Wilmington man sentenced for 2017 killing in city

A Bridgeville man who turned himself into police three days after fatally shooting another man in 2018 will spend the rest of his life in prison. A Sussex County Superior Court jury convicted Mcarthur Risper, Jr. of Murder First Degree, Conspiracy First Degree, and Possesion of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony. In May 2018, 41-year-old Corey Bailey, of Bridgeville, was standing with a friend in the 21000 block of Mill Park Drive in Bridgeville when Risper got out of a car and shot him. A judge will formally sentence Risper in January. Deputy Attorneys General Michael Tipton and Haley King prosecuted the case with assistance from paralegal Kristan Hudson, social worker Monserrat Matos, and administrative assistant Kelly Maiuri. Detectives with the Delaware State Police Homicide Unit led the investigation.

An 18-year-old Wilmington man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for a 2017 murder in the city. Deputy Attorneys General Periann Doko and William Raisis secured the sentence for Aaron Miles. In July 2017, 23-year-old David Bailey was shot at the intersection of Beech and South Van Buren Streets and taken to Christiana Hospital where he died. A short time later, Miles went to St. Francis Hospital seeking treatment for a gunshot wound to his arm. Despite giving police and hospital staff an alias, an investigation determined Miles’ identity, and identified him as Bailey’s shooter. Miles pleaded guilty in August 2019 to Murder Second Degree. A Superior Court judge sentenced him to 20 years in prison, followed by 6 months of either home confinement or work release, then 2 years of probation. Detective Mackenzie Kirlin of the Wilmington Police Department led the investigation. DOJ social worker Claudia Melton, paralegal Jaime Prater, and special investigator Cliff Dempsey assisted with the case.

Other defendants face prison time on manslaughter, drug, weapons, robbery, and burglary charges

Syiee Parker, a Wilmington man who left his 10-month-old child in a car one day last summer has pleaded guilty to causing her death. In July 2019, Parker, 37, dropped his wife off at work, and took 6 other children to summer camps. Despite initially telling police that he dropped off the child at daycare, an investigation determined that Parker failed to do so and returned home. The child remained in the car for over 7 hours and was found later that afternoon when Parker picked up his wife. Parker drove the child to the hospital, and upon arriving, she had a temperature of 109 degrees and was not breathing. Parker pleaded guilty to Criminally Negligent Homicide and Providing a False Statement to a Law Enforcement Officer. A Superior Court judge will sentence Parker next year. Deputy Attorneys General James Kriner and Diana Dunn prosecuted the case, with assistance from social worker Bettina Jones and paralegal Jayna Quillen.

A Dover man previously convicted of a fatal shooting has been sentenced to 75 years in prison. A Superior Court judge sentenced Reginald Waters, 33, for the 2016 killing of 31-year-old Clifton Thompson of Newark. In February 2016, Waters shot and killed Thompson after a brief interaction in the parking lot outside Thompson’s home in the Prides Court Apartments in Ogletown. In a bench trial in 2018, the judge found Waters guilty of Manslaughter, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited, and Possession of Ammunition by a Person Prohibited. Barred from having a gun because of previous felony convictions for sexual assault and weapons charges, Waters was declared a habitual offender and sentenced to 75 years in prison, followed by 6 months of either home confinement or work release, then 1 year of probation. Deputy Attorneys General Brian Robertson and Cynthia Hurlock prosecuted the case with the assistance of paralegal Stacey Coupe.

A Wilmington man convicted on weapons and drug charges has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. Deputy Attorneys General Michael Cooksey and Anna Currier secured the sentence for 29-year-old Angel Arbolay. While on patrol in October 2018, members of the Delaware State Police Governor’s Task Force heard what they believed to be a domestic dispute at the Dutch Inn Motel on the 100 block of South Dupont Parkway in New Castle. As they investigated, they identified Angel Arbolay, a man wanted on a Violation of Probation charge, as being involved. Arbolay refused to let officers in the room, leading them to use a Taser to subdue Arbolay. Once inside, police found a loaded 9-mm handgun, close to 400 grams of marijuana, illegal prescription pills, cocaine, as well as materials and equipment used for packaging and dealing drugs. In July 2019, Arbolay was convicted by a Superior Court judge in a bench trial of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, Drug Dealing, Aggravated Drug Possession Tier 1, Tampering with Physical Evidence, Operating a Clandestine Laboratory, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Resisting Arrest, and Possession of Drug Dealing Paraphernalia. Abolay was sentenced to 25 years in prison, followed by 6 months of either home confinement or work release, then 18 months of probation. DOJ paralegals Meredith Parkinson and Julia Bacon assisted with the case.

A string of home burglaries in Kent County resulted in a guilty plea and prison sentence for a Georgetown man. Richard Edwards, 46, pleaded guilty to 3 counts of Burglary Second Degree. During the last week of May 2019, Edwards broke into homes Hartly, Dover, and Smyrna, and stole a 9-mm handgun, cash, jewelry, and a video game console. A Superior Court judge immediately sentenced Edwards to 10 years in prison, followed by 1 year of probation. Edwards will then remain on probation until restitution is paid. Deputy Attorneys General Stephen Smith and Sean Motoyoshi prosecuted the case.

