A Wilmington Police Cold Case Unit investigation has resulted in a second arrest in connection with a 2017 murder.
On January 11, 2017, at approximately 12:03 a.m., members of the Uniformed Services Division responded to the 100 block of East 14th Street, in reference to a shooting incident. Upon arrival, officers located a gunshot victim – 34-year-old Jermaine Francois – who was transported to the hospital in critical condition, and later succumbed to his injuries.
In April of 2024, the Cold Case Unit – including Cold Case Investigators Steven Rizzo, Mariana Espinosa, and Detective Devon Jones – identified 30-year-old Robin Webster as a suspect. On April 23, 2024, Webster was taken into custody without incident.
The investigation continued, and the efforts of the Cold Case Unit led to the identification of a second suspect – 30-year-old Kenneth Bleen. The case was presented to the New Castle County Grand Jury on February 17, and an indictment was returned for Bleen. On February 18, Bleen was taken into custody without incident.
Bleen has been charged with the following offense:
He was arraigned in Justice of the Peace Court 11 and was committed to the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on $1,000,000 cash-only bail.
About the WPD Cold Case Unit
The Wilmington Police Department’s Cold Case Unit is part of the department’s Criminal Investigations Division.
The Unit typically handles cases that have remained unsolved after a year, and after all investigative leads have been exhausted by the primary investigator. Members of the Cold Case Unit work tirelessly to pursue new leads in these cases, and to deliver justice to the families of those who have been affected by crime.
Anyone with information about a Cold Case investigation is encouraged to contact the Unit:
- The Cold Case Unit office can be reached at (302) 576-3937
- Investigator Steven Rizzo can be reached at Steven.Rizzo@CJ.State.de.us
You can also provide information to Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333 or delawarecrimestoppers.org.
