State v. Wiliams

── State v. Wiliams ── Court: Superior Court of Delaware Date: April 22, 2026 Category: General IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE STATE OF DELAWARE, ) ) v. ) Cr. ID. No. 1909016936 ) RONNIE C. WILLIAMS, ) ) Defendant. ) Submitted: January 12, 2026 Decided: April 22, 2026 COMMISSIONER’S REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION ON DEFENDANT’S MOTION FOR POSTCONVICTION RELIEF and POSTCONVICTION COUNSEL’S MOTION TO WITHDRAW Diana Dunn, Deputy Attorney General, Delaware Department of Justice, Wilmington, Delaware, Attorney for the State. Eugene Maurer, Esquire, trial counsel. Christofer Johnson, Esquire, appellate counsel. Patrick J. Collins, Esquire, postconviction counsel. Ronnie C. Williams, James T. Vaughn Correctional Center, Smyrna, Delaware. O’CONNOR, Commissioner.  This 22nd day of April, 2026, upon consideration of Defendant Ronnie Williams’ (“Defendant”) Motion for Postconviction Relief; 1 Defendant’s Memorandum of Law in Support of Rule 61 Motion for Postconviction Relief; 2 the Affidavit 3 and Amended Affidavit 4 of Trial Counsel; the Affidavit 5 and Amended Affidavit 6 of Appellate Counsel; the State’s Response to the Motion for Postconviction Relief; 7 Defendant’s Response to Affidavits of Trial and Appellate Counsel; 8 Defendant’s Reply to the State’s Response to the Motion for Postconviction Relief; 9 postconviction counsel’s Motion to Withdraw; 10 and the record in this matter, the following is my Report and Recommendation. I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND Defendant Ronnie C. Williams was arrested on September 27, 2019 by officers of the New Castle County Police Department (“NCCPD”) and charged with several offenses, including Sexual Abuse of a Child by a Person in a Position of Trust First Degree; Rape Second Degree; Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child; Sexual Abuse of a Child by a Person in a Position of Trust, Authority or Supervision 1 Docket Item (“D.I.”) 58. 2 D.I. 83. 3 D.I. 93. 4 D.I. 94. 5 D.I. 88. 6 D.I. 92. 7 D.I. 95. 8 D.I. 97. 9 D.I. 99. 10 D.I. 75. 1 in the Second Degree; Unlawful Sexual Contact Second Degree; and Unlawful Sexual Contact with a Person who is less than 13 years of Age. 11 It was alleged that over the course of several years, Defendant sexually assaulted three minors. On January 21, 2020, a New Castle County Grand Jury indicted Defendant, 12 and on October 25, 2021, the State obtained a superseding indictment. 13 At the conclusion of a five-day jury trial, Defendant was found guilty of: Rape Second Degree (Criminal Action # IN21-10-1360 (as to victim E.H.)), Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child (Criminal Action # IN21-10-1365 (as to victim E.H.)), Unlawful Sexual Contact First Degree (Criminal Action # IN21-10-1367 (as to victim A.G.)), Sexual Abuse of a Child by a Person in a Position of Trust, Authority or Supervision in the Second Degree (Criminal Action # IN21-10-1372 (as to victim A.G.), and Sexual Solicitation of a Child (Criminal Action # IN21-10-1374 (as to victim A.G.). 14 The jury acquitted Defendant of the indicted offenses regarding the third victim – A.D. 11 State v. Williams, Case No. 1909016936, Adult Complaint and Warrant. 12 D.I. 4. 13 D.I. 23. The following differences exist between the indictment and superseding indictment: the State modified the victim’s initials in Counts I – VII, from E.E. to E.H.; in Counts VIII – XII, the charges are unchanged; in counts XIII and XIV, the date range for the offenses was modified from March 14, 2011 to March 13, 2017, to March 14, 2011 to June 15, 2017; the State added one count of Sexual Solicitation of a Child to the superseding indictment (Count XV); and Counts XVI