Taylor v. State

Summary

The Supreme Court of Delaware reversed Taylor’s convictions and remanded because counsel and the Superior Court improperly prevented him from withdrawing his guilty-but-mentally-ill plea before it was accepted. The court held that Taylor personally controlled that decision under the Sixth Amendment and that an unaccepted plea could be withdrawn for any reason. The court also held that the statutory hearing procedure did not constitute plain error and directed counsel and the court to address Taylor’s competency if mental illness raised a genuine competency concern.