Opinion ID: 2197972
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Included Offenses Statute

Text: Delaware's criminal code prohibits a defendant from being convicted of two offenses when one of those offenses is an included offense of the other. [2] Under Title 11, section 206(b)(1), one offense is included in another offense if [i]t is established by the proof of the same or less than all the facts required to establish the commission of the offense charged. [3] In Lilly v. State, [4] this Court recognized that this statute is not limited exclusively to the standard `statutory elements' definition [5] because the other provisions of the statute, 11 Del. C. §§ 206(b)(2) and (b)(3), provide gap fillers to account for cases where there may be some dissimilarity in the elements necessary to prove the offense. [6] Fisher contends that his convictions for possession of cocaine and maintaining a dwelling fall within section 206(b)(1) because [t]he facts being so, the Defendant's possession of cocaine was `established by proof of the same or less than all of the facts required to establish the commission of [maintaining a dwelling ...].' Fisher's assertion that possession of cocaine is a lesser offense of maintaining a dwelling for keeping controlled substances is incorrect. This Court recently rejected the same argument, under the same plain error standard of review. [7]