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The Wilmington Police Department is sharing the below release, issued today by the Delaware Department of Justice, regarding a conviction in connection with a 2015 murder investigation.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | March 14, 2024     
Delaware Department of Justice     
Contact: Mat Marshall at [email protected] or Caroline De Jose at [email protected]  

Prosecutors secure conviction against Jordan Ellerbe’s murderer 
 
A Wilmington man has been convicted of the January 2015 murder of 16-year-old Jordan Ellerbe. Oliver “Butter” Henry, 25, has pleaded guilty to Murder 2^nd Degree and faces a minimum 15 years in prison. 

Ellerbe’s murder ignited a rapidly accelerating feud between two rival gangs, Shoot to Kill and Only My Brothers. In the months and years following his death, a vicious cycle of gun violence and retaliation led to multiple shootings and murders — including the broad daylight murder of 15-year-old Brandon Wingo — in addition to dozens of arrests. 

“The number of young lives thrown away so that guns can live in our communities with our kids is horrifying,” said AG Jennings. “The devastation that Jordan’s murder caused to his family, to say nothing of the subsequent carnage it caused in our city, is immeasurable. His killer is going to prison for a long, long time — but our city still bears the scars of gun violence. My heart is with Jordan’s mother today, and with every mother in this country who worries whether her child will make it home.” 

“I am proud of the hard work and persistence of our investigators and our partners, which led to the outcome of this case,” said Wilmington Police Chief Wilfredo Campos. “I hope this plea, and the sentencing that follows, will bring some degree of comfort to the Ellerbe family that the party responsible for Jordan’s death has been held accountable.” 
 
Following a lengthy investigation by the Wilmington Police Department and the DOJ, Henry was indicted in January 2023 for Ellerbe’s killing. On March 6, he pleaded guilty to Murder 2^nd Degree. He faces a 15-year minimum mandatory sentence; the State will recommend up to 20 years in prison. 

Enforcement efforts from Delaware police and the DOJ have yielded significant results in recent years: since 2020, shootings have declined by 20% statewide, while violent crime in the state reached historic lows in 2022. Still, gun violence remains a serious issue — particularly for children, whose leading cause of death in the United States is guns.
 
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