A 33-year-old Wilmington man will spend the rest of his life in prison, after being convicted by a Superior Court jury of Murder First Degree, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, and Conspiracy First Degree for a 2014 shooting in Wilmington’s Hedgeville neighborhood. Deputy Attorneys General A.J. Roop and Karin Volker secured the conviction against Rayshaun Johnson. In April 2014, 39-year-old Theodore Jackson was standing in front of a relative’s home in the 1200 block of Elm Street in Wilmington when he was shot several times. Johnson will be sentenced later this year by Superior Court Judge Paul Wallace.

A 17-year-old from Wilmington is in prison after pleading guilty to adult felony charges of Gang Participation, Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon, Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Juvenile, and a misdemeanor offense of Resisting Arrest. Deputy Attorney General Mark Denney secured the plea from Naseem Parks, a member of the street gang known as Only My Brothers (OMB). Parks was arrested in June 2016 after trying to fire a loaded handgun into a crowd when his gun jammed. Superior Court Judge Ferris Wharton sentenced Parks to 2 years in prison, 6 months of which were mandatory on his juvenile gun charge, followed by 6 months of either home confinement or work release, then 18 months of probation. Parks is now forever prohibited from owning, possessing or controlling firearms and ammunition.

Deputy Attorneys General Joe Grubb and Jamie McCloskey secured a guilty plea from an 18-year-old to Murder Second Degree. Khalil Seals of Wilmington, who was a juvenile at the time of the murder, took the plea in connection with the September 2015 killing of Hassan Brown, also of Wilmington. Officers on patrol in the 500 block of North Madison Street in Wilmington heard gunshots and found Brown with a gunshot wound to the torso. Witnesses eventually identified Seals as the shooter and he was arrested. Seals will be sentenced by Superior Court President Judge Jan Jurden in April and faces 15 years to life in prison.

A 23-year-old man from Camden was sentenced to 19 years in prison for Manslaughter, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, and Rape. Darryl Garner pled guilty to the January 2015 killing of Jordan Michael Peck. Peck’s body, with multiple gunshot wounds, was found near railroad tracks in Dover. Garner also pled guilty to 2 counts of Rape Third Degree, related to sexual intercourse Garner had with his underage girlfriend, who later gave birth to their child. Deputy Attorney General Kathleen Dickerson secured the sentences, imposed by Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Clark.

Deputy Attorney General Phillip Casale secured a guilty plea and prison sentence for Loren Adams, 28, of Wilmington for Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited and Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon. In August 2016, detectives from the Wilmington Police Department came upon a car at 2:30 a.m. blocking one of the traffic lanes of Linden Street. One detective noticed a gun on the floor of the car, and while taking Adams into custody, found him with another loaded gun in his waistband. Adams, prohibited from having a gun because of a prior violent felony conviction, faced a minimum mandatory sentence for the Possession of a Firearm charge. Adams was immediately sentenced by Superior Court President Judge Jan Jurden to 5 years in prison, followed by 6 months of either home confinement or work release, then 18 months of probation.

Deputy Attorney General Timothy Maguire secured a guilty plea from Mark Mulrooney, 36, of New Castle for a string of robberies along Route 13 in New Castle during May of 2016, including several gas stations and the Krispy Kreme Doughnut Shop. Mulrooney pled to one count of Robbery First Degree, Robbery Second Degree, and Conspiracy Second Degree. Mulrooney will be sentenced in May, by Superior Court Judge John Parkins, Jr. on all of the charges, but will receive a sentence of 25 years as a Habitual Offender on the Robbery First Degree, which took place at the 7-11 on Gerald Drive in Newark.

A 39-year-old Newark man will spend at least 15 years in prison, after being convicted at trial for Possession of a Firearm by a Person prohibited. Deputy Attorney General Matthew Frawley and Attorney General Matt Denn secured the conviction, with the assistance of Detective Brad Landis of the New Castle County Police Department, who was Chief Investigative Officer for the case. In November 2015, Terrance Everett was arrested after New Castle County Police Officers executed a search warrant in a home where he was staying in the Four Seasons Community, and found a 9mm semi-automatic handgun. Because of his prior felony record, Everett faces a sentence of 15 years to life in prison when sentenced by Superior Court Judge Mary Johnston later this year.

Deputy Attorneys General Cari Chapman and John Grimm obtained a 25-year prison sentence for 26-year-old Wayne Carter of Wilmington for assaulting his former girlfriend. Carter held the victim for three hours against her will, during which time he repeatedly beat her and strangled her multiple times both with his hands and with various ligatures. Carter pled guilty to Home Invasion, two counts of Strangulation, and two counts of Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony. Superior Court Judge Andrea Rocanelli sentenced Carter to 25 years in prison.

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