WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney on Friday announced that he will nominate Kathleen Miller to serve as a Superior Court Judge. If confirmed, Miller will take the seat formerly held by Superior Court Judge Abigail LeGrow.

“Kathleen is a skilled attorney with the experience necessary to serve on Delaware’s Superior Court bench,” said Governor Carney. “I want to thank her for her willingness to serve, and I look forward to the Senate considering her nomination.”

Miller is a partner at Smith, Katzenstein & Jenkins LLP and has represented clients in each of Delaware’s trial courts. She served as the President of the Delaware State Bar Association from 2021 to 2022, and holds a bachelor’s degree from Villanova University and a J.D. from Delaware Law School.

Miller’s nomination is expected to be considered by the Delaware State Senate during an Extraordinary Session later this year. 

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney on Thursday announced his intention to nominate Mark Conner as Superior Court Judge in Sussex County, Monica Horton as Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in New Castle County, and Rae Mims as Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in Sussex County.

The Delaware Senate is expected to consider the Governor’s judicial nominations this month.

“Each of the nominees has a unique perspective, as well as the judgment and knowledge necessary to serve Delaware well as members of our world-class judiciary,” said Governor Carney. “I look forward to the Senate considering their nominations.”

Mark Conner, Superior Court, Sussex County:

Since July 2016, Mark Conner has served as the managing attorney for the Office of Conflicts Counsel for Sussex County within the Office of Defense Services. During his time in this position, he represented criminal defendants in the Superior Court, the Court of Common Pleas, the Family Court, and the Justice of the Peace Court. Conner has previous experience as a Deputy Attorney General at the Delaware Department of Justice in both the Criminal Division and Civil Division, as well as in the Public Defender’s Office. Between 2007-2016, Conner served as an adjunct professor at Delaware Technical and Community College and Wilmington University, teaching courses on business law and criminal law and procedure.

A graduate of Wilmington Friends School, Conner earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Dickinson College, and his law degree from Widener University School of Law.

Conner would replace Judge Scott Bradley, who retired May 1, 2020, on the Superior Court in Sussex County.

Monica Horton, Court of Common Pleas, New Castle County:

Since 2016, Monica Horton has served as a Deputy Attorney General in the Delaware Department of Justice, where she is the head of the Health Law Unit in the Civil Division and provides general counsel to the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services. Horton’s public and private legal experience includes serving as an Assistant County Attorney for New Castle County, as an Associate Attorney for Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Goggin, and as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Family Court.

From 2000-2009 and again from 2014-2016, Horton, who is also a registered nurse, attended to obstetrical patients in the labor and delivery department of Christiana Care.

Horton earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology and a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the University of Delaware. Horton earned her law degree from Temple University’s Beasley School of Law.

Horton would replace Judge John Welch, who will retire on June 30, 2020, on the Court of Common Pleas in New Castle County.

Rae Mims, Court of Common Pleas, Sussex:

As a Deputy Attorney General in the Delaware Department of Justice since 2007, Rae Mims has experience on a wide range of matters, and has represented the Delaware Department of Correction, the State Board of Education, the Delaware State Police, and the Division of Public Health. During her time as a Deputy Attorney General, Mims also oversaw criminal adult felony prosecutions in the Superior Court, and prosecuted misdemeanor cases in the Family Court, the Justice of the Peace Court, and the Court of Common Pleas. Additionally, Mims has experience in private practice as an Associate with Binder & Binder in Philadelphia, and was an Assistant District Attorney in Bucks County, PA. Previously, Mims served as an assistant to the City Manager of Longmont, CO, and was an acting regional manager for the Peace Corps in Boston.

Mims earned her Bachelor of Science degree in journalism from the University of Maryland, a Master of Public Administration in not-for-profit management from Suffolk University, and her law degree from Widener University School of Law.

Mims would replace Judge Rosemary Betts Beauregard, who retired on April 1, 2020, on the Court of Common Pleas in Sussex County.

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Deputy Attorney General Rebecca Anderson secured a guilty plea and prison sentence for a man wanted for a shooting in Seaford, arrested while police were investigating illegal drug activity in Bridgeville. Teron West, 33, of Seaford, was arrested in July 2019, when members of the Delaware State Police Sussex County Governor’s Task Force executed a search warrant at a home in the 200 block of Main Street in Bridgeville. Police found West, who provided them with a false name, and also discovered large quantities of drugs, including more than 50 grams of cocaine. Once getting his proper identification, officers learned West had been on the run since the previous November when he fired several shots at the vehicle of a man he was fighting with on Park Drive in Seaford. West, barred from having a gun because of prior felony drug convictions, pleaded guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited, Drug Dealing, and Criminal Impersonation. A Superior Court judge sentenced West to 18 months in prison, followed by 6 months of either home confinement or work release, then 1 year of probation.

Wilmington shooting leads to prison time

A 35-year-old Dover man has been convicted for sexually assaulting and beating his girlfriend. A Superior Court jury found Isaac Pierce guilty of Rape First Degree, Kidnapping First Degree, Strangulation, Assault Third Degree, and Terroristic Threatening. In September 2018, while arguing with the victim, Pierce beat, strangled, and raped the woman while holding her against her will. Pierce faces a minimum of 17 years in prison when sentenced by a judge in February 2020. Deputy Attorneys General Kathleen Dickerson and Kevin Smith prosecuted the case with assistance from social worker Lorraine Freese and special investigator Lavincent Harris. Detective Jeffrey Gott of the Dover Police Department led the investigation.

