Delaware News

DOJ Prosecutors Secure Two Murder Convictions

Criminal Division | Department of Justice | Department of Justice Press Releases | Date Posted: Thursday, April 18, 2019



Other defendants face sentences for child pornography and vehicular homicide charges

A Superior Court jury convicted a 26-year-old New Castle man of first degree murder in connection with a 2017 shooting. Deputy Attorneys General Joseph Grubb and Michael Cooksey secured the verdict for Shaheed Matthews. In December 2017, Matthews fatally shot Antoine Terry, 23, of New Castle who had just been at Matthews’s Parma Avenue home. Matthews was convicted of Murder First Degree, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, and Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited. Matthews, barred from having a gun because of a prior felony adjudication, will be sentenced by a Superior Court judge to life in prison later this year. Det. Eugene Reid from the New Castle County Police Department was the lead detective. The prosecution team was assisted by paralegal Stacey Coupe, social worker Lisa Rapko, support specialist Ted Griffin, and special investigator Guillermo Santiago.

A 45-year-old Elsmere man faces life in prison after his conviction on murder and weapons charges. In July 2016, Steven Pierce became jealous when he believed his girlfriend, Heather Stamper, 31, of Delaware City was speaking to an old boyfriend. Pierce gained access to Stamper’s bedroom and bludgeoned Stamper to death as she slept. A jury found Pierce guilty of Murder First Degree and Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony. Pierce will be formally sentenced later this year. Deputy Attorneys General Matthew Frawley and Jenna Milecki prosecuted the case with assistance from social worker Stacey Murphy and paralegal Stacey Coupe.

A former pastor was sentenced to prison and must register as a Tier 2 sex offender on child pornography charges. Cesar Rios-Martinez, 36, of Laurel, pleaded guilty in February to 2 counts of Dealing in Child Pornography. In April 2018, while he was serving as pastor at Iglesia El Espiritu Santo in Salisbury, Maryland, an investigation into the online sharing of child pornography revealed that Rios-Martinez downloaded and shared multiple files of child pornography via the internet over an extended period of time. A Superior Court judge sentenced Rios-Martinez to 4 years in prison, followed by 5 years of probation. The case was investigated and prosecuted by the DOJ’s Child Predator Task Force.

Deputy Attorneys General Kathleen Dickerson and Kevin Smith secured a guilty plea from a Smyrna man who hit and killed a woman while driving under the influence. In July 2018, Gerald Medkeff, while already intoxicated, tried to buy crack cocaine from a group of people in the 400 block of New Castle Avenue in Dover. An argument began when the group accused Medkeff of being a police officer. As Medkeff tried to leave in his vehicle, he struck and killed a woman standing nearby. Medkeff pleaded guilty to Vehicular Homicide Second Degree and Driving Under the Influence, which was his third DUI. A Superior Court judge will sentence Medkeff in June. The chief investigative officer was Corporal Derrick Mast of the Dover Police Department. DOJ social worker Lorraine Freese and paralegal Sue Balik assisted with the case.

image_printPrint

Related Topics:  , , ,


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.

DOJ Prosecutors Secure Two Murder Convictions

Criminal Division | Department of Justice | Department of Justice Press Releases | Date Posted: Thursday, April 18, 2019



Other defendants face sentences for child pornography and vehicular homicide charges

A Superior Court jury convicted a 26-year-old New Castle man of first degree murder in connection with a 2017 shooting. Deputy Attorneys General Joseph Grubb and Michael Cooksey secured the verdict for Shaheed Matthews. In December 2017, Matthews fatally shot Antoine Terry, 23, of New Castle who had just been at Matthews’s Parma Avenue home. Matthews was convicted of Murder First Degree, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, and Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited. Matthews, barred from having a gun because of a prior felony adjudication, will be sentenced by a Superior Court judge to life in prison later this year. Det. Eugene Reid from the New Castle County Police Department was the lead detective. The prosecution team was assisted by paralegal Stacey Coupe, social worker Lisa Rapko, support specialist Ted Griffin, and special investigator Guillermo Santiago.

A 45-year-old Elsmere man faces life in prison after his conviction on murder and weapons charges. In July 2016, Steven Pierce became jealous when he believed his girlfriend, Heather Stamper, 31, of Delaware City was speaking to an old boyfriend. Pierce gained access to Stamper’s bedroom and bludgeoned Stamper to death as she slept. A jury found Pierce guilty of Murder First Degree and Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony. Pierce will be formally sentenced later this year. Deputy Attorneys General Matthew Frawley and Jenna Milecki prosecuted the case with assistance from social worker Stacey Murphy and paralegal Stacey Coupe.

A former pastor was sentenced to prison and must register as a Tier 2 sex offender on child pornography charges. Cesar Rios-Martinez, 36, of Laurel, pleaded guilty in February to 2 counts of Dealing in Child Pornography. In April 2018, while he was serving as pastor at Iglesia El Espiritu Santo in Salisbury, Maryland, an investigation into the online sharing of child pornography revealed that Rios-Martinez downloaded and shared multiple files of child pornography via the internet over an extended period of time. A Superior Court judge sentenced Rios-Martinez to 4 years in prison, followed by 5 years of probation. The case was investigated and prosecuted by the DOJ’s Child Predator Task Force.

Deputy Attorneys General Kathleen Dickerson and Kevin Smith secured a guilty plea from a Smyrna man who hit and killed a woman while driving under the influence. In July 2018, Gerald Medkeff, while already intoxicated, tried to buy crack cocaine from a group of people in the 400 block of New Castle Avenue in Dover. An argument began when the group accused Medkeff of being a police officer. As Medkeff tried to leave in his vehicle, he struck and killed a woman standing nearby. Medkeff pleaded guilty to Vehicular Homicide Second Degree and Driving Under the Influence, which was his third DUI. A Superior Court judge will sentence Medkeff in June. The chief investigative officer was Corporal Derrick Mast of the Dover Police Department. DOJ social worker Lorraine Freese and paralegal Sue Balik assisted with the case.

image_printPrint

Related Topics:  , , ,


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.