Deputy Attorneys General Nicole Hartman and Sean Motoyoshi secured a prison sentence for a Marydel man for his previous guilty plea to weapons, drug, and theft charges. In January 2019, Dustin Bell, 22, robbed a woman at gunpoint, stealing her cell phone during an argument about money. When police executed a search warrant 2 days later, they found a loaded 9-mm handgun, methamphetamine, marijuana, and oxycodone. Bell pleaded guilty in August 2019 to Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, Drug Dealing, and Theft of Less Than $1500. A Superior Court judge sentenced Bell to 7 years in prison including the Key substance abuse program, followed by completion of the Crest residential drug treatment program, then 1 year of Crest aftercare probation.

A Maryland woman who caused a fatal crash while driving under the influence of drugs has been sentenced to prison. Deputy Attorneys General Barzilai Axelrod and William Leonard secured the sentence for Michelle Park, 35, of Earlville. In March 2018, with her 2-year-old child in the car, Park failed to negotiate a curve while driving on Bethel Church Road, crossed the center line, and collided head-on with a Ford Escape. Three people in the Escape were injured; one of them, a 73-year-old woman, later died from her injuries. In June 2019, Park pleaded guilty to Manslaughter, 2 counts of Assault First Degree, Driving Under the Influence of Drugs (3rd Offense), and Failure to Use Proper Child Restraint. A Superior Court judge sentenced Park to 12 years and 3 months in prison, followed by 6 months of either home confinement or work release, then 2 years of probation. DOJ social worker Kristen Fluharty-Emory and paralegal Jaevan Owens assisted with the prosecution. Corporal Joseph Aube of the Delaware State Police was the chief investigating officer.

A 41-year-old man faces prison time after pleading guilty to a crash that killed 2 people and seriously injured a third. In August 2018, Jeffrey Guseman, of Bear, crossed the double yellow line on Salem Church Road in Newark while illegally attempting to pass another vehicle, and crashed head-on into a Toyota Camry. The driver of the Camry survived, but both of his parents, who visiting Delaware from another country, were killed. Guseman pleaded guilty to 2 counts of Manslaughter and 1 count of Assault Second Degree and will be sentenced by a Superior Court judge in March of next year. Deputy Attorneys General Barzilai Axelrod and Erik Towne prosecuted the case. DOJ social worker Kristen Fluharty-Emory and paralegal Jaevan Owens assisted with the prosecution. Sergeant Dermot Alexander of the Delaware State Police was the chief investigating officer.

Other defendants receive prison sentences for fatal shootings

Kili Mayfield, a man convicted of raping 3 women over the course of 7 years will spend the rest of his life in prison. Mayfield, 40, of Bear, was arrested in June 2018 after being linked to the raping, beating, and strangling of a woman and 2 other sexual assaults for rapes that occurred in 2010, 2014 and 2017. The prosecution occurred thanks to the federally-funded Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI), through which the state Criminal Justice Council, Delaware Department of Justice, state Division of Forensic Science and law enforcement agencies are working to identify offenders by reviewing cases in which there were untested sexual assault kits. In a non-jury trial in July 2019, Mayfield was convicted of 4 counts of Rape First Degree, 4 counts of Rape Second Degree, and 1 count each of Kidnapping First Degree, Strangulation, and Assault Third Degree. A Superior Court judge sentenced Mayfield to life plus 127 years in prison. Deputy Attorneys General Eric Zubrow and Jillian Schroeder prosecuted the case.

A 25-year-old Wilmington man has been sentenced to prison for his role in a murder and robbery of a city business. In January 2017, Devonte Dorsett, along with a then 14-year-old accomplice, demanded cash from the clerk at the Lancaster Market in the 100 block of North Clayton Street. A struggle ensued, and Dorsett fatally shot 64-year-old Santanu Muhuri in the head. In May 2018, Dorsett pleaded guilty to Murder Second Degree, 2 counts of Possession of a Firearm during the Commission of a Felony and 1 count of Robbery First Degree. A Superior Court judge sentenced Dorsett to 35 years in prison. Dorsett’s accomplice pleaded guilty in February 2018 in Family Court to Criminally Negligent Homicide, Robbery First Degree, and Conspiracy Second Degree. A Judge sentenced him to 3 years in a juvenile detention facility followed by an aftercare program. The judge also extended jurisdiction over the juvenile until age 21 at the State’s request. Deputy Attorney General Daniel McBride prosecuted the case with paralegal Stacey Coupe and social worker Donna Lindsay. Detective Mackenzie Kirlin of the Wilmington Police Department led the investigation.

A 24-year-old Wilmington man pleaded guilty to the 2014 killing of a New Castle teenager. Deputy Attorneys General Martin Cosgrove, Rebecca Anderson, and Haley King secured the plea to Manslaughter and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony from Jacquez Robinson. In November 2014, Robinson shot and killed 18-year-old Malik Watson in the 100 block of West Ninth Street in New Castle. Robinson was arrested a week later after fleeing from the scene of a shooting near the intersection of Lancaster Avenue and North Franklin Street in Wilmington. A Superior Court judge immediately sentenced Robinson to ten 10 years in prison, followed by 2 years of probation. DOJ victim advocate Carla Ennals and paralegal Lisa Loikith assisted with the prosecution.

