A 37-year-old Newark man will spend the next 23 years in prison after sentencing by a Superior Court judge on weapons, identity theft, and reckless driving charges. Deputy Attorney General Marc Petrucci secured the sentence for Damien Roberts. In November 2016, New Castle County police officers found Roberts unresponsive inside of his car in the middle of the intersection of Route 40 and Brookmont Drive, with the car running and in gear. Officers broke a window to check on the welfare of Roberts, and then ordered Roberts out of the car after noticing a magazine for a firearm tucked under his leg. Roberts gave police a fake name after officers found a 40-caliber handgun in his pant leg. Roberts was barred from having a gun because of previous weapons and robbery convictions. A Superior Court judge sentenced Roberts for his January 2018 guilty plea to Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited, Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon, Reckless Driving – Alcohol Related, and Identity Theft, to 23 years in prison, followed by 6 months of either home confinement or work release, then 18 months of probation. New Castle County Police Officers Det. Brian Shahan, Det. Daryl Haines, Det. Jennifer Escheman, Ofc. Paul Ruszkay and Sgt. Justin Breslin investigated the case. DOJ paralegal Donna Lee also assisted in the prosecution.

A social media video showing a 22-year old Bridgeville man with several guns led to a 5-year prison sentence. Deputy Attorney General Kevin Gardner secured the sentence after a guilty plea from Elijah Desir. In October 2017, Desir posted a Snapchat video showing himself with several guns, including holding what appeared to be an AK-47-style assault rifle. Desir cannot possess a gun because of a Reckless Endangering First Degree conviction in 2016. Desir pled guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited, and was immediately sentenced by a Superior Court judge to 5 years in prison followed by 1 year of probation.

Deputy Attorney General Mark Denney secured a prison sentence for a Wilmington man declared a habitual offender for his conviction on a weapons charge. In June 2017, a probation officer doing a curfew check on Terrance Jackson, 29, found Jackson outside of his home in the 2500 block of North Washington Street, which was a violation of his curfew. The curfew violation led to a search of Jackson’s home, which turned up a .357 magnum revolver. Jackson, prohibited from having a gun because of past violent felony convictions on drug and weapons charges, pled guilty in January 2017 to Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited. A Superior Court Judge sentenced Jackson to 15 years in prison, with 18 months of probation re-imposed from a 2016 conviction for Drug Dealing Heroin.

Robbery, burglary, forgery, patient abuse cases also resolved

A 2017 shooting in Laurel left an 18-year-old dead, and will lead to prison for the 19-year-old shooter. Deputy Attorneys General Casey L. Ewart and Kevin Gardner secured a guilty plea to Manslaughter, 3 counts of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, and one count of Reckless Endangering 1st Degree in the case of Stephon Jackson of Laurel. In January 2017, Jackson shot and killed Mekell Horsey while at the Wexford Village Apartment Complex on Sunset Drive in Laurel. Jackson faces a minimum sentence of 11 years in prison when sentenced by a Superior Court judge later this year, with a maximum possible sentence of 105 years. Detective Jon King of the Delaware State Police Homicide Unit was the lead investigator, while DOJ social worker Laurel Braunstein and administrative specialist Angelique Waters assisted with the prosecution of the case.

Two men responsible for robbing multiple businesses throughout New Castle County armed with guns received prison sentences from a Superior Court judge. In September 2017, Brandon Dixon, 30, of Middletown, pled guilty to two counts of Robbery Second Degree, Conspiracy Second Degree, Possession of a Firearm During Commission of a Felony, and a Violation of Probation. The Court sentenced Dixon as a habitual offender because of previous violent felony convictions for robbery, burglary and weapons offenses to 25 years in prison, followed by 6 months of either home confinement or work release, then 2 years of probation. Darius Johns, 27, of Wilmington pled guilty in October 2017 to Robbery First Degree, Robbery Second Degree, Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited, and Conspiracy Second Degree. Johns, also a habitual offender for robbery and weapons convictions, received a sentence of 20 years in prison, followed by 6 months of either home confinement or work release, then 2 years of probation. Deputy Attorneys General Jamie McCloskey and Kelly Sheridan prosecuted the cases. Detective Anthony Tenebruso investigated the case for the State Police, while Detectives Joseph Womer and Julia Fabbroni investigated the cases for Middletown PD. Paralegal Lisa Loikith and Social Workers Meghan Fisher and Courtney Cochran also worked on this case.

