Opinion ID: 1934571
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: monroe's waiver is excused

Text: As an initial matter, the State argues that Monroe waived his insufficiency of evidence claims by failing to move timely for a judgment of acquittal in the Superior Court. Though we find that Monroe did waive his insufficiency claims, we hold that the waiver should be excused under the circumstances of this case. A motion for judgment of acquittal must be presented either before a case is submitted to a jury or within seven days of the jury's discharge. Super.Ct.Crim.R. 29 (Rule 29). A claim of insufficiency of evidence is reviewable only if the defendant first presented it to the trial court, either in a motion for a directed verdict or a Rule 29 motion for judgment of acquittal. Absent any such motion, the claim is waived. Gordon v. State, Del.Supr., 604 A.2d 1367, 1368 (1992); see Supr.Ct.R. 8 (Rule 8). This Court may excuse a waiver, however, if it finds that the trial court committed plain error requiring review in the interests of justice. Supr.Ct.R. 8; e.g., Davis v. State, Del.Supr., No. 283, 1993, slip op. at 2-3, 1994 WL 10980, Moore, J. (Jan. 12, 1994) (ORDER). In the instant case, Monroe did not move for a directed verdict or a judgment of acquittal. Rule 8, however, requires only that a question[] [be] fairly presented to the trial court[.] Supr.Ct.R. 8. Monroe presented the insufficiency claim to the trial court in his post-conviction motion under Superior Court Criminal Procedure Rule 61. In that motion, he sought relief from his counsel's failure to heed his request to file an appeal within the time-frame provided for in Supreme Court Rule 6(a)(ii) (Rule 6(a)(ii)). [5] In granting relief from the dereliction of Monroe's trial counsel, the Superior Court renewed the time to file a direct appeal. Such renewal, however, placed Monroe in only as good a position as he would have been absent the trial counsel's dereliction with regard to the filing of the appeal. See Dixon v. State, Del.Supr., 581 A.2d 1115, 1117 (1990). Though the Superior Court granted Monroe a fresh opportunity to meet the requirements of Rule 6(a)(ii), which he did, the failure to move originally for a judgment of acquittal under the time-frame provided for in Rule 29 was not excused. Nonetheless, the Court finds that, in view of its holding infra that Monroe would have been entitled to an entry of a judgment of acquittal if that motion had been made at the conclusion of the State's case, the interests of justice require that we review Monroe's claims on a plain error scope of review. See, e.g., Davis, slip op. at 2-3.