Assault By Inmate, Illegal Gun, Robberies Also Lead To Conviction, Guilty Pleas
A gang-related murder will mean a life term in prison for a 20-year-old Wilmington man. A New Castle County Superior Court jury convicted Diamonte Taylor for the 2016 fatal shooting of 15-year-old Brandon Wingo. Testimony revealed that Taylor, a member of the Shoot to Kill (STK) gang killed Wingo in retaliation for a social media post about another STK member. In addition to the murder of Wingo, Taylor was also convicted on charges relating to two additional crimes including shooting another rival (OMB) gang affiliate while the victim was with small children, and committing an aggravated menacing of two other teens in the days after he killed Wingo. The jury convicted Taylor of Murder First Degree, Assault First Degree, 2 counts of Reckless Endangering First Degree, 2 counts of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, 2 counts of Aggravated Menacing, and Illegal Gang Participation. No date has been set for Taylor’s sentencing. Deputy Attorneys General Matthew Frawley and Mark Denney prosecuted the case, with the investigation led by Det. Mackenzie Kirlin of Wilmington Police, and work by DOJ paralegal Stacey Coupe, social worker Crystal Pitt, and special investigator John Ciritella. The prosecution was made possible due to the work of numerous investigators, evidence technicians, patrol officers, criminal analysts and forensic experts in the Wilmington Police Department, New Castle County Police Department, Delaware Department of Justice, Delaware State Police Crime Lab, Delaware Division of Forensic Sciences, the ATF Task Force and the United States Marshal Service Task Force.
An inmate at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center already serving prison time for Murder Second Degree, received an additional 10 years in prison for Assault in a Detention Facility. In April 2017, Gregory Griffin, 38, assaulted another inmate after a disagreement, forcing the victim to go to the hospital with multiple injuries to his head and face. At the time, Griffin had served 5 years of a 40-year sentence for the 2011 murder of the mother of his children. A Superior Court judge sentenced Griffin for his February jury conviction to 10 years in prison on the assault charge, followed by 6 months of probation. Deputy Attorney General Marc Petrucci prosecuted the case with work by staff of the Department of Correction and the assistance of DOJ paralegal Julie Caputo.
A 29-year-old Wilmington man pled guilty to for illegally having a gun. Deputy Attorney General Timothy Maguire secured the plea from Sean Johnson. In February 2018, officers arrested Johnson in his home in the 900 block of North Spruce Street and then searched the home. In the pocket of a sweatshirt, officers found a loaded .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun. Johnson, barred from having a gun because of prior drug and weapons convictions, pled guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited, and was immediately sentenced to 5 years in prison, followed by 2 years of probation.
Deputy Attorney General Phillip Casale secured a guilty plea from a Wilmington man for a string of robberies in New Castle County. During the summer of 2017, Adam Meadows, 30, robbed or attempted to rob a series of locations including Metro PCS stores, convenience stores, Game Stop, and an Arby’s restaurant. In each case, Meadows showed what appeared to be a handgun. Meadows pled guilty to one count of Robbery First Degree, and 4 counts of Robbery Second Degree. Meadows faces 3 to 25 years in prison when sentenced by a Superior Court judge later this year. DOJ social worker Courtney Cochran also worked on the case and Delaware State Police Detective Christian Hevelow was the chief investigating officer.