A 37-year-old habitual offender could face at least 8 years in prison after his burglary conviction by a Superior Court jury. Deputy Attorney General William Leonard secured a conviction for Nathaniel Marsh of Wilmington to Burglary Second Degree, 2 counts of Conspiracy Second Degree, Theft Greater Than $1500, and Criminal Mischief Less Than $1000. In July 2017, Marsh took part in a burglary in the 100 block Talbot Drive in New Castle, breaking in through a window and taking items including large screen televisions, video game system, and collector’s coins. A habitual offender due to previous violent felony convictions for robbery, assault, and reckless endangering, Marsh faces 8 years to life in prison when sentenced by the court later this year.

Deputy Attorney General Kate Keller secured a guilty plea to forgery and falsifying records from a 44-year-old Smyrna woman who was working at the Delaware Psychiatric Center as a certified nursing assistant. Daniella Seneus pled guilty to Forgery Third Degree and Falsification of Business Records. In December 2016, Seneus, a certified nursing assistant, falsely indicated on an record that she had performed her required 15 minute face checks on a resident when she had not. That resident was found dead of a medical condition the next morning, and no foul play was involved. A Superior Court judge sentenced Seneus to one year of probation on each charge. Seneus will also be referred to the Adult Abuse Registry. Detective Dave Myers from Delaware State Police investigated the case.

A 50-year-old working as a security guard at the Delaware Psychiatric Center pled no contest to Patient Abuse for having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a DPC resident. Deputy Attorney General Kate Keller secured the plea from John Fraim of Wilmington. Fraim made unwanted advances over the course of 2 months during the summer of 2017. A Superior Court judge sentenced Fraim to one year of probation. In addition, Fraim will be referred to the Adult Abuse Registry. Detective Amy Lloyd of Delaware State Police handled the investigation.

Also, verdicts and sentences in assault on correctional officers, prohibited gun, Dover robbery

Ryan Shover, 46, of York, PA, was convicted by a jury of Murder First Degree (intentional murder), Murder First Degree (felony murder), 2 counts of Possession of a Deadly Weapon During Commission of a Felony, Insurance Fraud and Conspiracy First Degree for murdering Wayne Cappelli in 2013. Cappelli was attacked on Delaview Avenue and killed with a baseball bat as he walked home from his job on February 16, 2013, and his body was found in a wooded area a few days later. The investigation revealed that three friends, Michael Kman, David Hess and Paul Disabatino, had talked Cappelli into taking out a life insurance policy. In November 2012, Cappelli made Disabatino the beneficiary of the $360,000 policy, with the intent that Disabatino would look after Cappelli’s child. Kman enlisted Shover to commit the murder and be paid $30,000 from the insurance benefits. After the murder, Disabatino, with the aid of Kman, attempted to collect the insurance money.  Those efforts were not successful as the criminal investigation developed. Eventually, Chancery Court awarded the money in trust to Cappelli’s child.  Hess and Disabatino pled guilty in January 2016 to Criminally Negligent Homicide, Insurance Fraud and Conspiracy First Degree.  Hess was sentenced to 5 years in jail and Disabatino is pending sentencing. Michael Kman pled guilty to Murder Second Degree, Insurance Fraud and Conspiracy 1st Degree on December 2017 and Kman’s sentence is pending. Shover will also be sentenced at a later date. Deputy Attorneys General John Downs and Danielle Brennan prosecuted the case, with DOJ Paralegal Stacey Coupe and DOJ Investigator Cliff Dempsey. Sgt. Tom Orzechowski of New Castle County Police was the lead investigator. DOJ Social Worker Courtney Cochran supported the victim’s family through the investigation and trial.

