DELAWARE STATE POLICE HOMICIDE UNIT
Captain Ralph Davis
The Delaware State Police (DSP) Homicide Unit was established in 1989. The DSP Homicide Unit is comprised of six sworn members of the Delaware State Police and one civilian administrative assistant. In 2008 the DSP Homicide Unit was under the command of Captain John R. Evans.
The primary responsibilities of the DSP Homicide Unit include the investigation of homicides, suspicious deaths (including suspicious suicides), and missing persons (in which the person is suspected to be deceased). The DSP Homicide Unit also investigates officer involved uses of deadly force, attempted murders (until it is determined that the victim will survive his/her attack), and selected assaults. In addition to new investigations, the DSP Homicide Unit is responsible for investigating “cold case” homicides. Cold case homicides include any homicide in which the original investigating officer is no longer assigned to the Homicide Unit.
During 2008, the Homicide Unit handled a total of 28 new cases. In addition, the Homicide Unit cleared three cold cases. The overall clearance rate for homicides investigated in 2008 is 104%. Arrests have been made in thirteen of the fifteen homicides. The overall clearance rate reflects three cold case homicides, which occurred in previous years and were cleared by arrest in 2008. The statistics in this report include only cases in which DSP Homicide was the investigating unit. The statistics do not include assisting the criminal troops in numerous death investigations and missing person investigations throughout the year.
In addition to the new cases handled by the Homicide Unit in 2008, ten murder cases from previous years were adjudicated in the Court system. This process resulted in five defendants receiving life terms, while the remaining defendants received a combined 75 years in prison for their actions in committing murder in Delaware.
This year, the Homicide Unit hosted the 13th Annual Homicide Conference in Dover. This annual event continues to gain recognition and respect in the medico-legal community. Approximately 140 criminal investigators from the northeast region attended the conference, which included several nationally recognized speakers. Topics included case and scene management, domestic related homicides, interview and interrogation, forensic pathology and others.
Historically, the Delaware State Police Homicide Unit has an overall clearance rate of 98%, which is well above the national average of 61%. This clearance rate is a direct reflection of the dedication and hard work of the past and present members of the Homicide Unit.
As we move into the New Year, the Delaware State Police Homicide Unit remains committed to serving the residents and visitors of our State with the highest quality of service possible. The Delaware State Police Homicide Unit is looking forward to meeting the new challenges in crime fighting through continued and specialized training as well as utilization of the latest advanced technology in forensics.
- Information obtained from 2008 DSP Annual Report -
