Court Opinion

ID: 9928950
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-02-01 17:03:17.742092+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T10:05:33.568737
License: Public Domain

SUPERIOR COURT
                                  OF THE
                            STATE OF DELAWARE
MARK H. CONNER                                                  Sussex County Courthouse
JUDGE                                                                  1 The Circle, Suite 2
                                                                    Georgetown, DE 19947

                                       February1, 2024

Robert R. Meades
SBI# 00124648
James T. Vaughn Correctional Center
1181 Paddock Road
Smyrna, DE 19977

      RE: State v. Robert R. Meades
          Def. ID# 1101020478
          Motion for Postconviction Relief

Dear Mr. Meades,

      This is my decision on your fourth motion for postconviction relief. On

January 4th, 2012, you plead guilty to two (2) counts of Robbery in the First Degree

and one (1) count of Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a

Felony. Your motion requests this Court withdraw your guilty plea and appoint you

counsel. You seek this relief on three grounds: (1) due process and equal protection

violations; (2) prosecutorial misconduct and due process violations; and (3)

ineffective assistance of counsel and due process violations.

      As you should know from your prior filings with this court, “[w]hen faced

with a claim for postconviction relief I must first determine whether any procedural
bars prevent a consideration on the merits of any underlying arguments.”1 Superior

Court Criminal Rule 61(d)(2) mandates that:

       [a] second or subsequent motion under this rule shall be summarily
       dismissed, unless the movant was convicted after a trial and the motion
       either: (i) pleads with particularity that new evidence exists that creates
       a strong inference that the movant is actually innocent in fact of the acts
       underlying the charges of which he was convicted; or (ii) pleads with
       particularity a claim that a new rule of constitutional law, made
       retroactive to cases on collateral review by the United States Supreme
       Court or the Delaware Supreme Court, applies to the movant's case and
       renders the conviction or death sentence invalid.2

This is a subsequent motion for postconviction relief under Rule 61 (your fourth).

You entered a guilty plea to the charges. Consequently, Rule 61 commands that your

motion be summarily dismissed. Put another way, I am not permitted under Rule 61

to consider your fourth motion for postconviction relief on its merits. As such, your

fourth motion for postconviction relief is SUMMARILY DISMISSED. Your

request for appointment of counsel is therefore DENIED. IT IS SO ORDERED.

                                            Sincerely,

                                            /s/ Mark H. Conner

                                            Mark H. Conner
                                            Judge

cc: Prothonotary
    John Donahue, DAG

1
  State v. Meades, 2019 WL 4034352 (Del. Super. Ct. Aug. 26, 2019), aff'd, 223 A.3d 416 (Del.
2019); Younger v. State, 580 A.2d 552, 554 (Del. 1990).
2
  Superior Court Criminal Rule 61(d)(2).

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