Gregory Parker, 53, of New Castle was sentenced to 25 years in prison on his convictions for Murder 2nd Degree and Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony.  Parker, who had no prior criminal convictions, pled guilty in November 2017 to the 2016 fatal beating of Shawn Spence in Mallard Pointe near New Castle.  New Castle County Police Department found Spence inside Parker’s residence bludgeoned to death.  Parker fled Delaware and remained at large until his arrest by the U.S. Marshal Service six months later in New York City.

Deputy Attorney General Jamie McCloskey secured a 6-year prison sentence for a Dover man who attacked correctional officers at a probation center. Xavier Spady, 26, of Dover, was an inmate at Central Violation of Probation Center when he refused a correctional sergeant’s orders to enter his cell and began fighting with him in January 2017. A correctional corporal who was responding to the altercation was thrown into a wall, resulting in a head injury. Spady pled guilty to Assault in a Detention Facility and Attempted Assault in a Detention Facility.  He was sentenced to 6 years in jail on those charges, followed by probation.

Keenan Anderson, 26, of Wilmington faces 23 years to life in prison for weapons convictions. Wilmington Police Department officers stopped Anderson in the 600 block of West 7th Street in May 2017 in reference to being wanted. While officers patted him down, they discovered a handgun on his person. Anderson was convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited and Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon. Anderson is also facing charges from 2017 in two pending cases involving a shooting and a carjacking. Deputy Attorneys General Zach Rosen and Periann Doko prosecuted the case assisted by DOJ paralegal Jessica Ascione and DOJ investigator Guillermo Santiago.

A 40-year old Dover man was found guilty in bifurcated jury trials on charges of Robbery 1^st Degree, Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited, Assault 3^rd Degree, Theft of Firearm, and Conspiracy 2^nd Degree for an attack in downtown Dover. In September 2016, Pierre Downs and accomplices assaulted and robbed a man after leaving the Golden Fleece Tavern. Downs, a habitual offender, is facing 40 years of mandatory jail time because of the convictions from this case. He is a habitual offender based on previous convictions involving weapon possessions and felony theft. Sentencing is scheduled for April 6, 2018. Deputy Attorneys General Dennis Kelleher and Alicia Porter prosecuted the case.

Rape cases and weapons case also handled by DOJ prosecutors

Cortez Hamilton, 35, of Smyrna faces a prison sentence of 15 years to life after pleading guilty to Murder Second Degree for the 2015 killing of his wife. Cortez Hamilton killed his wife, Keisha Hamilton, in January 2015 at their home south of Smyrna, and then fled to Indiana with their two children, where he was apprehended by the Indiana State Police after a nationwide Amber Alert. As part of Cortez Hamilton’s guilty plea, he was required to provide the location of Keisha Hamilton’s body, which had not been found. Utilizing the information provided, State Police discovered human remains near Smyrna, and testing by the Division of Forensic Science is ongoing to positively identify the remains. Sentencing by a Superior Court judge is scheduled for March 28. Deputy Attorneys General Stephen Welch and Lindsay Taylor prosecuted the case, with investigation by the Delaware State Police Homicide Unit.

A 48-year-old Harrington man was sentenced to at least 15 years in prison for the death of an infant who was under his care. James Hammond and his girlfriend were caring for his girlfriend’s niece, 7-month old Aubri Thompson, while the child’s parents were on vacation. The child was brought to the couple’s Harrington residence on February 25, 2014 and was taken to Milford Memorial Hospital by Hammond and his girlfriend on February 28, 2014, suffering from blunt force trauma to her head and serious traumatic brain injuries. The child was pronounced dead one hour after she arrived at the hospital. James Hammond was found guilty of Murder by Abuse Second Degree by a jury in November 2017. A Superior Court judge sentenced Hammond to 25 years in prison, suspended after serving 15 years, followed by 6 months of work release and 2 years of probation. Deputy Attorneys General Stephen Welch and Stephen Smith prosecuted this case.

Richard White, 41, of Wilmington faces 25 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to rape charges. White began an inappropriate relationship with an underage female and had sexual intercourse with her repeatedly over the course of 5 years. Deputy Attorney General Diana Dunn secured a guilty plea to Rape Second Degree. New Castle County Police Detective John Adams investigated the case. Sentencing is scheduled for April.

