Powell v. State

WALSH, Justice.

This is a companion case to Wheat v. State, Del.Supr., 527 A.2d 269, which addressed the use of expert testimony in child molestation cases. The appellant, Wyatt Powell, was convicted after a jury trial of first degree rape of his stepdaughter. Based on our reasoning in Wheat, we reverse.

I

The State’s evidence consisted of the direct testimony of the complainant, ten years old at the time of trial, and various corroborative witnesses including a school nurse, a physician, the complainant’s older brother, a police officer, and a social worker. Although the alleged attack occurred…