James E. Cooke, Defendant-Below, Appellant v. State of Delaware, Plaintiff-Below, Appellee

Summary

The Delaware Supreme Court affirmed Cooke’s convictions and death sentence after rejecting ten claims concerning access to counsel, self-representation, mitigation evidence, evidentiary rulings, jury impartiality, and proportionality review. The court held that Cooke received adequate access to counsel and preparation time, forfeited self-representation through repeated disruptive misconduct, and suffered no reversible error from the challenged evidentiary or jury rulings. The court also concluded that the death sentence was supported by the evidence, rationally imposed, and proportionate. No separate opinions were filed.