Other murder, manslaughter, sexual abuse, weapons, robbery, and hate crime convictions lead to prison time

Daniel Santucci, the 24-year-old Elsmere man charged with kidnapping, raping, and leaving a 4-year-old girl in a pond in Banning Park has pled guilty. In Superior Court Friday, Santucci pled guilty to Attempted Murder First Degree, Kidnapping First Degree, and Rape Second Degree. In April 2017, Santucci lured the child into his car at a community in Pike Creek. Santucci then sexually assaulted the child and threw her in a pond at Banning Park. The child was found walking in the area by a passing motorist. Santucci faces a minimum of 27 years in prison and will also have to register as a Tier 3 sex offender when sentenced by a Superior Court judge in December. Deputy Attorneys General Joseph Grubb and Jan van Amerongen prosecuted the case, with assistance from paralegal Stacey Coupe, social worker Claudia Melton, and support specialist Ted Griffin. Detectives Tom Purse and Dave DiNardo of the New Castle County Police Department were the Chief Investigating Officers. The victim’s family supports this resolution as it enables justice to be served and protects the young victim from enduring a lengthy trial.

A 41-year-old New Castle man faces at least 100 years in prison when sentenced for a 2017 assault and robbery. Deputy Attorney General Monil Amin secured a guilty verdict from a Superior Court jury for Ivan Galindez on Robbery First Degree, Assault First Degree, 2 counts of Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony, and one count of Criminal Mischief. In December 2017, Galindez approached a man near the intersection of 4th and Connell Streets in Wilmington and asked him for money. When the victim refused, Galindez assaulted the victim with brass knuckles. As the victim attempted to escape and get inside his car, Galindez smashed his car window with the brass knuckles and robbed him at knifepoint. Because of his convictions on 11 previous felony charges including robbery, burglary, and assault, the 25-year maximum penalty on each felony charge in this case becomes the minimum mandatory penalty when a Superior Court judge sentences Galindez as a habitual offender in December. Social worker Meghan Fisher assisted with the case.

Deputy Attorney General Adam Gelof secured a guilty plea from Michelle Spicer, 51, of Georgetown to 2 counts Robbery Second Degree charged as hate crimes, and one count each of Conspiracy Second Degree, Theft, and Criminal Impersonation of a Law Enforcement Officer. In the early part of 2018, Spicer approached victims in Georgetown area parking lots and streets in an attempt to rob them while portraying herself as an immigration officer. Using what turned out to be a cap gun, she robbed and attempted to rob them of cash and personal possessions. Because she targeted Hispanic victims and pretended to be with immigration, the robberies were charged as hate crimes. A Superior Court judge sentenced to a minimum of 7 years in prison, for 12 months in a residential substance abuse treatment program, then 3 years of probation in lieu of a full 53 year sentence. Spicer was also ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation, remain medicated as prescribed and follow any other treatment recommendations. Spicer also agreed to no contact orders with her victims and to providing restitution of $8,448.08.

A 25-year-old Elsmere man entered a guilty plea to Murder Second Degree, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, and Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited in connection with a 2017 murder in Wilmington. Deputy Attorneys General John Downs, Matthew Frawley, and Matthew Bloom secured the plea from Tariq Taylor. In May 2017, Taylor shot 25-year-old Shamar Lindsay as Lindsay stood in the 1200 block of Elm Street. Police arrested Taylor as he fled the scene, with officers finding a loaded .40-caliber Glock handgun in a trashcan along Taylor’s route. Sentencing is expected in January 2019, with Taylor facing a minimum of 23 years in prison. Paralegal Stacey Coupe and social worker Donna Lindsay assisted with the case.

Cheryl Jennings, a 48-year-old New Castle woman, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the July 2016 shooting death of 19-year-old Malcolm Evans, also of New Castle. Jennings pled no contest to Manslaughter in April 2018. In July 2016, Evans’ car was located crashed into an embankment off of Baywatch Road in the Rutledge development near where he lived. Officers responding to the crash found that Evans had been shot in the head. A Superior Court judge sentenced Jennings to 15 years in prison, followed by 6 months of either work release or home confinement, then 2 years of probation. Deputy Attorneys General Brian Robertson and Diana Dunn prosecuted the case, with assistance from special investigator Brian Daly, victim/witness Specialists Kristin Fluharty-Emory and Crystal Pitts, and former homicide unit paralegal Jamie Prater. New Castle County Police Department Detective Jeff Sendek led the investigation.

A Middletown man faces at least 25 years in prison for his guilty plea to Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child. Deputy Attorney General Kelly Sheridan secured the plea from 30-year-old Joseph Jones. In 2017, Jones committed numerous sex acts with a minor child in his care. Because of the age of the victim, a Superior Court judge will sentence Jones to between 25 years and life in prison later this year. Paralegal Jayna Quillen, social worker Lisa Rapko, and officers from the Middletown Police Department assisted in the investigation and prosecution.

Deputy Attorney General Erika Flaschner secured a prison sentence for Shamar Clark, 29, of Wilmington. In July 2018, Clark pled guilty to Drug Dealing Cocaine, Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon, and Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited, resolving two different cases. In July 2017, police on surveillance in the area of the 1600 block of West 3rd Street in Wilmington observed Clark conduct what they believed was a drug sale. When stopped by police, Clark was carrying more than 6 grams of cocaine. In December 2017, police conducting a vehicle stop in the 1200 block of Pleasant Street in Wilmington, saw the barrel and extended magazine of a loaded semi-automatic handgun visibly protruding from under the passenger seat. Declared a habitual offender, and barred from having a gun because of previous drug and weapons convictions, Clark was sentenced by a Superior Court judge to 17 years in prison, followed by one year of probation.

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