Prison time for other defendants on murder, weapons, racketeering, drug, and sexual abuse charges

The operator of a criminal enterprise run out of several massage parlors he owned throughout the state, was found liable of 3 violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (R.I.C.O.) statute. The State alleged that Da Zhong Wang, 55, formerly of Smyrna, profited from prostitution by owning and operating a series of brothels in Middletown, Smyrna, Dover and Rehoboth from 2010 to 2015. After a number of community complaints, Delaware State Police conducted sting operations at locations in Middletown and Rehoboth. Those resulted in a conviction of Wang on a count of permitting prostitution and Wang’s license was revoked by the Division of Professional Regulation. DOJ attorneys filed a civil suit against Wang alleging racketeering, the first of its kind in Delaware involving human trafficking. A civil trial earlier this year resulted in a finding by a Superior Court judge this week that Wang is liable for 3 RICO violations. Wang faces up to $100,000 in civil penalties for each of the three violations and with the State intending to seek the maximum available penalty of $300,000. Deputy Attorneys General Oliver Cleary and Zoe Plerhoples of the DOJ Civil Division led the case for the State. The court decision with more detail can be found here.

Kevin Miller, a man from Bear already serving a prison sentence for a Drug Dealing conviction in 2015, will spend the rest of his life in prison after being found guilty of the 2012 fatal shooting of Jeremiah McDonald, 30, of Bear. In July 2012, New Castle County Police found McDonald in the Sparrow Run development, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. After a lengthy investigation by New Castle County Police, the case was turned over the Department’s Cold Case Homicide Unit. Reexamination of evidence and talking to witnesses led to the identification of Miller as the suspect. A Superior Court jury convicted Miller, 40, of Murder First Degree and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony. Following the jury verdict, a Superior Court judge convicted Miller of Possession of a Firearm by Person Prohibited. Deputy Attorneys General Joseph Grubb and Beth Savitz prosecuted the case. Detective Brian Shahan and Retired Sergeant Glenn Davis of the New Castle County Police Department’s Cold Case Homicide Unit led the investigation. Also assisting with the prosecution were DOJ social worker Courtney Cochran, paralegal Stacey Coupe, and trial management analyst Ted Griffin. A sentencing date has not been set.

A 60-year-old Claymont man whose drug-induced hallucinations led him to shoot his ex-wife pleaded guilty to her murder. Deputy Attorneys General Matthew Frawley and Samuel Kenney secured the plea from Joseph Slider. In November 2018, Joseph Slider and Mary Ellen Slider, 59, of Folsom, PA, were together in Joseph Slider’s Claymont apartment. The two were using PCP and hallucinations had Joseph Slider believing the television program they were watching was real, and that Mary Ellen Slider was a character on the program who killed his character’s mother. Joseph Slider took his .22 caliber revolver and shot Mary Ellen Slider multiple times, including twice in the head, then called 9-1-1 to report the shooting. Joseph Slider pleaded guilty to Murder Second Degree and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony. Detective Eugene Reid of the New Castle County Police served as chief investigating officer, with DOJ social worker Jenn Kutney and paralegal Stacey Coupe also working on the prosecution. Slider will be sentenced by a Superior Court judge on a date to be determined in 2020.

Four men with commanding roles in a large scale heroin trafficking organization have pleaded guilty in Superior Court. The pleas from Walter Battle, 30, Darnell Farrare, 34, Darryl Grayson, 33, and Victor Fairley, 33, all of Wilmington, stem from a lengthy investigation led by Delaware State Police and the Delaware Department of Justice during the summer of 2018. Assistance was provided by numerous local and federal law enforcement agencies. The investigation culminated in the recovery of more than two kilos of heroin and fentanyl. All of the defendants pleaded guilty to Criminal Racketeering and Drug Dealing Tier 4. A judge immediately sentenced Battle to 12½ years in prison, followed by 18 months of probation. Farrare, Grayson, and Fairley will be sentenced by a judge in February. Deputy Attorneys General Cynthia Hurlock, Michael Cooksey, and Anna Currier prosecuted the cases with assistance from paralegals Meredith Parkinson and Julia Bacon.

A 26-year-old Laurel man was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a child. Deputy Attorney General Casey L. Ewart secured the plea and sentence for Brandon Flood. In the spring of 2019, Flood initiated inappropriate sexual contact with a minor on more than one occasion. Flood pleaded guilty to Sexual Abuse by a Person in Position of Trust First Degree. A Superior Court judge sentenced Flood to 10 years in prison and the completion of the Transitions Sex Offender Program, followed by 1 year of either home confinement or work release, then 10 years of probation. Flood must also register as a Tier 3 sex offender. Detective Derek Cathell of the Delaware State Police Major Crimes Unit was the chief investigating officer, with DOJ social worker Carla Ennals and administrative specialist Angelique Waters part of the prosecution team.