Deputy Attorney General Kathleen Dickerson secured a guilty verdict on all counts from a jury trial in Superior Court for William Reynolds, 45, of Millington, Maryland. Reynolds raped and assaulted a woman in her home in Clayton in November 2016. Reynolds was found guilty of 5 counts of Rape First Degree, 1 count of Rape Third Degree, and Strangulation. During jury deliberation and when the jury returned its verdict, Reynolds did not appear in court and was reportedly found dead, but identification has not been completed. DOJ Investigator Pete Fraley and Social Worker Lorraine Freese assisted with this case.

Deputy Attorneys General Zach Rosen and Nichole Warner secured a guilty plea from a New Castle man for a weapons charge, and he now faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison. Michael Garnett, 43, pled guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited and agreed that he is eligible for habitual offender status in Superior Court. In December 2015, Garnett was pulled over in a traffic stop for suspicion of drug dealing in the New Castle area. During the vehicle search, he was found to have a loaded handgun. A motion will be filed to declare Garnett a habitual offender based on previous convictions of Carrying Concealed Deadly Weapon, Burglary Second Degree, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, and Maintaining a Vehicle for Keeping Controlled Substances. Sentencing is scheduled for April 20.

A 21-year-old Wilmington man faces mandatory life in prison for the murder of 22-year-old Christian Serrano in 2016. Jose Moreta was found guilty of Murder 1st Degree, three counts of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, Conspiracy 1st Degree, Attempted Murder 1st Degree, Reckless Endangerment 1st Degree, Criminal Trespassing 1st Degree, and Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon. Gunshots were reported on March 2016 and responding Wilmington Police Department officers found Serrano in the 200 block of N. Connell Street with fatal gunshot wounds. Deputy Attorneys General Joseph Grubb and William Leonard secured the guilty verdict in a bench trial for Moreta on January 17, 2018. The Chief Investigating Officer Detective Bob Fox, Paralegal Jaime Prater, Special Investigator Willie Santiago, and Social Worker Jen Kutney all assisted with the prosecution of the case. Sentencing is scheduled for April 20, 2018.

Deputy Attorneys General Eric Zubrow and Phillip Casale secured a guilty plea from a 33-year-old Newark man who murdered his ex-girlfriend. In January 2017, Jerry Blankenship told New Castle County Police officers that he killed the victim in her apartment in the 700 block of Vinings Way in Newark. New Castle County officers went to apartment and found the victim with a fatal head wound in her bedroom. Blankenship pled guilty to Murder 2nd Degree and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony and faces up to a life sentence in prison. Sentencing has not yet been scheduled.

Luis Cabrera was sentenced to two life sentences in prison without parole by a Superior Court judge on Friday for two murders in Wilmington 22 years ago. In 2001, Cabrera was convicted by a jury of the murders of Brandon Saunders and Vaughn Rowe, who were found shot in Rockford Park in January 1996, and he was sentenced to death. Before Cabrera’s postconviction proceedings were completed, the Delaware Supreme Court found the death penalty procedures unconstitutional. Because Cabrera was no longer subject to the death penalty, the Superior Court vacated his death sentences and imposed two life sentences. Cabrera’s convictions were affirmed.

