Title: Marvel v. State
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: 347, 2013
State: Delaware
Issuer: Delaware Supreme Court
Date: August 23, 2013

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
LARRY D. MARVEL,  
 
Defendant Below, 
Appellant, 
 
v. 
 
STATE OF DELAWARE,  
 
Plaintiff Below, 
Appellee. 
§ 
§  No. 347, 2013 
§ 
§ 
§  Court Below─Superior Court 
§  of the State of Delaware, 
§  in and for New Castle County 
§  Cr. ID No. 0510007925 
§ 
§ 
§ 
 
Submitted: July 11, 2013 
 
 
 
 
Decided: August 23, 2013 
 
Before BERGER, JACOBS and RIDGELY, Justices. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
O R D E R  
 
 
This 23rd day of August 2013, upon consideration of the appellant’s 
opening brief and the appellee’s motion to affirm pursuant to Supreme Court 
Rule 25(a), it appears to the Court that: 
 
(1) The defendant-appellant, Larry D. Marvel, appeals from the 
Superior Court’s June 3, 2013 order adopting the April 18, 2013 report of 
the Superior Court Commissioner, which recommended that Marvel’s 
second motion for postconviction relief pursuant to Superior Court Criminal 
Rule 61 be denied.1  The plaintiff-appellee, the State of Delaware, has 
                                                 
1 DEL. CODE ANN. tit. 10, § 512(b); SUPER. CT. CRIM. R. 62. 
 
2
moved to affirm the Superior Court’s judgment on the ground that it is 
manifest on the face of the opening brief that this appeal is without merit.2  
We agree and affirm. 
 
(2) The record reflects that, in May 2006, Marvel was found guilty 
by a Superior Court jury of Criminal Solicitation in the Second Degree and 
Conspiracy in the Second Degree.  He was sentenced as a habitual offender 
to life in prison plus 2 years at Level V.3  This Court affirmed Marvel’s 
convictions on direct appeal.4   
 
(3) Since that time, Marvel has unsuccessfully pursued three motions 
for correction of an illegal sentence, federal petitions for habeas corpus relief 
as well as a previous motion for postconviction relief.  This Court affirmed 
the Superior Court’s denial of Marvel’s previous postconviction motion.5 
 
(4) In this appeal, Marvel asserts several claims that may fairly be 
summarized as follows:  The Superior Court incorrectly denied Marvel’s 
postconviction motion because he has a constitutional entitlement to the 
appointment of counsel to pursue his claims of ineffective assistance with 
                                                 
2 SUPR. CT. R. 25(a). 
3 See DEL. CODE ANN. tit. 11, § 4214(a). 
4 Marvel v. State, 2007 WL 2713271 (Del. Sept. 18, 2007). 
5 Marvel v. State, 2008 WL 4151830 (Del. Sept. 10, 2008). 
 
3
respect to his trial counsel.  Marvel requests that, under Superior Court 
Criminal Rule 61(i)(5), this Court “reinstate” his first postconviction 
proceedings and appoint counsel to pursue his claims of ineffective 
assistance with respect to his trial counsel. 
 
(5) Postconviction proceedings, as outlined in Rule 61, contain no 
procedure for the “reinstatement” of a previous postconviction motion.  
Moreover, we discern no legal or factual basis for Marvel’s claim of a 
constitutional entitlement to the appointment of counsel to assist him in 
prosecuting ineffective assistance claims against his trial counsel in 
connection with his second postconviction motion.  Marvel asserted claims 
of ineffective assistance in his first postconviction motion, which were 
thoroughly addressed by the Superior Court.  He waived those claims on 
appeal by failing to assert them.6 Any ineffectiveness claims by Marvel in 
these proceedings are procedurally barred.7 
 
(6) It is manifest on the face of the opening brief that this appeal is 
without merit because the issues presented on appeal are controlled by 
settled Delaware law and, to the extent that judicial discretion is implicated, 
there was no abuse of discretion. 
                                                 
6 Id. 
7 SUPER. CT. CRIM. R. 61(i)(1) and (4). 
 
4
 
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that the State’s motion to 
affirm is GRANTED.  The judgment of the Superior Court is AFFIRMED. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BY THE COURT: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/ Jack B. Jacobs 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
       Justice