A 2018 shooting that left two men seriously injured has led to a 10-year prison sentence for the man who shot them. Deputy Attorneys General William Leonard and Jillian Schroeder secured the sentenced for Jameel Anderson, 38, of Wilmington. In November 2018, Wilmington Police on patrol in the city heard what they believed were gunshots. A ShotSpotter notification led them to the area of 23rd and Jessup Streets where they found a man with multiple gunshot wounds. Other officers on their way to the scene were stopped by another man at the intersection of Vandever Avenue and North Pine Street who told officers he had just been shot. Anderson pleaded guilty in October to 2 counts of Assault Second Degree and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony. A Superior Court judge sentenced Anderson to 10 years in prison, followed by 2 years of probation. Paralegal Caitlin Lynam and social worker Kristen Fluharty-Emory assisted with the prosecution. Detective Steve Bender from the Wilmington Police Department was the chief investigating officer.

Guilty plea to murder in Dover killing; Change in state’s securities act leads to guilty plea to theft and identity theft

Beatriz Fana-Ruiz, the woman who set fire to the home where she lived leading to the deaths of 3 Wilmington firefighters has been sentenced to 30 years in prison. Deputy Attorneys General Barzilai Axelrod and John Downs secured the sentence for Fana-Ruiz, 30 years old. In September 2016, Fana-Ruiz, angry about her living situation and unhappy with her life, set a fire in the basement of the home where she was staying in the 1900 block of Lakeview Road in the Canby Park section of Wilmington. The fire quickly spread into the ceiling and weakened the floor joists. Lt. Christopher Leach, Senior Firefighter Ardythe Hope died as a result of injuries they sustained when the first floor collapsed causing them to fall into the burning basement. Firefighter Brad Speakman was also seriously injured when he also fell into the basement. Senior/Firefighter Jerry Fickes was killed as he tried to pull Lt. Leach from the fire and another portion of the ceiling collapsed onto him. In August 2019, Fana-Ruiz pleaded guilty to Murder Second Degree, Arson First Degree, and Assault First Degree. A Superior Court Judge sentenced Fana-Ruiz to 30 years in prison, followed by 2 ½ years probation. Additionally, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has filed a detainer against Fana-Ruiz, seeking her deportation to her home country of the Dominican Republic when released from custody in Delaware. Special Agent Lisa Herb, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) provided essential investigative and expert analysis in determining the cause and origin of the fire and in interviewing Fana-Ruiz and obtaining her confession. Det. Joe Bucksner of the Wilmington Police Department was the lead investigator for the murder component of the case. DOJ paralegal Jaime Prater assisted with the prosecution, and social workers Kristin Fluharty-Emory, Donna Lindsay and Jenn Kutney worked with the victims and victim’s families to provide counsel and guidance through this case that lasted over 3 years.

Attorney General Kathleen Jennings made the following comment on the sentence for Fana-Ruiz: “This horrific tragedy reminds us of the danger Delaware’s first responders knowingly and willingly put themselves in every day to protect us. I thank our prosecution team and those who investigated the case, but most importantly I continue to extend my and DOJ’s sympathies to the families and friends of the firefighters who were killed and injured, as well as to the still grieving Wilmington Fire Department.”

A 20-year-old Camden man was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty for his role in a Dover murder. In May 2018, Eugene Riley, along with another man, Ahmir Bailey, 21, of Lincoln, began arguing with 20-year-old Jameir Vann-Robinson, of Smyrna, as Vann-Robinson and a friend left a house party on Mitscher Road. The argument led to Riley and Bailey both firing several shots at Vann-Robinson, with Bailey fatally striking him in the back. Riley pleaded guilty to Murder Second Degree and was immediately sentenced by a Superior Court judge to 15 years in prison, followed by work release and probation. Bailey was convicted by a jury in October of 2018 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 faces mandatory life in prison when sentenced in January of next year. Deputy Attorneys General Greg Babowal and Kevin Smith prosecuted the case. The investigation was led by Detective Schmid of the Dover Police Department.

Thanks to a change in the Delaware Securities Act designed to protect the state’s vulnerable populations, a Newark woman was prosecuted for stealing from her mother. For a period of a year and a half beginning in July 2017, Karen Warrington, 50, impersonated her mother and stole money from her mother’s investment accounts. Warrington pleaded guilty to Theft of $50,000 or More and 1 count of Identity Theft. Deputy Attorney General William Green prosecuted the case with assistance from special investigator Craig Weldon. Detective Christopher Rau of the New Castle Police Department was the chief investigating officer. This plea agreement is the first to result from a Report of Suspected Exploitation of a Senior or Vulnerable Adult submitted to the Department of Justice Investor Protection Unit by a financial institution pursuant to Section 73-307 of the Delaware Securities Act, which was amended in 2018 to make such reporting mandatory. A Superior Court judge will sentence Warrington in March 2020.