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S T A T E OF D E L A W A R E

J ef f rey J C l a rk K ent C o unt y C o urt ho use J udg e 3 8 T he G reen

D o v er, D E 1 9 9 0 1

T el ep ho ne ( 3 0 2 ) 7 3 5

- 2 1 1 1

A pr i l 5, 2018

J as on C. Coh ee, E s q. A l ex an der F u n k

, E sq.

L i n d s ay T ay l or

, E s q. Cu r l ey & F u n k, L L C

Depar tm en t of J u s ti ce 250 B ei s er B l v d.

102 Wes t Water

S tr eet S u i te 2 02

Dov er

, Del awar e 19901 Dov er

, DE 19904- 7790

E dwar d C. Gi l l

, E s q.

L aw Of f i ce of E dwar d C. Gi l l & A s s oci ates

16 Nor t h B edf or d S tr eet

Geor g etown

, DE

RE: FI RS T DEGREE M U

RDER CAS

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S t ate v. Abdu l T

. W h ite

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S u

bm i tted: A pr i l 4, 2018

Deci ded: A

pr i l 5, 2018

Cou n s el :

T h i s m atter i s s et f

or s en ten ci n g on A p r il 1 0, 2018. T h e Cou r t r ecei v ed

Def en dan t A bdu l Wh i te’ s ( h er ei n af

t er “ Mr

. Wh i te’ s ”) m

oti on to com

pel on M ar ch 28,

2018 an d th e S tat e ’ s r e s p o n s e on A pr i l 4, 2018. I n h i s m

oti on

, Mr

. Wh i t e s eeks to

c o m p e l p r odu cti on of ev i den ce th at h e al l eg es i s ex cu l pator y an d th at th e S tate h as

r ef u sed t o pr o du ce. S peci f

i cal l y

, M r

. Wh i te s eeks pr odu cti on of i n f or m ati on r el ev an

tto t

h e S tate’ s F i r ear

m s I den ti f i cati on E x per t, Car l Ron e’ s, s u s p en s i on

, di s ci pl i n e, an d

r es i g n ati on f

r om S tate em

pl oy m en t. M r

. Wh i te ar g

u es th at th i s i n f

o r m a t ion i s

n eces s ar y to f i l e pos t

- tr i al m

oti o n s p r i or to h i s s en

ten ci n g

.

A f ter a two week t

r i al

, th e ju r y r etu r n ed i t s v er di ct o n Nov em

ber 2, 2017, f

i n di n g

M r

. W h it e gu i l ty of M u

r der i n th e F i r s t Deg r ee, as wel l as n u m er ou s oth er of

f en s es

s u r r ou n di n g a h om

e i n v as i o n

, weapon s pos s es s i on

, an d th e th r eaten i n g an d ki dn api n g

of m u l t i pl e v i cti m s

. I n i ts wr i tten r es pon s e, th e S tate r epr es en ts th at i t di d n ot l ear

n of

th e inv es ti g ati on r eg ar di n g M r

. Ron e u n ti l J an u ar y 19, 2018, m

or e t h an two m

on th s

af ter th e v er di ct. T h e S t ate al s o r epr e s e n t s th at i t h as n o def i n i ti v e an s wer to M r

.

Wh i te’ s i n qu i r

y b ecau s e th e i n

v es ti g ati on h as n ot con cl u ded. M or eov er

, th e S tate h as

n ot r epr es e nt ed th at i t wi l l r ef u s e to v ol

u n tar i l y pr odu ce i n f

or m ati on r eg ar di n g t

h e

i n v es ti g ati on on ce i t i s con cl u d ed. Rath er

, th e S tate al l eg es th at i t i s n o t ye t in a

pos i ti on to deter

m i n e i f ex cu l

p ator y i n f or m ati o n ex i s t s

.

Wi th r eg ar d to th e appl i cabi l i ty of t h i s i n f o r m ati on to p os t- tr i al m

o t i on s

, M r

.

Wh i te h as n ot adequ atel y s et f or th a bas i s to con s id e r s uc h i s s u es pr i or to h i s

s en t en ci n g

. T h e on l y backg r ou n d av ai l abl e to th e C o ur

t at th i s poi n

t r eg ar di n g an

y

pos s i bl e m

oti on s i n cl u des i ts own obs er v ati o n s of th e t

r i al

. Of n ote, M r

. Ron e, t h e

s u bject of th e i n qu i r

y

, di d n ot tes ti f

y at tr i al

. Rath er

, M r

. Wh i te i n tr odu ced h i s r epor

t

( j oi n tl y wi th th e S tate) th

r ou g h a s ti

p u l ati on between th e par

t i es

. M or eov er

, Mr

. Wh i te

r el i ed u pon M r

. Ron e’ s r epor

t wh en ar g

u i n g th at h e di d n ot f

i r e th e s h o t th at ki l l ed t

h e

m u r der v i cti m

, Mr

. H ar

m on

. Gi v en th i s ev i den

ti ar y backg r ou

n d, wi th ou

t f u r th er

s u ppor t, t h e Cou r t decl i n es to s pecu l ate as to wh at pos t- t r i al i s s u es M r

. Wh i te wi l l

r ai se.

Un der th e cir c um s t an ces of th i s cas e, s i n ce M r

. Wh i te ci t es n o au th o r i t y

s u ppor ti n g h i s appl i cati on an d m er el y ar g u es t h at ex cu l pator y ev i den ce m ay ex i s t th at

2ju s ti f

i es a n ew tr i al

, h i s m

oti o n i s n o t av ai l i n g at th i s s tag e. F u r th er m o r e, th e Cou

r t i s

n ot con v i n ced th at pr o c eedi n g wi th s en ten ci n g wi l l pr eju di ce M r

. Wh i t e’ s r i g h ts to

ch al l en g e th e ju

r y ’ s v er di ct. N am el y

, w e ar e w ell beyond th e s ev en day deadl i n e f or

f i l i n g a m oti on f or a n ew tr i al bas ed on m

os t g r ou n ds

. 1 W e ar e al s o w ell les s than t h e

two y ear d eadl i n e af

ter “ f i n al j u dg m en

t” f or f i l i n g a m oti on bas ed o n n ewl y di s cov er ed

ev i den ce. 2 A ccor di n g l y

, p os t pon i n g s en

ten ci n g i n thi s cas e w i l l n ot i m pact M r

.

Whit e ’ s r ig h

ts to p u r s u e oth er av en

u es to ch al l en g e h i s con

v i cti on th r ou g h pos t- tr i al

m oti on s, a di r ect appeal

, or col l ater al pr oceedi n g s

.

A ccor di n g l y

, s i n ce n o g ood cau s e ex i s ts f or a del ay i n s ent e n ci n g

, i t wi l l

pr oceed on A

pr i l 10, 2018 as s ch edu l ed. M r

. Wh i te’ s m oti on to com

pel i s DE NI E D

wi t h ou t pr eju di ce to be r ai sed af

ter s en ten ci n g

, i f des i r ed, p r ov i ded i t i s s u ppor ted by

adequ ate au

th or i ty an d i s o th er

wi s e pr ocedu

r al l y appr opr i ate.

I T I S S O O RDERED

/s /J ef f r ey J Cl ar k

J u dg e

1 Super

. C t

. C r i

m

. R

. 33.

2 I d.

3