The Delaware Supreme Court has upheld the conviction and life sentence of a man found guilty of killing a 23-year-old New Jersey man with a vehicle outside a Bear nightclub in 2017.
In an order issued last week, the state’s highest court rejected an appeal filed by Elder Saavedra, who was convicted of first-degree murder and possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony in connection with the death of Lester Mateo.
The killing occurred during the early morning hours of March 26, 2017, in the parking lot of El Nuevo Rodeo Restaurant at 2000 Firedancer Lane in Bear.
According to Delaware State Police, an altercation involving several individuals occurred inside the establishment before Mateo went into the parking lot and entered a Cadillac Escalade. Mateo drove the vehicle a short distance before getting out.
Investigators determined that Saavedra then entered the SUV and drove into Mateo, pinning him against another vehicle parked in the lot. Saavedra fled the scene on foot.
Mateo, of Pennsville, New Jersey, was transported to Christiana Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Delaware Division of Forensic Sciences subsequently ruled his death a homicide.
Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Saavedra in May 2017. At the time, he was being held in Pennsylvania on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer. He was later extradited to Delaware to face prosecution.
Following a six-day trial in September 2018, during which prosecutors presented testimony from 14 witnesses and more than 150 pieces of evidence, including nightclub surveillance footage, a Superior Court jury found Saavedra guilty. In March 2019, a judge sentenced him to life in prison for murder, plus an additional 10 years for the weapons conviction.
Saavedra subsequently challenged his conviction, arguing that his trial attorney provided ineffective legal representation. His claims included allegations that his attorney failed to hire an accident reconstruction expert, inadequately questioned prosecution witnesses, failed to challenge certain identification testimony and delivered an insufficient closing argument.
The Superior Court rejected his request for postconviction relief, prompting another appeal to the Delaware Supreme Court.
In its October 22, 2026 ruling, the Supreme Court acknowledged concerns about how the lower court handled Saavedra’s attempts to amend his postconviction claims. The justices noted that Saavedra had been assured that certain deadlines would not be imposed until he received his complete case file, but procedural deadlines were established while evidence was still being provided.
The Supreme Court determined that the lower court should have permitted the amended claims to proceed. However, the justices found that the Superior Court had also considered those claims on their merits and properly rejected them.
The court unanimously affirmed the Superior Court’s judgment, leaving Saavedra’s murder conviction and life sentence in place.
The October 22 order was issued by a three-justice panel consisting of Chief Justice Collins J. Seitz Jr. and Justices Gary F. Traynor and N. Christopher Griffiths.