Title: Miller v. State

State: delaware

Issuer: Delaware Supreme Court

Document:

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
SYLVESTER MILLER,  
 
§  
 
 
 
 
 
 
§ 
No. 337, 2018 
 
Defendant Below,  
 
§ 
 
Appellant,  
 
 
§ 
Court Below:  Superior Court of the 
 
 
 
 
 
 
§ 
State of Delaware 
 
v. 
 
 
 
 
§ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
§ 
Cr. ID No. 0408012099 (N) 
STATE OF DELAWARE, 
 
§ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
§ 
 
Plaintiff Below, 
 
 
§ 
 
Appellee. 
 
 
 
§ 
 
Submitted: July 9, 2018 
Decided: 
July 17, 2018 
 
Before STRINE, Chief Justice; SEITZ and TRAYNOR, Justices. 
 
O R D E R 
 
(1) 
The appellant, Sylvester Miller, is incarcerated at the James T. Vaughn 
Correctional Center.  On June 29, 2018, Miller filed a notice of appeal from the 
Superior Court’s order of May 29, 2018, denying his fourth motion for 
postconviction relief.  Miller’s appeal was untimely filed.  To be timely filed, the 
notice of appeal had to be received by the Clerk of Court no later than June 28, 2018.1 
 
(2) 
The Clerk issued a notice directing Miller to show cause why the 
appeal should not be dismissed as untimely filed.2  Miller filed a response to the 
notice, asserting that he mailed the notice of appeal from the prison on June 22, 
                                          
 
1 Del. Sup. Ct. R. 6(a)(iii), 10(a), 11(a).  
2 Del. Sup. Ct. R. 29(b). 
2 
 
2018.  He contends that any delay in the Court’s receipt of the appeal must be due 
to “some problem with the mail room in the institution” where he is incarcerated. 
 
(3) 
A notice of appeal must be received by the Clerk within the applicable 
time period to be effective.3    An untimely appeal cannot be considered unless an 
appellant can demonstrate that the failure to timely file the notice of appeal is 
attributable to court-related personnel.4  
(4) 
Miller does not contend, and the record does not reflect, that his failure 
to file a timely notice of appeal is attributable to court-related personnel.5  
Consequently, this case does not fall within the exception to the general rule that 
mandates the timely filing of a notice of appeal. 
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED, under Supreme Court Rules 6 and 
29(b), that the appeal is DISMISSED. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BY THE COURT: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/ Gary F. Traynor 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Justice 
                                          
 
3 Del. Sup. Ct. R. 10(a). 
4 Bey v. State, 402 A.2d 362, 363 (Del. 1979). 
5 Zuppo v. State, 2011 WL 761523 (Del. March 3, 2011) (holding that prison personnel were not 
court-related personnel so that any delay allegedly caused by prison personnel in placing 
defendant's notice of appeal in the mail could not excuse an untimely appeal).