Guns, Drugs, Burglary Lead To Other Convictions
A murder at the former Gold Club in Wilmington has resulted in a guilty verdict for a New York man that will lead to a sentence of life in prison. Deputy Attorneys General Zachary Rosen and Joseph Grubb secured the conviction against 30-year-old Lamott Matthews of Bronx, NY. In November 2015, Matthews shot and killed 35-year-old William Brown of Wilmington after a brief argument at the club. A Superior Court jury convicted Matthews of Murder First Degree, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, and Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited. A judge will sentence Matthews in August. The chief investigating officer was Dan Grassi of the Delaware State Police. Paralegal Stacey Coupe, social worker Kristen Fluharty-Emory, and tech specialist Theodore Griffin of DOJ assisted with the prosecution.
A 28-year-old Wilmington woman faces a life sentence for her conviction for a 2017 murder in the city. A Superior Court jury found Deneisha Wright guilty of Murder First Degree, Attempted Robbery First Degree, and 2 counts of Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony. In a separate bench trial, Wright was convicted of Possession of a Firearm By Person Prohibited. In January 2017, officers responded to a report of shots fired near the 2200 block of North Lamotte Street and found 66-year-old Charles May sitting in his pickup truck suffering from gunshot wounds. An investigation showed Wright walked up to the truck, pointed the gun at May and attempted to rob him of pills and money. When May resisted, Wright fired several shots into the cab of the pickup truck, hitting May twice. A Superior Court judge will sentence Wright in October. Deputy Attorneys General John Downs and Rebecca Song prosecuted the case. Sergeant Justin Kreysa of the Wilmington Police Department was the lead investigator. From DOJ, investigator Cliff Dempsey, social worker Crystal Pitts and paralegal Stacey Coupe also were part of the prosecution.
A 35-year-old Wilmington man faces a minimum of 10 years in prison after a Superior Court jury found him guilty of drug and weapons offenses. Deputy Attorney General Timothy Maguire secured the conviction for Robert Potts, aka Tahlal Wal-Ikram, on charges of Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited, Possession of Ammunition by a Person Prohibited, Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon, Drug Dealing, and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony. In September 2017, during a traffic stop, police found a gun, ammunition, and drugs in Potts’s car. Potts, barred from having a gun because of previous felony convictions on drug charges, faces between 10 and 64 years in prison when sentenced by a Superior Court judge in September.
Deputy Attorney General Rebecca Song secured a 9-year prison sentence for Myles Harris, 23, of Wilmington, for his conviction on drug and weapons offenses. In March 2017, after an investigation, officers with the Wilmington Police Drugs, Organized Crime, and Vice Division executed a search warrant at Harris’s apartment on Towne Estates Drive and found more than 1,500 bags of heroin, 7 grams of crack cocaine, and a loaded handgun with the serial number destroyed. A Superior Court jury convicted Harris in January 2018 of 4 counts of Drug Dealing Heroin, Drug Dealing Cocaine, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited, Possession of Ammunition by a Person Prohibited, Possession of a Firearm with an Obliterated Serial number, and 2 counts of Possessing Drug Paraphernalia. A Superior Court judge sentenced Harris, who was prohibited from possessing a gun because of previous firearms convictions, to 9 years in prison, followed by 6 months of work release or home confinement, then 18 months of probation.
A 22-year-old Laurel man was sentenced to 11 years in prison for his guilty plea to attempted rape and burglary charges. Deputy Attorney General Casey L. Ewart secured the sentence for Tyrone Jenkins-Heath. In May 2017, Jenkins-Heath broke into a home on Penn Street in Laurel, planning to steal items, including the victim’s underwear, and to force the two women living in the home to perform oral sex on him. The defendant’s plan was thwarted when the women fled the house through a bedroom window. In April 2018, Jenkins-Heath pled guilty to 2 counts of Attempted Rape Third Degree and one count of Burglary Second Degree. A Superior Court judge sentenced Jenkins-Heath to 11 years in prison including the completion of the Transitions Sex offender program, followed by 6 months in a sex offender halfway house, then 5 years of probation. Jenkins-Heath must also register as a Tier III sex offender. DOJ administrative specialist Angelique Waters and victim/witness social worker Carla Ennals assisted with the prosecution, and the case was investigated by detectives from the Delaware State Police.