Supreme Court of Delaware

Defendant's death sentence is vacated where the trial judge's sentencing opinion, which stated that he was "directed" to give "great weight" to the jury's recommendation in his sentencing decision, was contrary to the strictures of Delaware's death-penalty statute.

Appellate Information

• Decided 08/19/2005
• Published 08/19/2005

Judges

• STEELE, Chief Justice:, Before STEELE, Chief Justice, HOLLAND, BERGER, JACOBS and RIDGELY, Justices, constituting the court en banc.

Court

• Supreme Court of Delaware

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Bernard J. O'Donnell, Office of the Public Defender, Wilmington, DE, for appellant.


• For Appellees:
  
• Paul Wallace (argued), Thomas E. Brown, Elizabeth R. McFarland and Gregory E. Smith, Department of Justice, Wilmington, DE, for appellee.