A 31-year-old Dagsboro man was sentenced to 90 years in prison for crimes, including rape and attempted murder, that he committed against a series of women. Deputy Attorneys General Casey L. Ewart and Rebecca E. Anderson secured a guilty plea from Temourise Taylor to a charge of Attempted Murder 1st Degree, and the defendant pled no contest to Rape 2nd Degree, Unlawful Imprisonment 1st Degree, Strangulation, and Terroristic Threatening. Taylor, a serial rapist, would get women into his car, drive them to a secluded location, then rape them while threatening to kill them and/or physically beating them. In the summer of 2015, Taylor punched and strangled a woman who tried to resist his attack. During the summer of 2016 Taylor raped two women, physically beating one and threatening the other by saying that he had a knife. In December 2016, Taylor stabbed his final victim after she resisted his attempt to rape her. A Superior Court judge sentenced Taylor to a total of 90 years in prison (60 years for Attempted Murder 1st Degree, 25 years for Rape 2nd Degree, and 5 years for Strangulation). Should he ever be released, Taylor would be placed on home confinement, followed by probation with GPS monitoring, for the Unlawful Imprisonment 1st Degree and Terroristic Threatening charges. While in prison he will have to complete sex offender treatment and anger management counseling, and Taylor is now a Tier 3 sex offender. Detective Mark Doughty of the Delaware State Police was the lead investigator, assisted by other detectives in the Major Crimes Unit at Troop 4. DOJ Social Worker Carla Ennals, DOJ Administrative Specialist Angie Waters, and DOJ Paralegal Veronica McKain also assisted in the prosecution.

Deputy Attorney General Dennis Kelleher prosecuted a case involving a break-in and assault against an elderly woman. Ronald Keis, 51, of Dover, was found guilty at a bench trial and sentenced by a Superior Court judge to a total of 68 years in prison for charges of Robbery 1st Degree, Home Invasion, and Assault 2nd Degree. In February 2017, Keis broke into an elderly woman’s home on Hickory Dale Drive in Dover and proceeded to assault and rob her.

A 41-year-old Wilmington man was sentenced to 45 years in prison for the homicide of a New Castle woman. In July 2016, Martin L. Taylor was confronted by the victim, Whitney White, at his residence on the 2900 block of N. Market Street regarding missing items from a mutual acquaintance’s home. Taylor and White got into an altercation over the missing items which resulted in a fatal laceration to White’s neck. Taylor, a habitual offender, pled Guilty but Mentally Ill to Manslaughter and Possession of a Deadly Weapon During Commission of a Felony. Taylor was declared a habitual offender based on previous convictions of Assault 2nd Degree, Burglary 2nd Degree, and Distribution, Delivery, or Possession of a Controlled Substance Within 300 Feet of a Park. Deputy Attorney General Eric Zubrow secured the 45-year prison sentence for Taylor with assistance from Deputy Attorney General Andrew Vella, DOJ Social Worker Donna Lindsey, Paralegal Stacey Coupe, and Administrative Assistant Evelyn Davis.

Deputy Attorneys General Barzilai Axelrod and William Leonard, assisted by Paralegals Bridgitt Martin and Jessica Ascione, secured a prison sentence for a 31-year-old Wilmington man on drug charges. Tyrone Anderson, along with his co-defendants, were responsible for distributing heroin in 2016 in the Belvedere neighborhood of Wilmington. Between April and August of 2016, Detective Michelle Burrus, Detective John Mancuso, and other officers of the New Castle County Police Department conducted an investigation that included numerous undercover purchases of heroin from Anderson. Following a jury trial, a Superior Court judge sentenced Anderson on four counts of Drug Dealing Heroin and Conspiracy 2nd Degree to 20 years in prison followed by another year on his Violations of Probation. John Trotter, Marcus Jones, and Thomas Stegar are all scheduled to be sentenced in February 2018.

Jermaine Tingle, a habitual offender, faces a minimum mandatory 19 year prison sentence for drug dealing and related charges. Deputy Attorneys General Erika Flaschner and Allison Abessinio convicted Tingle, 39, of Wilmington in a jury trial before a Superior Court judge of two counts of Drug Dealing Heroin, two counts of Aggravated Possession, two counts of Conspiracy 2nd, Drug Dealing Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited. This was a joint investigation by Delaware State Police and the Wilmington Police Department. Delaware State Police troopers searched one residence associated with Tingle while officers with the Wilmington Police Department searched a residence and vehicle associated with Tingle. The searches yielded over 1,300 bags of heroin and $23,077 cash. Tingle was declared a habitual offender based on felony convictions for Burglary 2nd Degree, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, Drug Dealing, and Conspiracy 2nd Degree, which influenced the minimum mandatory sentence. Wilmington Police Department Detective Justin Wilkers and DOJ Special Investigator Cliff Dempsey investigated the case.