State v. Ellis, 1511007511

Defendant Stephen Ellis was on probation for Robbery Second Degree and prohibited from possessing a firearm at the May 16, 2015 arrest.
A loaded handgun was found in constructive possession; the firearm was later revealed to be stolen and bore Ellis’s fingerprint.
Ellis was charged on November 13, 2015 with Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited, Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon, and Receiving a Stolen Firearm.
Defense Counsel was appointed and represented Ellis during case reviews and plea negotiations.
Ellis pleaded guilty to PFBPP on April 26, 2016; remaining charges were dismissed; sentence was 10 years at Level V with various suspensions per the plea agreement.
Ellis filed a PCR motion on August 17, 2016; the court denied relief.

Issue	Plaintiff's Argument	Defendant's Argument	Held
Ineffective assistance of counsel in plea context	Ellis contends counsel failed to pursue evidentiary challenges and coerced the plea	State argues no deficiency; plea was voluntary per colloquy; no prejudice shown	PCR denied; no concrete prejudice shown; plea colloquy binding

Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668 (U.S. 1984) (establishes two-prong standard for ineffective assistance)
Somerville v. State, 703 A.2d 629 (Del. 1997) (plea colloquy reliability and collateral review principles)
Miller v. State, 840 A.2d 1229 (Del. 2003) (prejudice analysis in plea-related ineffective assistance)
Downer v. State, 543 A.2d 309 (Del. 1988) (defendant must show concrete prejudice to obtain relief)
Bramlett v. A.L. Lockhart, 876 F.2d 644 (8th Cir. 1989) (cited for collateral-attack and voluntariness considerations)