DELAWARE STATE POLICE HOMICIDE UNIT

The Delaware State Police Homicide Unit was established in 1989. The Homicide Unit is comprised of six sworn members of the Delaware State Police and one civilian administrative assistant. The Homicide Unit is under the command of Lieutenant John R. Evans.

The primary responsibilities of the 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 Homicide Unit also investigates selected police officer involved incidents, attempted murders (until determined that the victim will survive the attack) and selected assaults. In addition to new investigations, the 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 2005 the Homicide Unit handled a total of 25 new cases and performed follow-up investigations on seven cold cases, two of which were cleared. These cases included homicides, police-related shootings, miscellaneous investigations, and assisting other agencies with death investigations. The clearance rate of the cases handled by the Homicide Unit in 2005 is 100 %. In addition, as stated earlier, two cold cases from previous years (1971 and 1976) were cleared during the 2005 calendar year.

In addition to the 25 cases handled by the Homicide Unit in 2005, seven murder cases from previous years were adjudicated in the court system, resulting in two defendants receiving life terms and five defendants receiving a combined 73 years in prison for their actions in committing murder in Delaware.

A case investigated in April of 2005 that drew national media attention involved a defendant who went on a two-state shooting spree, which started in Laurel. After killing one and injuring two people in Delaware, Allison Lamont Norman is accused of traveling to Maryland where he shot and killed one victim and injured two additional people. The defendant was taken into custody a short time later.

During December, the Homicide Unit hosted the 10th Annual Homicide Conference in Dover. This annual event continues to gain national recognition and respect in the medico-legal community. One Hundred thirty criminal investigators from the northeast region attended the conference, which included several nationally recognized speakers including Dr. Henry Lee from Connecticut.

Historically, the Delaware State Police Homicide Unit has an overall clearance rate of 93.5%, which is well above the national average of 61%. This high clearance rate is a direct reflection of the dedicated and hard work of the highly trained 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.