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430 A.2d 481

Evans v. State

Supreme Court of Delaware

Decided May 12, 1981

Supreme Court of Delaware · decided 1981-05-12

Cited by 14 later decisions — most recently October 1986

14 state decisions

Key passage — most relied on by later courts

“Applying the rule of Albernaz to the instant case, we now hold that where the General Assembly intended, as we have found that it did in § 613(1) and § 1447, to impose multiple punishments for two offenses not satisfying the Blockburger test, imposition of two consecutive sentences by a court as a result of a single criminal trial does not violate the Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment.”

quoted by 1 later decision, including LeCompte v. State

““§ 1447. Possession of a deadly weapon during commission of a felony; class B felony, “(a) A person who is in possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony is guilty of possession of a deadly weapon during commission of a felony.””

quoted by 1 later decision, including Waters v. State

Relies on Albernaz v. United States · Hunter v. State · Hunter v. State

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1981-05-12

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

HERRMANN, Chief Justice:

¶1 This case is again before this Court after the prior judgment was vacated and the case remanded by the United States Supreme Court for “further consideration in light of Albernaz v. United States,” — U.S. —, 101 S.Ct. 1137, 67 L.Ed.2d 275 (March 9, 1981); Delaware v. Evans, - U.S. -, 101 S.Ct. 1689, 68 L.Ed.2d 190 (1981). The prior opinion of this Court in this case appears at 420 A.2d 1186 (1980). As will be seen there, Hunter v. State, Del.Supr., 420 A.2d 119 (1980) was considered controlling.

¶2 Today, the Hunter rules upon the issue of double jeopardy have been found by this Court to be in conflict with the recent pronouncements of the United States Supreme Court in Albernaz. See Hunter v. State, Del.Supr., 430 A.2d 476 (1981).

¶3 The rule of Albernaz has been stated as follows:

[T]he question of what punishments are constitutionally permissible is not different from the question of what punishment the Legislative Branch intended to be imposed. Where Congress intended, as it did here, to impose multiple punishment, imposition of such sentences does not violate the Constitution.”

¶4 101 S.Ct. at 1145 (footnote omitted).

¶5 In Hunter, as in the instant case, it was determined by this Court that the General Assembly intended to subject the defendant to multiple punishments for violation of 11 Del.C. § 1447 (possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony) and for the underlying felony or felonies. Following Albernaz, we concluded in Hunter that the legislative intent was determinative upon the issue of double jeopardy; that it follows therefrom that the imposition of two consecutive sentences upon the defendant as the result of a single trial for the two offenses, not satisfying the Bloekburger test, does not violate the Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment.

¶6 Accordingly, any statement contained in the previous opinion of this Court in the instant case, contrary to today’s opinion in Hunter, is hereby abandoned.

¶7 *

¶8 The judgment below now stands

¶9 AFFIRMED.

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