Melvin L. Morse, Defendant-Below, Appellant v. State of Delaware, Plaintiff-Below, Appellee

Summary

The Supreme Court of Delaware affirmed Melvin Morse’s convictions, holding that the Superior Court properly admitted evidence of his other abusive acts against his stepdaughter to prove intent, state of mind, and related permissible purposes under the rules governing other-acts evidence. The court also held that replaying the children’s recorded out-of-court statements once during deliberations did not constitute an abuse of discretion, that denying an unprepared transcript did not amount to plain error, and that no confrontation or due-process violation occurred. The court additionally criticized the prosecution’s suggestion that the jury request the recordings, while finding no reversible error; STRINE, Chief Justice, concurring, would require a more substantial justification for denying related trial testimony once the court permits selective replay of other evidence.