Title: Toth v. State

State: delaware

Issuer: Delaware Supreme Court

Document:

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
CHRISTOPHER TOTH,  
§ 
§ 
Defendant Below,  
§ 
Appellant,  
 
§ No. 167, 2002 
§ 
v. 
 
 
 
 
§ Court Below: Superior Court  
§ of the State of Delaware in and 
STATE OF DELAWARE, 
 
§ for Sussex County 
§ Cr. ID NO. 0107003212 
Plaintiff Below, 
 
§ 
Appellee. 
 
 
§ 
 
Submitted: September 4, 2002 
Decided: 
September 23, 2002 
 
Before VEASEY, Chief Justice, WALSH, and HOLLAND, Justices. 
 
 
O R D E R 
 
This 23rd day of September 2002 upon consideration of the briefs of the parties it 
appears to the Court that: 
(1) 
The appellant, Christopher Toth (“Toth”), appeals from his conviction in 
the Superior Court of assault third degree.  His sole contention on appeal is that the 
State was permitted to present improper rebuttal evidence involving a prior altercation 
between Toth and the victim of the assault.  Toth has neglected to provide a full 
transcript of the trial proceedings to permit this Court to fully evaluate his claim as 
required by Tricoche v. State, 525 A.2d 151, 154 (Del. 1987).   Nonetheless based on the 
 
 
2 
record evidence before us, we conclude that the State’s use of the prior confrontation 
was proper rebuttal.  The disputed evidence was not collateral to Toth’s defense that the 
assault resulted from  a spontaneous encounter with the victim. Accordingly, we affirm 
the conviction.  
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that the judgment of the Superior 
Court be, and the same hereby is, 
AFFIRMED. 
BY THE COURT: 
 
    s/Joseph T. Walsh   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
        Justice