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Delaware Cold Cases

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Delaware Murders

Several law enforcement agencies provide reports and information on their websites if you’re interested in knowing more about the number of murders in Delaware by year. One example is the Uniform Crime Report, or UCR, that is released annually by the Federal Bureau of investigation. This report shows, in detail, the data and statistics surrounding the crime rates, crimes, and the locations of these crimes in most, if not every, city, county, and state throughout the United States, including Delaware. Another resource which provides homicide statistics for every state is Project: Cold Case, who defines themselves as “a not-for-profit organization with an ambitious goal of publicizing all unsolved homicides in the United States while linking information, families, and law enforcement, and ultimately, helping to solve cold cases.”

According to Project: Cold Case’s statistics for Delaware, there are currently roughly 517 unsolved murders in Delaware dating from 1980 to 2019. Looking further into the statistics on the same website, there were around 1,993 murders in Delaware from 1965 to 2019, and through the years, roughly 1,476 of those murders were solved, leaving around 517 unsolved murders in the state of Delaware alone.

Many local and state law enforcement and investigating agencies have compiled lists or databases of their current unsolved murders and missing persons cases in Delaware, some of which include detailed information about the crime or disappearance themselves. A few examples of the unsolved murders in northern Delaware include the 2013 murder of Kaiheem White, the 1993 murder of Linda Ann Moody Armstrong, the 2000 murder of Carmen Rodriguez, the 2013 murder of Lamar Wilmer, and the 2013 murder of Samantha Neuwein, among countless others. Additionally, some of the currently unsolved central Delaware murders include the 2006 murder of Jay Stratton, the 2003 murder of Gregory Philip Love, the 1989 murder of Russell LeGates, the 2013 murder of Gregory Keiser Sr., and the 2012 murder of Jonathan Grioli, among others. Also, some examples of unsolved murders in Dover, Delaware, include the 2014 murder of Christopher Gillis, the 2007 murder of Jerome Hill, the 2016 murder of Tyler Parton, and the 1986 murder of Lonnie Hill, among many others. Finally, a few examples of unsolved murders in Kent County, Delaware, include the 2015 murder of Douglas Kimball, the 1990 murder of Lena Lorraine Thomas, the 1983 murder of Shirley Weckerly, and the 2009 murder of Robert Watkins, among many others.


Unsolved Delaware Murders

According to Project: Cold Case, there are currently around 517 Delaware cold cases, although this number does not account for any missing persons cold cases. Many of Delaware’s unsolved murders are listed on the Delaware State Police homicide cold cases webpage, which is arranged by both law enforcement and investigating agencies across the state.

Some of the many northern Delaware unsolved murders which can be found listed on the Delaware State Police’s cold case website include the 2013 murder of Kaiheem White, the 1993 murder of Linda Ann Moody Armstrong, the 2000 murder of Carmen Rodriguez, the 2013 murder of Lamar Wilmer, and the 2013 murder of Samantha Neuwein, among many others. Also among the same list are the many unsolved murders Dover, Delaware, which include the 2014 murder of Christopher Gillis, the 2007 murder of Jerome Hill, the 2016 murder of Tyler Parton, and the 1986 murder of Lonnie Hill, among many others. Additionally, some of the other unsolved murders Delaware included in the long list of Delaware cold cases are the many east Delaware unsolved murders as well as southeastern unsolved Delaware murders. These include the 1994 murder of Keith Haynes, the 2014 murder of Rogelio Hernandez, the 1969 murder of Lewis Wilson Harper, and the 1989 murder of Aurelio Maestri “Reds,” among countless others.


Joseph Smedley
Joseph SmedleySuspicious Death, 2015
Asha Degree
Asha DegreeMissing, 2000

Consider this

More than 200,000 unsolved cases have gone cold since 1980, and murder clearance rates continue to drop. With equity for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other underserved victims not prioritized in the true crime community—together we can do better.

Famous Delaware Murders

Do any specific names or examples come to mind when you think of famous Delaware murders? The majority of the names on the list of Delaware murders on the Delaware State Police’s cold case website may not sound familiar; however, a handful of the names on the list of all murders in Delaware, list of Delaware murders, and notorious Delaware criminals have seemingly become household names as time passes. Some examples of the most infamous Delaware murders include the solved 1996 murder of Anne Marie Fahey, as well as other unsolved famous murders in Delaware, such as the 2015 murder of Douglas Kimball and the 1986 murder of Jane Marie Prichard, among others.


