Three adults – two from Newark and one from Wilmington – were indicted Monday for the murder of 15-year-old Brandon Wingo as he walked home from school on May 19. 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 earlier this week for multiple charges including murder.. Police and prosecutors allege that all three men participated in the planning and aided in execution.
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 are suspected to be 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 Thursday 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.
