Other defendants face prison time for rape, child porn, attempted robbery, and weapons charges

A 40-year-old Wilmington man will spend the rest of his life in prison after a judge sentenced him for a 2015 fatal shooting in the city. Deputy Attorneys General Annemarie Puit and Eric Zubrow secured the sentence for Damian Thomas. In September, Thomas was convicted of Murder First Degree, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited, and Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon. In April 2015, 38-year-old Deshannon Reid was sitting with his mother on his porch in the unit block of West 27th Street. Thomas walked up to him, reinitiated a previous argument, and then shot him. A Superior Court judge sentenced Thomas to life in prison plus 5 years. DOJ social worker Donna Lindsey, investigator John Ciritella, paralegals Stacey Coupe and Jamie Prater, and administrative specialist Evelyn Davis assisted with the case.

A Superior Court judge sentenced a 33-year-old Wilmington man to life in prison without parole for a 2015 killing in the city. Hakiem Anderson was convicted at trial in July of Murder First Degree, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, and Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited. In August 2015, Wilmington Police officers found 32-year-old Markevis Clark lying in the street in the 800 block of Vandever Avenue, unresponsive and bleeding from a gunshot wound to the head. Anderson was identified as the primary suspect a few days later and issued a warrant for his arrest. Anderson turned himself in to Wilmington Police in September 2015. Deputy Attorneys General Jamie McCloskey and Jan van Amerongen prosecuted the case, with assistance from Detective Pete Leccia from Wilmington Police Department, and DOJ paralegal Stacey Coupe and investigator John Ciritella.

A 40-year-old Pleasantville, NJ man pled guilty but mentally ill to charges related to a sexual assault. Deputy Attorney General Rebecca Anderson secured the plea and a prison sentence for Jeffrey Vincent. In July 2017, while on parole from New Jersey after serving a 14-year sentence for sexual assault on a child, Vincent held a woman at knifepoint and raped her. After accepting the plea, a Superior Court judge sentenced Vincent to 35 years in prison followed by 8 years of probation. Vincent will also register as a Tier III sex offender.

Deputy Attorney General Periann Doko secured a guilty plea from a Wilmington man to 5 counts of Dealing in Child Pornography. Acting on a tip, Probation and Parole officers went to the home of Lyle Jervey, 33, in the 1800 block of West 3rd Street, and found the illegal images on a cell phone. Jervey, who has previous convictions for rape and possession of child pornography, faces a minimum of 10 years in prison when sentenced by a judge in February 2018. The case was investigated by Detective Paul Simonds of the Wilmington Police Department with assistance by the Child Predator Task Force.

Deputy Attorney General Christina Kontis secured a prison sentence for a 19-year-old from New Castle convicted at trial a shooting during an attempted robbery. In December 2016, Savon Roy, armed with a gun, demanded money from a man who had just exited his car in the driveway of his home located on Laxford Drive in the Wellington Woods community in Newark. As the victim struggled to get the gun from Roy, a shot was fired, with the bullet going into a nearby home where several children were sleeping. The defendant fled and was apprehended by K9 Ace of the New Castle County Police Department. A Superior Court jury convicted Roy in September 2017 of Attempted Robbery First Degree, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited, 6 counts of Reckless Endangering First Degree, Wearing a Disguise During the Commission of a Felony, and Offensive Touching. A Superior Court judge sentenced Roy, prohibited from having a gun because of prior convictions, to 8 years in prison followed by 1 year of probation. Assisting with the prosecution were Chief Investigating Officer Joanne Smiley of the New Castle County Police Department, along with Department of Justice special investigator Brian Daly, social worker Donna Lindsey, and paralegal Lisa Loikith.

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