State v. Massey

CourtSuperior Court of Delaware
DecidedJuly 17, 2024
Docket2108001587A
StatusPublished

This text of State v. Massey (State v. Massey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Delaware primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Massey, (Del. Ct. App. 2024).

Opinion

IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE

STATE OF DELAWARE ) ) ) Def. I.D. # 2108001587A v. ) ) ) RHANDY D. MASSEY, ) ) Defendant. )

Submitted: July 2, 2024 Decided: July 17, 2024

Upon Remand from the Supreme Court of Delaware for Evidentiary Hearing

OPINION

Rebecca E. Anderson, Esquire, Deputy Attorney General, Department of Justice, 13 The Circle, Georgetown, DE 19947; Attorney for State of Delaware.

John R. Garey, Esquire, 48 The Green, Dover, DE 19901; Attorney for Defendant Rhandy Massey.

KARSNITZ, R. J.

1 I. PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Rhandy D. Massey (“Defendant”) was charged with multiple criminal

offenses1 stemming from allegations made by his two minor daughters, M.M. and

L.M., of sexual abuse.

On Friday, January 20, 2023, two days before trial, Defendant submitted a

motion (the “3508 Motion”) pursuant to 11 Del. C. § 3508 (commonly called the

“Rape Shield Statute”), requesting an in camera hearing to determine the

admissibility of prior sexual conduct, more fully described below, pertaining to

the alleged victims in this matter, L.M. and M.M. Defendant's motion initially

addressed three prior allegations: (1) an allegation made by both girls against their

half-brother, Nathan Massey, (2) statements by a babysitter about sexual contact

between the girls themselves, and (3) an allegation made by the girls against

Defendant unrelated to the current charges. The key issue prior to trial became

allegation (1). The State filed its response via email on Sunday, January 22, 2023.

I addressed the motion on Monday, January 23, 2023, in a pre-trial hearing before

1 First Degree Rape, victim under 12; Second Degree Rape, victim under 12; two counts of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child; two counts of Sexual Solicitation of a Child; five counts of Unlawful Sexual Contact, victims under 13; and three counts of Second Degree Sexual Abuse of a Child by a Person in a Position of Trust.

2 jury selection began. I denied the 3508 Motion, stating:

I’m going to deny your request to delve into this information … When I look at the standards set forth for me … in Bailey,2 I just don’t think you have sufficient evidence that this was false, and I think you have to have that because … I don’t really think this is a Rape Shield question, it’s kind of related to it but not exactly it, but it’s a question of whether that kind of questioning should be allowed, and I think that there’s a level that you have to have to be able to allow this kind of evidence that you don’t have here. [The judge in Bailey] uses the clear and convincing standard and I don’t think you’ve met that standard, and I think we would end up trying the case against the half brother if we would allow this to come into evidence. So … I’m going to deny your motion with respect to all of the allegations you’ve alleged in this particular motion.3

At the conclusion of a four-day jury trial, on January 27, 2023, Defendant

was convicted of all charges. On February 6, 2023, Defendant filed a motion

requesting a new trial pursuant to Delaware Superior Court Criminal Rule 33 (the

“Rule 33 Motion”). In support of the Motion, Defendant argued, inter alia, that I

used an incorrect legal standard in denying Defendant's 3508 Motion by not

applying Bryant v. State.4 I denied the Rule 33 Motion on March 7, 2023.

On March 27, 2023, I sentenced Defendant to a total of 119 years of

incarceration.

2 State v. Bailey, 1996 WL 587721 (Del. Super. Sept. 12, 1996). 3 Transcript of Motion, Monday, Jan. 23, 2023, at 26-27. 4 734 A.2d 157 (Del. 1999). 3 Defendant filed a direct appeal to the Delaware Supreme Court and filed

an opening brief, asserting, inter alia, that I erred by denying his 3508 Motion for

an in camera proceeding to allow him to determine the relevancy or the truth or

falsity of the complaining witnesses’ prior allegations of sexual abuse, and

excluding evidence of past incidents of a sexual nature pertaining to the

complaining witnesses to show that they had prior sexual knowledge.

In connection with his appeal, Defendant filed a motion to remand this case

to me (the “Defense Remand Motion”) for the resolution of his motion to release

the presentence investigation report (the “PSI Report”) to him. In his interview

with the PSI investigator, Defendant disclosed that one daughter had previously

accused her cousin, A.M., of another incident of sexual abuse. The PSI

investigator subsequently obtained the report documenting this allegation and

attached it as an exhibit to the PSI Report. In his Defense Remand Motion,

Defendant asserted that the State’s failure to notify him of the sexual abuse

allegation against the cousin, A.M., and to disclose the police report documenting

the allegation, constituted a Brady5 violation that could be raised on direct appeal.

Defendant also asserted that the State’s failure to disclose the A.M. allegation is

inherently intertwined with the Nathan Massey allegation that was the subject of

the 3508 Motion which I denied, could also be raised on direct appeal, and that

because of these violations he was unable to present a complete defense. On

5 Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963). 4 September 25, 2023, the Delaware Supreme Court ordered the Office of

Investigative Services to provide it with the sealed PSI Report.

The Supreme Court also granted Defendant leave to file an amended

opening brief. On October 30, 2023, Defendant filed his amended opening brief

with the Court, which added to the previous claims an additional claim of a Brady

violation with respect to the A.M. allegation. Defendant contended that the A.M.

incident would have shown how L.M. acquired knowledge of sexual interaction,

putting her in a position to conjure false allegations. Defendant also contended

that this would have opened the door for him to utilize an expert to explain how

a child copes with sexual abuse, how it influences her future behavior, and

whether it could result in subsequent false allegations.

On November 9, 2023, the State filed its own Motion to Remand and to

Stay Briefing (the “State Remand Motion”), in which the State also asked the

Supreme Court to remand the case to me in order to afford Defendant the

opportunity to inquire of the complainants whether their prior allegations against

Defendant and Nathan Massey were false, to supplement the record through an

evidentiary hearing, and to afford me the opportunity to reconsider my ruling on

the 3508 Motion.6 This would also allow any missing record to be to be completed

concerning the A.M. allegation.

6 Citing Bailey v. State, Del Supr., No. 475, 1995, Walsh, J. (June 7, 1996) (ORDER). 5 On November 9, 2023, the Supreme Court entered an Order7 remanding

the case to me for an evidentiary hearing within 90 days8 with respect to the

complainants’ prior allegations of sexual abuse against Nathan Massey,

Defendant, and A.M. as to falsity, and to make any findings and grant such relief

as may be appropriate. I also was directed to complete any missing record about

the A.M. allegation. The briefing schedule was stayed until further order of the

Court. The Supreme Court retained jurisdiction over the case.

On February 21, 2024, I held the hearing required by the Supreme Court.

The witnesses were M.M., L.M., and Inga Lambert (formerly Massey), the

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Related

Brady v. Maryland
373 U.S. 83 (Supreme Court, 1963)
State v. Oliveira
576 A.2d 111 (Supreme Court of Rhode Island, 1990)
State v. Manning
973 A.2d 524 (Supreme Court of Rhode Island, 2009)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
State v. Massey, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-massey-delsuperct-2024.