Three men were indicted Monday for the murder of 15-year-old Brandon Wingo as he walked home from school on May 19, and a woman was indicted on related charges as well.

Kevon Harris-Dickerson, 20, of Newark, Zaahir Smith, 19, of Newark, and Diamonte Taylor, 18, of Wilmington, were indicted by a grand jury Monday for multiple charges including murder, possession of a firearm during commission of a felony, and conspiracy. Police and prosecutors believe that all three men participated in the planning and aided in the commission of Brandon’s death.

The charges against the three men include gang participation as police and prosecutors believe that the three men were members of the Shoot To Kill, or STK, gang and that Brandon’s shooting was yet another violent act by the gang. In addition to charges related to Brandon Wingo’s murder on May 19, the indictment includes charges for crimes committed on May 3, May 5, May 16, May 30 and June 1, some of them as re-indictments now included as gang-related activity.

Latasha Pierce, 34, of Wilmington was indicted on charges related to providing a firearm to a person prohibited and falsely reporting it stolen to police.

“The case against these individuals continues to be built, but Wilmington Police and DOJ prosecutors felt there was probable cause for each charge, and it was necessary to bring these indictments now to try to disrupt some of the violence being perpetrated by gangs on Wilmington streets,” Attorney General Matt Denn said. “These indictments are the result of hard work by prosecutors like Deputy Attorneys General Mark Denney, Colleen Norris, Marc Petrucci and Cindy Hurlock, with support from DOJ staff Diane Madric and Sandra Colicchio, all in the New Castle County Criminal Division led by State Prosecutor Kathy Jennings and County Prosecutor Joe Grubb. The case was investigated with intrepid work by Thomas Curley, Mackenzie Kirlin, Peter Leccia and William Ball of Wilmington PD, along with Hector Garcia of New Castle County Police, and task forces from both the U.S. Marshal’s Office and federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms bureau.”

“The Wilmington Police Criminal Investigations Division works diligently to solve all homicides,” said Wilmington Police Chief Bobby L. Cummings. “As a result of the hard work put forward by our detectives and the Attorney General’s Office, we are pleased that indictments could be issued for the tragic taking of this young man’s life.”

At the time of the indictment, all three men were in custody on charges related to other incidents. Pierce was arrested this morning.

Bail hearings for Harris-Dickerson, Smith, and Taylor were held Wednesday June 22nd. Harris-Dickerson is being held on $1.5-million cash bail, Smith on $2-million cash bail, and Taylor on $1.5-million cash bail.

The indicted charges for each of the defendants are as follows:

Kevon Harris-Dickerson
Murder First Degree
Gang Participation
Possession of a Firearm During The Commission Of A Felony
Conspiracy First Degree
Conspiracy Second Degree
Possession Or Control Of A Firearm By A Person Prohibited
Aggravated Possession

Zaahir Smith
Murder First Degree
Gang Participation
Possession of a Firearm During The Commission Of A Felony – 3 counts
Conspiracy First Degree
Possession Or Control Of A Firearm By A Person Prohibited – 3 counts
Aggravated Menacing – 2 counts
Conspiracy Second Degree
Robbery First Degree
Carrying A Concealed Deadly Weapon
Possession Or Control of Ammunition By A Person Prohibited

Diamonte Taylor
Murder First Degree
Gang Participation
Possession of a Firearm During The Commission Of A Felony – 5 counts
Conspiracy First Degree
Possession Or Control Of A Firearm By A Person Prohibited
Aggravated Menacing – 2 counts
Conspiracy Second Degree
Assault First Degree – 2 counts
Robbery First Degree
Reckless Endangering First Degree – 2 counts

Latasha Pierce
Giving A Firearm To A Person Prohibited
Conspiracy Second Degree
Falsely Reporting An Incident
Providing A False Statement To Law Enforcement

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Grand jury hands up indictments in 2010 Wilmington cold case, 2014 Village of Windhover shooting, 2015 Vandever Avenue shooting, 2015 Rodney Square stabbing, 2015 Hockessin murder victim found in car.

