State v. Meades

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).
2