Attempted Manslaughter, Unlawful Sexual Contact, Drug, Gun Cases Resolved

Radee Prince, the 38-year-old Wilmington man who shot another man at the victim’s auto sales business in Wilmington in 2017, faces up to 89 years in prison after being convicted by a jury on numerous charges including Attempted Manslaughter. Deputy Attorneys General Mark Denney and Erika Flaschner secured the guilty verdicts. In October 2017, Prince went to the 28th Street Auto Sales And Service shop located in the 2800 block of Northeast Boulevard and shot 35-year-old Rashan Jason Baul several times, including once in the face. Prince fled the scene but was arrested later that evening near the Four Seasons Shopping Center on Route 896 in Glasgow after a foot chase with police, during which Prince discarded a gun. A Superior Court jury found Prince guilty of Attempted Manslaughter, 2 counts of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, Reckless Endangering First Degree, Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon, and Resisting Arrest. Prince faces 8 to 89 years in prison when sentenced in August for the Delaware crime. Prince also faces charges, including three counts of Murder First Degree, in Maryland in connection with a mass shooting at his former workplace.

Dance instructor Alexander Boitsov, 66, of Hockessin, pled guilty to Unlawful Sexual Contact Second Degree for an incident involving a 17-year-old boy in a Dover dance studio locker room. Boitsov was accused of telling the victim, who was a student at The Dance Conservatory, to undress under the guise of providing instruction and then engaging in sexual contact with the victim in June 2017. After the victim reported the incident to his parents and police, Boitsov was arrested at a ballet studio in New York City where he also taught and was extradited to Delaware. Deputy Attorney General Kathleen Dickerson secured the plea, and Boitsov will be sentenced by a Superior Court judge in October after a presentence investigation. Boitsov, who taught at a number of ballet studios in the region, also faces charges in Chester County, Pennsylvania, for sexually assaulting a student there.

A 37-year-old Wilmington man faces at least 17 years in prison after a search of his car and home found thousands of bags of drugs along with a gun. Deputy Attorney General Erika Flaschner secured a guilty plea from Tony Davis to Drug Dealing Heroin Tier 4 and Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited. After a traffic stop in August 2017, police found over 12,000 bags of heroin, a loaded firearm, cocaine, methamphetamine, alprazolam, marijuana, and oxycodone. Davis, prohibited from having a gun because of previous felony convictions on drug charges, will face a minimum 17 years in prison as a habitual offender when sentenced by a Superior Court judge in September. Chief Investigating Officer Detective Danielle Farrell from the Wilmington Police Department investigated the case.

Joseph Basher, 30, of Newark, pled guilty to the charge of Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited. In June 2017, Basher and another man, 26-year-old Joshua Perry of Newark, entered a home in the 700 block of Harwood Road in the Gordy Estates neighborhood near Newport through an unlocked back door to steal money and a gun. The homeowner and his cousin arrived home while the two men were in the house and held Basher in the backyard after a struggle until police arrived. While holding Basher, the homeowner found the stolen gun in Basher’s pocket and was able to grab it and throw it across the yard. In August, a Superior Court judge will sentence Basher, prohibited from having a gun because of previous felony convictions for drug, weapons, and theft charges, as a habitual offender to at least 7 ½ years in prison. Perry, who ran from the house, pled guilty to Conspiracy Second Degree and will also be sentenced by a judge in August. Deputy Attorney General Kelly Sheridan prosecuted the case.