Six defendants were indicted by a New Castle County grand jury on Monday, December 21 in five homicide cases, including three murders from 2015, one from 2014, and what had been a cold case from 2010. Department of Justice prosecutors do not recall ever having indictments in five homicide cases in a single day.

“Justice is being pursued in all five of these cases – some from this year and some older — because of the unending efforts of our prosecutors and of the police agencies that serve these communities,” said Attorney General Matt Denn. “Their tireless efforts go a long way to help make our neighborhoods, cities, and state safer.”

One case dates back to 2010, and was solved through the combined efforts of the Wilmington Police Department’s Cold Case Unit and the Department of Justice Homicide Unit. During an argument in the 600 block of South Franklin Street in May 2010, Erik McNeely, 35, of Newark, fired three shots, killing Abel Flores. McNeely faces one count of first degree murder, and two counts of attempted murder.

“Sometimes people think a cold case must be solved with new technology or tests, but this case was able to be solved after five years because of the help and cooperation of witnesses. Through the relentless efforts of Wilmington Police Sergeant Matt Hall, Cold Case Investigator Partlow and Special Agent Ronnie Hnat, we were finally able to give answers to the Flores family,” said DOJ homicide unit head and deputy attorney general Ipek Medford. “We need our community to help us piece together cases. This case is an example that we need witnesses to tell what happened and bring justice, and not just forensic evidence like TV shows might have the public believe. ”

“I appreciate the hard work of everyone in our Cold Case Unit, and all of the agencies we work alongside, for keeping this case alive for five years,” said Wilmington Police Chief Bobby Cummings. “We will continue to work with the Department of Justice to bring cases like this to closure for the families of homicide victims.”

Two men, Isaac LeCompte, 22, of New Castle, and 20-year-old Jyaire Smith of Georgetown, Maryland were indicted in a second case, in connection with the death of Ira Hopkins in July 2014. Hopkins and friends were celebrating his birthday outside of his home in the Village of Windhover Apartments on Sandburg Place in Newark, when LeCompte and Smith approached with guns and ordered them to the ground. The two fired several shots, killing Hopkins and injuring one of his friends. LeCompte and Smith each face two counts of first degree murder (felony murder and intentional murder), one count of attempted murder, seven counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, four counts of robbery, one count of conspiracy, and one count of possession of a firearm by a person prohibited.

“New Castle County Detectives have worked tirelessly on this case since this tragic incident occurred. From the initial response, the collection of evidence, conducting interviews and the process of preparing the case for the arrest and trial, every effort was made to ensure those responsible were brought to justice,” said Colonel Elmer Setting, Chief of the New Castle County Police Department. “Each of these cases is critically important and we are grateful for the on-going collaboration between the New Castle County Police Department and Delaware Attorney General’s office. If you commit murder in New Castle County, regardless of the length of time that has passed, our detectives and Cold Case investigators will remain relentless until they arrest those responsible for these heinous acts and hold them accountable for their actions,” Setting said.

In a third case, the man charged with stabbing Thomas Cottingham to death on Rodney Square in September 2015 was indicted on several charges. Calvin Hooker, 25, of Wilmington killed Cottingham, as Cottingham stepped in to protect a woman Hooker confronted along Market Street. Hooker was indicted for first degree murder, two counts of possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, two counts of resisting arrest, carrying a concealed deadly weapon, and aggravated menacing.

In a fourth case, Hakiem Anderson, 31, of Wilmington was indicted on charges of first degree murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a person prohibited in the fourth case. Anderson shot and killed Markevis Clark in the 800 block of Vandever Avenue in Wilmington in August 2015, after a brief argument.

The fifth homicide case indicted on December 21st, is that of Benjamin Rauf, 26, of Westerlo, New York. Rauf was arrested in connection with the Auguest killing of Shazim Uppal, who was found dead after being shot multiple times while sitting in his parked car in Hockessin. Rauf was indicted on two counts of first degree murder (felony murder and intentional murder), possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and first degree robbery.

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.