
Defendant Below- 
Appellant, 
 
v. 
 
STATE OF DELAWARE, 
 
Plaintiff Below- 
Appellee. 
§ 
§ 
§  No. 673, 2010 
§ 
§ 
§  Court Below—Superior Court 
§  of the State of Delaware, 
§  in and for New Castle County 
§  C.A. No. N10M-10-019 
§   
§ 
 
 
 
 
 
Submitted:  March 25, 2011 
 
 
 
 
  Decided:  April 12, 2011 
 
Before STEELE, Chief Justice, HOLLAND, and RIDGELY, Justices. 
 
O R D E R 
 
This 12th day of April 2011, upon consideration of the parties’ briefs 
and the record below, it appears to the Court that: 
(1) 
The appellant, Myron Gibbs, filed this appeal from the Superior 
Court’s denial of his petition for a writ of habeas corpus.  The record reflects 
that a Superior Court jury convicted Gibbs of second degree rape, fourth 
degree rape, and offensive touching.  The Superior Court sentenced him on 
September 17, 2010.  His counsel filed a direct appeal, which is pending 
before this Court.  On September 2, 2010, Gibbs filed, pro se, a petition for 
habeas corpus relief, which the Superior Court denied.  This appeal 
followed. 
 
2
(2) 
After careful consideration of the parties’ respective positions 
on appeal, we find it manifest that the judgment of the Superior Court should 
be affirmed.  In Delaware, the writ of habeas corpus is very limited and only 
provides relief to obtain judicial review of the jurisdiction of the court 
ordering the prisoner’s commitment.1  In this case, the Superior Court’s 
commitment of Gibbs is valid on its face, and Gibbs is being held pursuant 
to that valid commitment.2  Thus, there is no basis for a writ of habeas 
corpus.  The issues that Gibbs attempts to raise in this appeal are matters that 
should be raised in the context of his direct appeal. 
 NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that the judgment of the 
Superior Court is AFFIRMED. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BY THE COURT: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/ Myron T. Steele 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Chief Justice 
                                                 
1 Hall v. Carr, 692 A.2d 888, 891 (Del. 1997). 
2 DEL. CODE ANN. tit. 10, § 6902(1) (1999).