A 2017 robbery and shootout led to a prison sentence for a 20-year-old Newark man. Deputy Attorney General Stephen Smith secured a guilty plea and prison sentence for Judeau Brown on charges of Robbery First Degree and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony. In April 2017, Brown and another man, 20-year-old Quadaire Sadler of Newark, went to a home in the Towne Point Apartments on Carvel Drive in Dover to buy marijuana from 22-year-old Matthew Newman. When Brown and Sadler arrived, each carried a gun and they forced their way inside, robbed Newman, and ran. All three men suffered gunshot wounds as Brown and Sadler fired shots at Newman as they ran with Newman firing back. Immediately after pleading guilty, Brown was sentenced by a Superior Court judge to 7 years in prison, followed by 6 months of either home confinement or work release, then one year of probation. Sadler pled guilty in April to Robbery Second Degree, Possession of a Firearm During the commission of a Felony, and Conspiracy Second Degree, and was sentenced to 5 years in prison followed by a year of probation. Newman pled guilty to Possession of a Deadly Weapon By A Person Prohibited and was sentenced by a judge in October 2017 to 1 year of probation.


Attempted Murder Conviction Brings 22-Year Prison Sentence

Other defendants face prison time for weapons, assault, burglary and child abuse charges

A 23-year-old man from Bear will spend 22 years in prison after being sentenced in New Castle County Superior Court for a shooting in Wilmington last summer. In July 2015, Shaquille Campbell shot a man in the leg, a short time after the two argued in the 100 block of North Van Buren Street in Wilmington. Campbell was convicted in March 2016 of Attempted Murder, Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony, Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited, and Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon. Deputy Attorneys General Daniel McBride and Rebecca Song prosecuted the case, with Detective Ricardo Flores of Wilmington Police as the chief investigating officer.

Deputy Attorney General Jenna Milecki secured a prison sentence for Datwan Lum, 27, of Middletown. In August 2014, Lum forced his way into the basement window of a home in the 2200 block of Hillside Road in Wilmington, and stole an iPad, computers, and a briefcase. A few days later, Wilmington Police spotted him in the 400 block of East 3rd Street, and as Lum ran from them, he dropped a loaded .38 special revolver. Lum was sentenced to a total of nine years in prison following multiple trials for Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon, Resisting Arrest, Burglary Second Degree, two counts of Theft From a Senior, Criminal Mischief, Conspiracy Second Degree, and Receiving Stolen Property. The prison term also includes a Violation of Probation for a 2010 Robbery Second conviction.

Deputy Attorney General Phillip Casale secured a five-year prison sentence for Conway Hayman, 17, of Wilmington. In October 2015, he shot a man in the 100 block of North Franklin Street in Wilmington during a robbery attempt. Hayman pled guilty in May 2016 to Assault First Degree, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, Attempted Robbery Second Degree, and Conspiracy Second Degree.

Deputy Attorney General Julie Finocchiaro secured a prison sentence for James Jones, Jr., 33, of Claymont. In December 2015, Jones broke into two units in the Harbor House Apartments in Claymont, stealing money, jewelry, and an AR-15 rifle. In May, he pled guilty to two counts of Burglary Second Degree, Theft of a Firearm, Theft from a Senior, and Resisting Arrest. Jones was sentenced to three years in prison, followed by probation.

Deputy Attorney General Karin Volker secured a plea to Child Abuse Second Degree from John Holliday, 39, of Newark. In March 2016, Holliday hit his then 11-year-old son in the head with the handle of a knife while disciplining the boy by fighting with him. The child suffered cuts and bruises to the face. Holliday also threatened the child with the knife. Holliday faces up to two years in prison when sentenced by the court.

Deputy Attorney General Lindsay Taylor secured a guilty plea from Tyra Mills, 41, of Dover, in connection with a 2014 Kent County investigation which resulted in the arrest and prosecution of 20 people involved in the drug trade in Kent and New Castle Counties, mostly centered in the Capital Park neighborhood of South Dover. Mills pled guilty to four counts of Drug Dealing, and one count of Possession of Illegal Prescription Drugs. Mills will be sentenced in Kent County Superior Court in November.

Deputy Attorney General John Donahue secured a plea to Unlawful Sexual Contact in the First Degree from John King, 67, of Millsboro. His victim was a child under the age of 10. King, a Tier 2 sex offender will be sentenced by the court in October.


