Title: Whitfield v. State
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: 521, 2013
State: Delaware
Issuer: Delaware Supreme Court
Date: December 13, 2013

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
MUSTAFA WHITFIELD, 
 
§ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
§ 
No. 521, 2013 
 
Defendant Below,  
 
§ 
 
Appellant,  
 
 
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Court Below—Superior Court 
 
 
 
 
 
 
§ 
of the State of Delaware in and   
v. 
 
 
 
 
§ 
for New Castle County 
 
 
 
 
 
§ 
STATE OF DELAWARE, 
 
§ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
§ 
 
Plaintiff Below, 
 
 
§ 
Cr. ID No. 0210009174  
 
Appellee. 
 
 
 
§  
 
Submitted: December 2, 2013 
Decided: 
December 13, 2013 
 
Before HOLLAND, JACOBS and RIDGELY, Justices. 
 
O R D E R 
 
This 13th day of December 2013, it appears to the Court that: 
(1) 
On August 15, 2013, the appellant, Mustafa Whitfield, was 
charged in the Superior Court with violation of probation (“VOP”) in Cr. ID 
No. 0210009174.  On October 1, 2013, Whitfield filed a notice of appeal 
stating that he “intends to appeal” the August 30, 2013 “conviction of guilt” 
in that case.  Upon receipt of the notice of appeal, the Clerk issued a notice 
directing that Whitfield show cause why the appeal should not be dismissed 
2 
 
due to the Court’s lack of jurisdiction to entertain a criminal interlocutory 
appeal.1 
(2) 
On October 28, 2013, Whitfield filed a response to the notice to 
show cause, and on December 2, 2013, the State filed an answer to 
Whitfield’s response.  In its answer, the State informs the Court that the 
August 30, 2013 VOP hearing in Whitfield’s case was continued until 
November 22, 2013.  On that date, Whitfield was adjudged guilty of VOP 
and sentenced to two years and eleven months at Level V suspended after 
104 days for two years of probation. 
(3) 
Under the Delaware Constitution, only a final judgment may be 
reviewed by this Court in a criminal case.2  A criminal conviction does not 
become final, and this Court does not, therefore, have jurisdiction to 
entertain an appeal from that conviction, until sentence is imposed.3  
Because Whitfield had not yet been sentenced October 1, 2013 when he filed 
                                          
 
1 Brown v. State, 2012 WL 4466314 (Del. Sept. 26, 2012) (citing State v. Cooley, 430 
A.2d 789, 791 (Del. 1981)). 
2 See Blake v. State, 2012 WL 566417 (Del. Feb. 21, 2012) (citing Del. Const. art. IV, § 
11(1)(b); Gottlieb v. State, 697 A.2d 400, 401-02 (Del. 1997)). 
3 Hunter v. State, 209 A.2d 469, 470 (Del. 1965). 
3 
 
his notice of appeal, his appeal is interlocutory, and this Court has no 
jurisdiction to consider it.4 
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED, pursuant to Supreme Court 
Rule 29(b), that this appeal is DISMISSED. 
  
 
 
 
 
BY THE COURT: 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/ Randy J. Holland 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Justice 
                                          
 
4 The Court notes that if Whitfield intends to appeal the November 22, 2013 VOP 
conviction, he must file the notice of appeal within thirty days of sentencing, i.e., on or 
before December 23, 2013, for the appeal to be effective.  Del. Supr. Ct. R. 6(a)(ii).