Supreme Court of Delaware

Velazquez v. State

February 25, 2015

Summary

The Supreme Court of Delaware affirmed the Superior Court’s judgment and eight-year Level V sentence imposed after declaring Velazquez a habitual offender. It held that escape after conviction is a violent felony and that, once the habitual-offender statute applied, the Superior Court was required to impose at least the statutory maximum for the qualifying offense, regardless of the SENTAC guidelines. The Court also concluded that the appeal was wholly without merit under its independent review of the record.