State v. Chattin

• Court: Superior Court of Delaware
• Decided: March 17, 2026
• Docket: 1510013711A/B
• Status: Published

Opinion

THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE

STATE OF DELAWARE, ) ) v. ) I.D. No. 1510013711A&B ) JOSHUA CHATTIN, ) ) Defendant. )

Date Submitted: January 20, 2026 Date Decided: March 17, 2026

ORDER ON DEFENDANT’S APPLICATION FOR COMPASSIONATE RELEASE – SUMMARILY DENIED

IT IS SO ORDERED this 17th day of March, 2026, that Defendant’s

Application for Compassionate Release pursuant to 11 Del. C. § 4217, be

SUMMARILY DISMISSED.1

1. Following a conviction by a jury at trial,2 Chattin was sentenced on

December 2, 2016, to fifteen (15) years at Level V suspended after ten (10) years at

Level V for five (5) years at Level IV suspended after six (6) months at Level IV for

two (2) years at Level III probation for Possession of a Firearm by a Person

Prohibited; ten years at Level V suspended after two years at Level V for five years

at Level III for Drug Dealing; two years at Level V for Possession of a Deadly

1 11 Del. C. § 4217(b)(6). 2 State v. Joshua Chattin, Crim. I.D. No. 1510013711A, Docket Item (hereinafter “D.I.”) 28. Weapon During the Commission of a Felony; and two years at Level V suspended

for one year at Level III for Conspiracy Second.3 In total, Chattin was sentenced to

fourteen (14) years of unsuspended Level V incarceration.

2. On January 20, 2026, pursuant to 11 Del. C. § 4217, Chattin applied for

modification of his sentence seeking compassionate release.4 This newly enacted

avenue for sentence modification allows a certain classification of incarcerated

inmates to so move the Court under a limited and defined set of circumstances.5 This

Section permits summary dismissal of such applications when these strictly defined

circumstances are not met by the movant.6

3. Summary dismissal pursuant to 11 Del. C. § 4217(b)(6) is warranted

here in that Chattin, while having served over half of the imposed Level V of his

original sentence, did not provide a written statement from the Department of

Corrections.7

4. Further, summary dismissal, pursuant to 11 Del. C. § 4217(b)(6) is

warranted here in that Chattin was born in 1993, making him less than 60 years old.

Therefore, he can only qualify for compassionate release under this section if he has

3 State v. Joshua Chattin, Crim. I.D. No. 1510013711A&B, D.I. 35, 8, respectively. Chattin pled guilty to the Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited charge following his conviction in Crim. Act. No. 1510013711B. 4 D.I. 78-79 (1510013711A); 43-44 (1510013711B) 5 See generally, 11 Del. C. § 4217. 6 11 Del. C. § 4217(b)(6) 7 11 Del. C. § 4217(b)(5) c. served twenty five (25) years of his originally imposed sentence.8 Chattin was only

sentenced to 14 years of unsuspended Level V time, therefore he will never qualify

for relief under this statute.

5. Finally, Chattin is serving statutorily mandated terms of incarceration

at Level V for his convictions and has not yet served all of the statutorily mandated

portion of his sentence. This further disqualifies him from relief under § 4217.9

6. Chattin is therefore ineligible for relief under 11 Del. C. § 4217 and his

Application is SUMMARILY DISMISSED.

7. Because Chattin’s application lacks good cause, it invokes 11 Del. C. §

4217(c)(4). Chattin is therefore prohibited from refiling any subsequent application

for three (3) years, especially given that any future filing is futile.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

______________________________ The Honorable Danielle J. Brennan

Original to Criminal Prothonotary

Cc: Joshua Chattin (SBI: 00516356), Pro Se Department of Justice Heather Hamlet & Robert May, Department of Corrections

8 11 Del. C. § 4217(a)(3)c. 9 See 11 Del. C. § 4217(a)(5).