Homicide Rate in Delaware

Another piece of important information listed in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Report is the listing of crime rates in most, if not all, cities and counties in Delaware, as well as throughout the entire state itself. According to their crime report from 2019, the violent crime rate in Delaware was roughly 422.6 per 100,000 inhabitants. In summary, this means that in 2019 alone, around 423 individuals per 100,000 residents of Delaware were directly affected by violent crime. According to this same Uniform Crime Report from 2019, the homicide rate in Delaware was around 4.9 per 100,000 residents, meaning that roughly 5 people per 100,000 residents of Delaware were murdered.

Dover, which is the second largest city by population in Delaware, currently has a population of well over 185,000 residents. According to various sources, in 2018 the violent crime rate in Dover, Delaware, was roughly 796.76 per 100,000 residents, and the Dover, Delaware, murders rate in 2018 was 10.59 per 100,000 residents. Currently, there is no definite way to know how many murders in Delaware 2021 as well as how many murders in Dover, Delaware, 2021 yet. We do know that based on archived reports released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as well as local and state law enforcement agencies, it seems that the homicide rates in both Dover and Delaware as a whole seem to be rising every year.


Kent County Murders

Kent County, Delaware, had a population of over 180,700 people as of 2019. Although there is little recent data on Kent County murders, the homicide rate is higher than in more urban locations due to the county’s population. In some homicide cases, detectives are able to collect enough Kent County murders evidence to charge someone with the murder and bring them into Kent County murders trial. Evidence that is most commonly included in Kent County homicide trials is completely dependent on the type of crime. For example, physical evidence that is often included in trials can range anywhere from blood, saliva, semen, skin cells, or other DNA evidence, to cell phone pings, to gunpowder residue, and most often includes Kent County murders crime scene photos, to show the jury the environment surrounding the crime as well as show the scene surrounding the crime itself and the relativity of any items of evidence.


Dover, Delaware Murders

Dover, Delaware, murders are more common than those in many other Delaware communities or cities, due to its size and population, being the second largest city in the state. Many of both the recent and decades-old murders in Dover, Delaware, have not been solved, and law enforcement continues to use every resource available to them in order to continue investigating each homicide. As can be expected, until all of these murders are solved, Dover murders discussion will resume on social media outlets such as Facebook, Reddit, and Websleuths, where users consider the details of cases by speculating and sharing information regarding Dover murders pictures, Dover murders crime scene photos, and Dover, Delaware, murders autopsy photos, which are almost never released to the general public, although some are released once the criminal trial is completed. In the recent past, advancements in DNA technology have resulted in hundreds, if not thousands, of decades-old cold cases being solved, and of course, the state of Delaware is not the exception. Although not many cases where Dover murders DNA was used to bring new information to light currently exist, law enforcement continues to use advancements in DNA technology to reopen and reinvestigate cold cases.


Delaware Serial Killers

Delaware has dealt with its fair share of Delaware killers throughout its history, ranging from mass murderers to even serial killers. Many of the most famous Delaware serial killers can easily be found on any top ten or other form of serial killer list, including list of serial killers in Delaware as well as Delaware serial killer list. The most famous of Delaware serial killers include Steven Brian Pennell, also known as “The Corridor Killer” and “Route 40 Killer,” who killed 5 people from 1987 to 1988, and James Allen Red Dog, who killed 5 people between 1990 and 1991, among others.


Crimes in Delaware

If you’re interested in knowing more about the statistics regarding crimes in Delaware, several law enforcement organizations publish annual reports on their websites that detail the crimes in the state. Every year, the Federal Bureau of Investigation publishes a Uniform Crime Report that details the crimes, crime rates, and crime locations in every state, county, and city, which includes a published report for crime in Delaware.

Unfortunately, it appears that the number of Delaware homicide and real crime stories will never cease. According to Project: Cold Case, there were roughly 1,993 homicides in Delaware between 1965 and 2019. Of those, 1,476 of the murders have been solved over the years, leaving roughly 517 unsolved murders in Delaware alone. Despite this, Delaware’s numerous law enforcement agencies will continue to attempt to investigate and solve every one of Delaware’s true crimes which remain unsolved.


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