Other defendants face prison time for murder, weapons, and drug charges

Ahmir Bailey, 20, of Lincoln, will spend the rest of his life in prison after being convicted by a Superior Court jury of murdering a 20-year-old Smyrna man. In May 2018, Bailey and a co-defendant, Eugene Riley, 19, of Milford, got into an argument with Jameir Vann-Robinson, of Smyrna, as Vann-Robinson and a friend left a house party on Mitscher Road in Dover. During the argument, Bailey and Riley fired several shots, one of which fatally struck Vann-Robinson in the back. The bullets used in the attack had been stolen from a sporting goods store a few days earlier. The jury convicted Bailey of Murder First Degree, Attempted Murder First Degree, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, Shoplifting, and Conspiracy Third Degree. A Superior Court judge also found Bailey guilty of Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited and Possession of Ammunition by a Person Prohibited. Bailey, who was barred from having a gun because of a juvenile adjudication for a violent crime, will be sentenced in January. Riley is scheduled for trial in December. Deputy Attorneys General Greg Babowal and Kevin Smith prosecuted the case. The investigation was led by Detective Schmid of the Dover Police Department.

A Seaford man was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to a 2017 murder. Deputy Attorneys General David Hume and Caroline Brittingham secured the plea from Michael Moore, 49. In September 2017, Seaford Police received a missing person’s report about 28-year-old Donnell Davis, of Laurel, who was last seen arguing with Moore at Moore’s home. Moore was arrested in February 2018 after evidence linked him to human remains—later identified as Davis—found in a wooded area in Federalsburg, Maryland. Moore pleaded guilty to Murder Second Degree and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony. A Superior Court judge immediately sentenced Moore to 22 years in prison followed by 10 years of probation. Paralegal Kristan Hudson and social workers Laurel Braunstein and Monserrat Matos assisted with the case, along with Detective Jon King and the Delaware State Police Homicide and Major Crimes Units.

A man running a drug operation in Dover pleaded guilty in Superior Court to Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon and 2 counts of Drug Dealing Tier 4. In February 2019, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol intercepted a package for Michael Palmer, 32, that contained approximately 150 grams of MDMA, commonly known as “Molly.” Palmer was arrested after accepting the package and was also found to be in possession of heroin, LSD, cocaine, marijuana, and a 9mm semi-automatic handgun.. A judge will sentence Palmer in November. Deputy Attorneys General Nicole Hartman and Sean Motoyoshi prosecuted the case. The arrest was a joint operation between Dover Police and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations

Attorney General Kathy Jennings today released the following statement after a jury returned a guilty verdict against Clay Conaway for Rape 4th Degree:

“The message today is no means no. I am grateful for the jury’s decision, for the work of our excellent trial team, for the investigative work of the Delaware State Police, and especially for the survivor of Mr. Conaway’s rape, who throughout this trial endured needless disrespect and insinuations about her integrity. Going through this kind of trial takes incredible strength, and I recognize the courage of the survivor for putting herself under a microscope to ensure that justice was served.”

Other defendants face prison for murder, assault, drug, and weapons charges

The repeated sexual abuse of 2 children has led to a prison sentence of more than 100 years for a New Castle man. For a period of almost 3 years beginning in January 2014, Melvin Finney, 57, sexually assaulted 2 children in his care. A Superior Court judge convicted Finney in a bench trial in May 2019 of Rape First Degree, Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child, 3 counts of Sexual Abuse of a Child by a Person in a Position of Trust First Degree, and 2 counts of Unlawful Sexual Contact First Degree. The judge sentenced Finney to 115 years in prison. Deputy Attorney General Diana Dunn prosecuted the case with assistance from social worker Claudia Melton. Sgt. Jeff Maguire of the New Castle County Police was the chief investigating officer.

