A 25-year-old Wilmington man has been sentenced to prison for his role in the 2017 murder and robbery of a beloved corner market clerk.
On January 9, 2017, at approximately 1:03 in the afternoon, Devonte Dorsett, along with a then 14-year-old accomplice, walked into Lancaster Market in the 100 block of North Clayton Street to rob the store. When the pair entered the store Dorsett pointed a .45 caliber handgun at 64-year-old Santanu Muhuri and demanded cash. After shooting Muhuri in the head the pair fled the store with the $20 the stole.
Wilmington Police Officers responded to the market in reference to a possible shooting investigation. Upon their arrival, officers were met by met by an ambulance crew who were traveling in the area had been flagged down. Muhuri was treated at the scene by New Castle County Paramedics and transported to the Christiana Hospital where he was pronounced deceased shortly after arrival.
During their investigation, detectives, with help from the community, developed Devonte Dorsett, then 22, and a then 14-year-old, as suspects in the homicide.
Devonte Dorsett was originally charged with:
*Murder 1st Degree
*Conspiracy 1st Degree
*Robbery 1st Degree
*(2) Counts of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony
*Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon
*Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited
*Possession of Ammunition by a Person Prohibited
*Resisting Arrest
The juvenile was originally charged:
*Murder 1st Degree
*Conspiracy 1st Degree
*Robbery 1st Degree
*(2) Counts Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony
*Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited
In May 2018, Dorsett pleaded guilty to Murder Second Degree, 2 counts of Possession of a Firearm during the Commission of a Felony and 1 count of Robbery First Degree. A Superior Court judge sentenced Dorsett to 35 years in prison.
Dorsett’s accomplice pleaded guilty in February 2018 in Family Court to Criminally Negligent Homicide, Robbery First Degree, and Conspiracy Second Degree. A Judge sentenced him to 3 years in a juvenile detention facility followed by an aftercare program.
The judge also extended jurisdiction over the juvenile until age 21 at the State’s request.
