Opinion ID: 2052708
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Retroactive Application of Delaware's Revised Death Penalty Statute

Text: Dawson next asserts that application of the 1991 Delaware death penalty statute to punish Dawson for crimes committed in 1988 constitutes an impermissible ex post facto law, in contravention of the United States Constitution, art. I, § 10. This argument was raised and rejected in State v. Cohen, Del.Supr., 604 A.2d 846, 852-55 (1992). This Court has ruled that the Cohen decision is applicable to Dawson's case. Dawson II, 637 A.2d at 60-61. Thus, Dawson is procedurally barred by Rule 61(i)(4) from reasserting this claim. Dawson has failed to demonstrate that subsequent legal developments have revealed that the trial court lacked the authority to convict or punish him. Flamer, 585 A.2d at 746. This claim was, therefore, properly rejected.