Violent Felony Convictions Lead to Prison Sentences

Prosecutors within the Delaware Department of Justice had several significant successes recently, which will lead to prison sentences for several defendants.

A Wilmington man is facing prison for a December 2014 shooting death in the 700 block of Vandever Street in the city. Deputy Attorneys General Jan van Amerongen and Matthew Frawley secured a plea to Manslaughter and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony from 21-year-old Marvin Swanson. The State will recommend a 10-year prison sentence. Derrick Caudle, 43, of Middletown began arguing with Swanson about a previous drug transaction between the two, leading Caudle to punch Swanson in the face. After stumbling backward, Swanson pulled a gun and shot Caudle once in the abdomen. Sentencing is scheduled for June.

Deputy Attorney General Casey Ewart secured a plea to two counts of Assault 2nd and one count of Reckless Endangering 1st from Juan Shirey, Jr., 22, of Lincoln. In August 2015, Shirey attempted to hand a loaded and cocked handgun to his mother, who was leaning out of a second story window in the 21-thousand block of West Mahew Drive in Lincoln. The gun fired, and two people, including a 2- year-old, were struck by the bullet. Shirey was sentenced to one year in prison, followed by six months home confinement, then two years of Level III probation.

Deputy Attorney General John Taylor convicted habitual offender Jai Albert, 43, of Wilmington of Possession of a Firearm By A Person Prohibited, and Tier 4 Drug Dealing. In March 2015, police executed a search warrant at a business owned by Albert in the unit block of East Lea Boulevard in Wilmington. Inside the drop ceiling of a storage room, police found a loaded .45 caliber hand gun, along with 2,307 plastic bags of heroin. Police also seized more than 4,000 additional bags of heroin at a second location tied to Albert. Judge Charles Butler sentenced Albert to the minimum mandatory 17 years in prison, followed by 6 months at Level IV, followed by 1 year of Level III probation.

Deputy Attorney General Kelly Breen secured a prison sentence for 49-year old Kevin Mclaughlin of Newark for his 9th DUI. In May 2015, Mclaughlin was stopped for driving 70 mph in a 45 mph zone along the Kirkwood Highway near Newark. He was also charged with Driving With a Revoked/Suspended License. Mclaughlin was sentenced to four years in prison, followed by Level IV Crest program, then one year of Level III probation. Mclaughlin must undergo drug and alcohol treatment and will lose his driver’s license for five years.

Deputy Attorney General Abigail Layton of the DOJ Child Predator Unit had defendant Melvin Janvier, III, 28, of Newark, sentenced to four years in prison followed by probation. Janvier pled guilty to one count of Possession and one count of Dealing in Child Pornography in January 2016. An undercover investigation discovered Janvier uploaded images of child pornography to his online social media Kik account. Janvier was also ordered to register as a Tier 2 sex offender.