Guilty Verdicts for Mastermind of Paladin Club Murders

A New Castle County Superior Court jury returned guilty verdicts on all charges against Christopher Rivers, 33, of Wilmington, for the 2013 killing of his business partner Joseph Connell, and Connell’s wife, Olga, both 39, of Wilmington. The jury found Rivers guilty of two counts of Murder First Degree, two counts of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, Conspiracy First Degree, and Criminal Solicitation First Degree.

Rivers’s co-defendant, Dominique Benson, 25, of Wilmington, was convicted of Conspiracy First Degree, but jurors could not reach a verdict on the charges of Murder and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony. The State will retry Benson on those charges.

Joseph and Olga Connell were killed outside of their home on Paladin Drive in Wilmington. Rivers planned the murders in order to collect on an insurance policy that he and Joseph Connell took on each other in order to protect their business. The state believes Benson was hired as one of the gunmen.

“We are gratified that this jury found Christopher Rivers responsible for the heinous murders of Joseph and Olga Connell, and hope the verdict brings some measure of closure to their family members,” said State Prosecutor Kathleen Jennings. “We’re also grateful the jury found that Dominique Benson conspired with Mr. Rivers to commit these murders, and we will most certainly retry him on the remaining counts. I want to thank the prosecution team of Deputy Attorneys General Colleen Norris, Karin Volker, and Jenna Milecki as well as Kim Moro and Evelyn Smith, who prosecuted the case, and the New Castle County Police Department for their fine investigative work in this case, led by Detective James Leonard.”


Bear Man Found Guilty in 2015 Wilmington Shooting

A New Castle County Superior Court jury returned a guilty verdict on all counts on March 1, 2016, against 22-year old Shaquille Campbell, for a shooting in Wilmington last summer. Campbell was convicted of Attempted Murder, two counts of Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony, Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited, and Reckless Endangering. Deputy Attorneys General Daniel McBride and Rebecca Song prosecuted the case.

On July 8, 2015, Campbell and another man became involved in an argument in the 100 block of North Van Buren Street. After the victim walked away with his fiancé, he noticed Campbell return and point a gun at him. Campbell, a person prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a prior felony conviction, fired at least four rounds at the unarmed victim from close range, hitting him only once.

“We continue to focus on putting away those who are terrorizing their neighborhoods with gun violence,” said Attorney General Matt Denn. “Police, DOJ investigators and prosecutors are dedicated to finding the people responsible for shootings and to bringing them to justice. In addition to DAGs McBride and Song, I want to thank Wilmington Police Det. Ricardo Flores for all of his hard work as the lead investigator in the case.”

Campbell will be sentenced in April, and faces a minimum mandatory prison term of 19 years.


Department of Justice Prosecutors Secure Guilty Verdict in First Degree Murder Case

Maurice Cruz-Webster, 21, of Wilmington, charged with the January 2015 killing of 23-year-old Kyrell Lewis in front of an Arbor Place home in New Castle, was found guilty of First Degree Murder, Reckless Endangering First Degree and two counts of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony by a New Castle County Superior Court jury this week.

Deputy Attorneys General James Kriner and Annemarie Puit prosecuted the case, leading to Cruz-Webster’s conviction.

Cruz-Webster and Lewis became involved in an argument outside of Lewis’s home on Parma Avenue on January 9, 2015, during which Cruz-Webster fired a handgun seven times, striking Lewis several times. Witnesses who heard and saw the argument called police. Lewis was taken to Christiana Hospital where he died as a result of the shooting.

“This verdict reinforces the importance of witnesses coming forward to help bring criminals to justice,” said Attorney General Matt Denn. “Thanks to eyewitness cooperation, and the outstanding work of our prosecutors and the New Castle County Police, a jury has brought justice to Kyrell Lewis’s family, and made our streets safer.”

When sentenced in March 11, 2016, Cruz-Webster faces a mandatory life sentence.