Title: Buchanan v. State
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: 545, 2014
State: Delaware
Issuer: Delaware Supreme Court
Date: November 21, 2014

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
DAVID BUCHANAN, 
 
 
Defendant Below- 
Appellant, 
 
v. 
 
STATE OF DELAWARE, 
 
Plaintiff Below- 
Appellee. 
§ 
§ 
§  No. 545, 2014 
§ 
§ 
§  Court Below—Superior Court 
§  of the State of Delaware, 
§  in and for Sussex County 
§  Cr. ID 0801031784 
§   
§ 
 
 
 
 
 
Submitted: October 8, 2014 
 
 
 
 
  Decided: November 21, 2014 
 
Before STRINE, Chief Justice, RIDGELY, and VALIHURA, Justices. 
 
O R D E R 
 
This 21st day of November 2014, after careful consideration of appellant David 
Buchanan’s opening brief and the State’s motion to affirm, we find it manifest that 
the judgment below should be affirmed on the basis of the Superior Court=s well-
reasoned decision dated September 16, 2014. The Superior Court did not err in 
summarily dismissing Buchanan’s fourth motion for postconviction relief because the 
motion failed to plead with particularity a claim that (i) new evidence exists that 
creates a strong inference that Buchanan is actually innocent; or (ii) a new rule of 
constitutional law made retroactive to cases on collateral review renders his 
convictions invalid.1 
                                                 
1 Del. Super. Ct. R. 61(d)(2) (effective June 4, 2014). 
 
2 
 
As the Superior Court noted, Buchanan’s petition restates the same arguments 
that he has raised in prior petitions.  We have invested considerable time detailing the 
reasons why these claims are barred.  We will not continue to invest scarce judicial 
resources to address his untimely, repetitive, previously adjudicated claims.  We 
encourage Buchanan to be mindful of Rule 61(j) before filing any further frivolous 
petitions in the Superior Court. 
 
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that the judgment of the Superior 
Court is AFFIRMED. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BY THE COURT: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/ Karen L. Valihura 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Justice