A 38-year-old Newark man was sentenced to more than 30 years in prison for the stabbing death of his girlfriend, Sherrie Campbell, 34, of Newark. Deputy Attorneys General Joseph Grubb and Danielle Brennan secured the sentence for Rondell Veal. In September 2017, Newark Police were called to check on the welfare of Sherrie after she failed to pick up her son at day care. Police ultimately found Campbell’s body inside of her locked and barricaded home, and discovered she had been stabbed multiple times. Veal, who fled to New York after the murder, was ultimately located and arrested by the Newark Police Department. Veal pleaded guilty but mentally ill in April 2019 to Murder Second Degree and Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony. A Superior Court judge sentenced Veal to 33 years in prison, followed by 6 months of either home confinement or work release, then 2 years of probation. DOJ paralegals Wendy Wilkinson and Jaime Prater assisted with the prosecution, along with investigator Guillermo Santiago. The case was investigated by Detective Daniel Bystricky of the Newark Police Department.

A Wilmington man who stabbed his mother, 1-year-old niece, the child’s mother, and fatally stabbed another man, was found guilty but mentally ill on numerous charges. In a bench trial, a Superior Court judge convicted 34-year-old Chaon Calhoun of Murder First Degree, Attempted Murder First Degree, 2 counts of Assault First Degree, 4 counts of Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony, and 1 count of Possession of a Deadly Weapon by a Person Prohibited. In April 2018, Calhoun was in his mother’s home in the 2100 block of North Washington Street in Wilmington, where his brother’s girlfriend and daughter also resided. As Calhoun tried to force his way in to the child’s bedroom, he began to stab Andrew Moore, 24, a friend who was visiting. He also stabbed the child multiple times in the head while she was in her mother’s arms. The child’s mother also suffered stab wounds to her hand. Moore and Calhoun’s mother were able to intervene but not before Calhoun stabbed his mother in the head, and Moore was fatally stabbed in the neck and arm. Deputy Attorneys General Periann Doko and Jillian Schroeder prosecuted the case with assistance from social worker Jennifer Kutney, paralegal Stacey Coupe, and chief investigator John Ciritella. The investigation was led by Sgt. Robert Fox of the Wilmington Police Department.

A Dagsboro man already on probation for Aggravated Menacing and Reckless Endangering has pleaded guilty to Drug Dealing and Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited. In January 2019, Probation & Parole Officers conducted an administrative search at the home of David Tharp, 52, after tests during his office visits showed traces of methamphetamine. Once inside Tharp’s home, officers found 14.49 grams of methamphetamine and a loaded .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun. A Superior Court judge sentenced Tharp to 5 years in prison followed by 18 months of probation. Deputy Attorney General Georgia Pham prosecuted the case.

Sexual assault kit testing initiative generates rape conviction;
Child sexual abuse, armed robbery also lead to guilty pleas

An employee of the state Division of Motor Vehicles and a man who bribed her have pleaded guilty to issuing drivers’ licenses to people who hadn’t earned them. Danielle Haldeman, 29, of Greenwood, who worked at the DMV facility in Georgetown, accepted bribes from Michelet Pouloute, 44, of Dover, who served as an interpreter for recent non-English speaking immigrants. Pouloute would give Haldeman cash, and then Haldeman provided licenses despite the recipients not having proper documentation or testing in a scheme that lasted from August to mid-October 2017. Haldeman pleaded guilty to 1 count of Felony Receiving a Bribe, as well as 1 count of Misdemeanor Official Misconduct. Pouloute pleaded guilty to 1 count of Felony Bribery. Each were sentenced by a Superior Court judge to 1 year of probation and restitution to their victims. All 41 of the licenses have been cancelled and returned to the DMV. DOJ’s Office of Civil of Rights & Public Trust, the Division of Motor Vehicles, and Delaware State Police worked together on the investigation and prosecution. DOJ paralegal Trisha McGinnis assisted with the prosecution.

