A Wilmington man whose name had been in the news for more than a decade has been convicted of 23 charges for a 2024 high-speed collision that killed a New Castle mother and her daughter and injured several others.
Dejuan Robinson, 26, was found guilty after evidence showed he fled a traffic stop on Route 273, accelerated to more than 100 miles per hour, switched off his headlights, and drove through red lights before entering the Airport Road intersection against the signal according to prosecutors.
The crash occurred on August 21, 2024, when Robinson’s Kia K5 struck a Dodge Grand Caravan carrying 29-year-old Karisma Elivo-Stevens and her five children. The impact overturned the minivan, killing Elivo-Stevens and her 10-year-old daughter, Zamiyah. The four surviving children were seriously injured. After the initial impact, Robinson’s vehicle crossed a concrete median and struck a third vehicle operated by a woman from Bear, who also sustained serious injuries.
Court records detail Robinson’s condition in the hours that followed. He was transported to Christiana Hospital for emergency surgery and was handcuffed to his hospital bed while awaiting treatment. According to the records., Robinson made a remark to a detective assigned to monitor him after the detective referenced the victims.
According to the records, the detective alleged that Robinson, who was recovering from surgery and on painkillers, directed an unintelligible comment toward the detective in the room, expressing annoyance.
He then allegedly asked why the detective seemed to have an attitude with him.
The detective replied that he did not want to be in the same room as someone who had killed a mother, a daughter, and critically injured another child. Robinson allegedly responded by saying I don’t give a fuck about dem people.
The court ruled that the statement, although highly probative of Robinson’s state of mind, could not be admitted at trial because he had not been advised of his Miranda rights.
Robinson’s name had appeared in prior news reporting over the years, including a 2017 escape from juvenile detention and a 2019 multistate police incident in which he was identified as a person of interest after a fleeing vehicle associated with him collided with other cars in Philadelphia, injuring several people including a three-year-old child. His presence in that vehicle was never confirmed, but he remained a person of interest leading up to the 2024 crash according to authorities.
At the time of the fatal collision, Robinson was also awaiting several court dates on unrelated matters. After the crash, he was charged with two counts of Murder in the Second Degree and a series of additional offenses and was held awaiting trial.
On November 17 Robinson was convicted of Murder Second Degree, Manslaughter, Assault First Degree, Reckless Endangering First Degree, Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony, and multiple traffic offenses including disregarding red lights, speeding, failing to display headlights, and disregarding a police officer’s signal. His convictions carry a sentencing range of 52 years to life in prison.
