Other defendants face sentencing for assault, weapons, robbery, firearm charges

A Newark man pleaded guilty but mentally ill to Murder Second Degree and Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony for the September 2017 stabbing death of his girlfriend, Sherrie Campbell. Rondell Veal, 38, is scheduled to be sentenced in September by a Superior Court judge and faces up to life in prison. On September 22, 2017, members of the Newark Police Department were called to check on Sherrie’s welfare by her family when she failed to pick up her son from daycare. Sherrie was discovered dead with multiple stab wounds, her home had been locked and barricaded, and Veal had fled to New York. Deputy Attorneys General Joseph Grubb and Danielle Brennan prosecuted the case. Paralegals Wendy Wilkinson and Jaime Prater worked on the case, along with DOJ Investigator Guillermo Santiago. The case was investigated by Detective Daniel Bystricky of the Newark Police Department.

Deputy Attorneys General Allison Abessinio and William Leonard secured a guilty plea from a 21-year-old Wilmington man facing charges of shooting another man during an attempted robbery. In September 2017, Josiah Morgan and Diandre Polk approached the victim on the 2400 block of Monroe Street. The men spoke and then Morgan pushed the victim to the ground and hit him in the head with a gun as Polk rummaged through his pockets. As the victim stood to walk away, Morgan shot him in the stomach. Morgan pleaded guilty to Assault Second Degree, 2 counts of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, Attempted Robbery First Degree, and Conspiracy Second Degree. A Superior Court judge will sentence Morgan in July. Polk pleaded guilty in August 2018 to Attempted Robbery First Degree, Assault Second Degree, and Conspiracy Second Degree and was immediately sentenced to 5 years in prison, followed by 6 months of either home confinement or work release followed by 10 months of probation.

A 41-year-old Wilmington man received a 15-year prison sentence for shooting the manager of a Newark restaurant. In July 2017, Thomas Ellerbe and another man approached the manager of the Applebee’s restaurant on Elkton Road in Newark as the manager left for the evening. When the manager refused to take the two men into the restaurant, Ellerbe shot the victim and stole a power tool the victim had with him. In November 2018, Ellerbe pleaded guilty to Assault Second Degree, Conspiracy Second Degree, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, and Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited. A Superior Court judge sentenced Ellerbe, barred from having a firearm because of previous felony convictions on Robbery and Burglary charges, to 15 years in prison followed by 18 months of probation. Ellerbe’s co-defendant, James Brooks, was previously sentenced to 7 years in prison, followed by 6 months of either home confinement or work release, then 1 year of probation. Deputy Attorney General William Leonard prosecuted the case with assistance from paralegal Donna Lee and social worker Kristen Fluharty-Emory. Detective Daniel Bystricky of the Newark Police Department was the chief investigating officer.

A Wilmington man accused of a two-week spree with more than a dozen armed robberies led a judge to send him to prison. Deputy Attorneys General Timothy Maguire and Colleen Durkin secured the sentence for 42-year-old Chianti Johnson. In January 2018, police believed Johnson robbed 13 local stores and businesses. Johnson pleaded guilty in September 2018 to 3 counts of Robbery First Degree for the armed hold ups of the Dollar General, the BP Sure Stop on Philadelphia Pike in Claymont, and the Days Inn on the Concord Pike in North Wilmington. A Superior Court judge sentenced Johnson to 15 years in prison, followed by 2 years of probation. Paralegal Lisa Loikith and social worker Courtney Cochrane assisted with the prosecution.

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