An ongoing effort in Delaware to test previously untested sexual assault kits led to an arrest and guilty plea for a 38-year-old Chester, PA man. Hayim Raison pleaded guilty to 2 counts of Rape Second Degree. DNA evidence revealed that between January 2014 and December 2018, Raison raped 7 women in secluded areas throughout Wilmington, making violent threats in many of the attacks. In order to resolve the case with the certainty of guilty pleas and to not put the victims through the difficulty and uncertainty of a trial, guilty pleas to 2 counts were accepted by prosecutors after consultation with the victims. However, the sentencing process will recognize the attacks against all 7 women and all 7 will have the opportunity to testify before a Superior Court judge as part of the sentencing in January. The US Department of Justice Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI), along with the Delaware Department of Justice, and local law enforcement agencies and organizations are committed to bringing justice to victims, identifying offenders and helping to solve more cold cases. Anyone who has had a sexual assault kit collected and would like more information should contact the Delaware Victims Center at 1-800-VICTIM1 or the Delaware Criminal Justice Council, SAKI Coordinator at 302 577-8717 or cjc.delaware.gov. All victims of Sexual Assault can receive support and information by calling the following Rape Crisis Hotlines 24/7: New Castle County and Sussex County – YWCA SARC at 1-800-773-5870, Kent and Sussex County – Lifeline Rape Crisis at 1-800-262-9800.

A New Castle County Superior Court jury convicted a Pennsylvania man for sexually assaulting a child. Darth Heald, 41, of Honey Brook, PA was convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Child by a Person in a Position of Trust, Supervision or Authority Second Degree, Dangerous Crime Against a Child, Unlawful Sexual Contact First Degree, and Unlawful Imprisonment Second Degree. In September 2018, Heald was staying with family members in Delaware and inappropriately touched a child who was in the house playing with children who lived there. Deputy Attorney General Cari Chapman prosecuted the case with DOJ social workers Lisa Rapko and Claudia Melton, paralegal Jayna Quillen, senior administrative assistant Monica Walker, special investigator, Brian Daly, and Detective Kevin Mackie of the New Castle County Police Department. A Superior Court judge will sentence Heald in January.

The man who drove the getaway car from an armed robbery in Wilmington has pleaded guilty. In September 2018, Ronald Comeger, 34, of Wilmington, waited in his car outside of Ainsley’s Pharmacy in the Miller Road Shopping Center, while Lance Parker, 28, of Wilmington, was inside stealing narcotics at gunpoint and then locking three employees in a secure cage meant to store drugs. A clerk at the pharmacy put a tracking device in the bag of prescription bottle that Parker stole, and Wilmington and State Police stopped the car a short time later. Police took Parker into custody at the scene, and arrested Comeger a few blocks away when he tried to run. Comeger pleaded guilty to Kidnapping First Degree, Robbery Second Degree, and Conspiracy Second Degree. A Superior Court judge will sentence Comeger in January. Parker pleaded guilty in April to Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, Robbery Second Degree, and Conspiracy Second Degree, and will be sentenced later this month. Deputy Attorneys General Joseph Grubb and Matthew Hicks prosecuted the cases with the assistance of DOJ social worker Kristen Fluharty-Emory.

Witness intimidation sends man to prison

A 30-year-old Seaford man who tried to flee from a traffic stop with a state trooper holding on to his moving vehicle pleaded guilty in Superior Court. Deputy Attorney General John Donahue secured the plea to Assault Second Degree, Reckless Endangering, and Resisting Arrest from Brandon Showell. In June 2018, a trooper stopped Showell for running a stop sign at the intersection of Mill Park Drive and Coverdale Road in Bridgeville. As the trooper approached the vehicle, Showell put it in gear and started to move. As the trooper held onto the moving SUV, the two wrestled over the gear shift. Showell pushed the trooper from the car and started to run, but the officer was able to take him into custody. A Superior Court judge will sentence Showell in October.

A Wilmington man who sought to intimidate a witness from testifying in a case that brought down a drug and weapons enterprise has pleaded guilty. In November 2018, Isaac Maddrey, 36, posted a copy of a sealed plea agreement on the internet. The agreement, which Maddrey received in a text message from a member of the enterprise, indicated a witness would comply with a cooperation agreement, and testify truthfully when called to the witness stand. The plea agreement had been sealed by Order of the Court, and was not available to public at the time because of threats to the witness’ safety. The investigation into the enterprise run by Eric Lloyd and Dwayne White led to several indictments for more than 60 people charged with crimes including conspiracy, drug dealing, evidence tampering and witness intimidation. Maddrey pleaded guilty to Aggravated Act of Intimidation and was immediately sentenced to 2 years in prison followed by 2 years of probation. Deputy Attorney General Mark Denney prosecuted the case.