Clanton v. State ( 2017 )

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE
HERBERT CLANTON, §
§ No. 277, 2016
Defendant Below- §
Appellant, §
§
v. § Court Below—Superior Court
§ of the State of Delaware
STATE OF DELAWARE, §
§ Cr. ID 1411018085
Plaintiff Below- §
Appellee. §
Submitted: October 20, 2016
Decided: January 12, 2017
Before VALIHURA, VAUGHN, and SEITZ, Justices.
ORDER
This 12th day of January 2017, upon consideration of the appellant's
Supreme Court Rule 26(c) brief, his attorney's motion to withdraw, and the State's
response thereto, it appears to the Court that:
(1) In February 2016, a Superior Court jury found the defendant-
appellant, Herbert Clanton, guilty of Burglary in the Second Degree, Kidnapping
in the Second Degree, and Strangulation. The jury acquitted Clanton of Home
Invasion and Rape in the Second Degree. The Superior Court sentenced Clanton
as a habitual offender on his kidnapping and burglary convictions to a total period
of twenty-three years at Level V imprisonment. Additionally, the Superior Court
sentenced Clanton on his strangulation conviction to five years at Level V
imprisonment, to be suspended for two years at Level III probation. This is
Clanton’s direct appeal.
(2) Clanton’s counsel on appeal has filed a brief and a motion to
withdraw under Rule 26(c). Clanton’s counsel asserts that, based upon a complete
and careful examination of the record, there are no arguably appealable issues. By
letter, Clanton’s attorney informed him of the provisions of Rule 26(c) and
provided Clanton with a copy of the motion to withdraw and the accompanying
brief. Clanton also was informed of his right to supplement his attorney's
presentation.
(3) In response to his counsel’s motion and brief, Clanton raised three
issues for this Court's consideration. First, he contends that the prosecutor engaged
in misconduct by presenting inconsistent evidence to the jury. Second, he asserts
that the Superior Court relied upon inaccurate information in sentencing him.
Third, he contends that the State engaged in an illegal search of his cell phone
before obtaining a search warrant. The State has responded to Clanton’s points, as
well as to the position taken by Clanton’s counsel, and has moved to affirm the
Superior Court's judgment.
(4) The standard and scope of review applicable to the consideration of a
motion to withdraw and an accompanying brief under Rule 26(c) is twofold: (a)
this Court must be satisfied that defense counsel has made a conscientious
2
examination of the record and the law for arguable claims; and (b) this Court must
conduct its own review of the record and determine whether the appeal is so totally
devoid of at least arguably appealable issues that it can be decided without an
adversary presentation.1
(5) The evidence presented by the State at trial reflects the following
version of events: On the morning on November 29, 2014, Clanton accosted the
victim, who was his ex-girlfriend, as she was leaving her apartment to go to work.
He forced her back into the apartment, where he kept her against her will for
several hours. He slapped the victim and choked her causing her to lose
consciousness. At one point during the ordeal, he slammed the victim up against
the wall causing damage to the wall. He forced her to call her employer to explain
that she would not be reporting to work that day. Two neighbors heard the victim
screaming and begging her assailant not to kill her. One of the neighbors called
police.
(6) The officer who arrived at the apartment did not hear any noise
coming from inside. He knocked on the door, but Clanton would not allow the
victim to answer. The officer left. In order to escape, the victim convinced
Clanton that she wanted to be with him again, and she engaged in sexual
intercourse with him. Eventually, Clanton left the apartment around 3 PM. The
1
Penson v. Ohio, 488 U.S. 75, 83 (1988); McCoy v. Court of Appeals of Wisconsin, 486 U.S.
429, 442 (1988); Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738, 744 (1967).
3
victim ran to a neighbor’s apartment where she called 911. The jury acquitted
Clanton of Rape in the Second Degree and Home Invasion but convicted him of
the remaining charges.
(7) The first issue that Clanton raises on appeal is a claim of prosecutorial
misconduct. Clanton contends that the prosecutor knowingly allowed the victim to
present inconsistent testimony. Clanton, however, did not raise any objection to
the prosecutor’s conduct at trial. Accordingly, because no objection was raised, we
will review this claim for plain error only.2 Plain error exists when the error
complained of is apparent on the face of the record and is so prejudicial to a
defendant’s substantial rights as to jeopardize the integrity and fairness of the trial.3
The burden of persuasion is on the defendant to show prejudice.4
(8) In this case, Clanton does not allege, and the record does not reflect in
any way, that the prosecutor induced the victim or coached her improperly to
testify as she did. To the extent that the victim gave testimony that was
inconsistent with other evidence, it was the jury’s responsibility to judge the
credibility of the witnesses and to resolve any conflicts in the evidence.5 To the
extent there were any discrepancies in the victim’s testimony, it was entirely within
2
Del. R. Evid. 103(d).
3
Wainwright v. State, 504 A.2d 1096, 1100 (Del. 1986).
4
Brown v. State, 897 A.2d 748, 753 (Del. 2006).
5
Tyre v. State, 412 A.2d 326, 330 (Del. 1980).
4
the jury's purview to credit part of her testimony while rejecting other parts.6
Under the circumstances, Clanton has not met his burden of showing any
prejudice.
(9) Clanton’s second claim is the Superior Court improperly relied upon
the victim’s inconsistent statements at sentencing. As a general rule, this Court’s
review of a sentence is limited to ascertaining whether the sentence is within the
statutory limits.7 If a sentence is within the statutory range of authorized
sentences, this Court will not find error or abuse unless it is clear from the record
that the sentencing court relied upon demonstrably false information or
information lacking a minimum indicia of reliability. 8 In this case, there is nothing
in the record to reflect that the judge relied upon false or unreliable information in
sentencing Clanton as a habitual offender. Clanton’s habitual offender status is
supported by the evidence, and his sentence is authorized under the habitual
offender statute.9 Under the circumstances, we find no merit to this claim.
(10) Clanton’s final claim is that the police searched his cell phone before
obtaining a search warrant. The record, however, does not support the factual
basis for Clanton’s assertion. The record reflects that Clanton was arrested on
6
Pryor v. State, 453 A.2d 98, 100 (Del. 1982).
7
Siple v. State, 701 A.2d 79, 83 (Del. 1997).
8
See Fink v. State, 817 A.2d 781, 790 (Del. 2002).
9
11 Del. C. § 4214(a).
5
December 4, 2012. Two months after his arrest, the police obtained a search
warrant for his cell phone. Although Clanton asserts that the police conducted a
cursory search of his phone before obtaining the warrant, there is simply nothing in
the record to support his claim. Moreover, Clanton did not raise this argument
below by filing a motion to suppress the fruits of the cell phone search. In the
absence of plain error, which we do not find, Clanton has waived this claim on
appeal.10
(11) This Court has reviewed the record carefully and has concluded that
Clanton’s appeal is wholly without merit and devoid of any arguably appealable
issue. We also are satisfied that Clanton’s counsel has made a conscientious effort
to examine the record and the law and has properly determined that Clanton could
not raise a meritorious claim in this appeal.
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that the State's motion to affirm is
GRANTED. The judgment of the Superior Court is AFFIRMED. The motion to
withdraw is moot.
BY THE COURT:
/s/ James T. Vaughn, Jr.
Justice
10
Del. Supr. Ct. R. 8.
6