Court Opinion

ID: 9928949
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-02-01 17:03:16.508561+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T10:01:00.449089
License: Public Domain

IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE

STATE OF DELAWARE,                    )
                                      )
      v.                              )    I.D. No. 1101020478
                                      )
Robert R. Meades,                     )
                                      )
      Defendant.                      )

                                   ORDER

                         Submitted: January 22, 2024
                          Decided: February 1, 2024

      Upon Consideration of Motion for Correction of an Illegal Sentence,
                                 DENIED.

John Donahue, Esquire, Deputy Attorney General, Department of Justice,
Georgetown, Delaware, Attorney for the State of Delaware.

Robert R. Meades, James T. Vaughn Correctional Center, Georgetown, Delaware,
Pro Se.

CONNER, J.
        This 1st day of February, 2024, upon consideration of Defendant’s second

Superior Court Criminal Rule 35 motion, it appears to the Court that:

        1)       The Defendant, Robert R. Meades, filed a Motion for Correction of an

Illegal Sentence pursuant to Rule 35(a). It should also be noted he filed his fourth

Rule 61 motion on January 18, 2024. Both motions essentially allege he was not

competent to understand the plea proceedings. These claims were denied by this

Court in his first Rule 61 motion and subsequent Rule 61 motions.1

        2)       Rule 35(a) motions are limited to only allegations of errors with the

sentence itself.2 It “is not an appropriate means to argue alleged errors in the

underlying conviction.”3 Also, Rule 35(a) cannot be invoked to re-litigate his Rule

61 claims that were previously denied.4 The Court finds this is exactly what the

Defendant is attempting by filing this Rule 35(a) motion.

        Four the reasons stated above, the Defendant’s Rule 35(a) Motion to Correct

an Illegal Sentence is DENIED.

        IT IS SO ORDERED.

                                                          /s/ Mark H. Conner
                                                          Mark H. Conner, Judge

cc: Prothonotary

1
  State v. Robert Meades, 223 A.3d 416 (Del. 2019).
2
  Nichols v. State, 913 A.2d 570 (Del. 2006).
3
  Id.
4
  Laboy v. State, 871 A.2d 1128 (Del. 2005).
                                                      2