David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced last Friday that U.S. District Court Judge Joshua D. Wolson sentenced Ryan Bacon, 37, to thirty years in prison and Michael Pritchett, 37, to twenty-five years in prison. Bacon and Pritchett had each pleaded guilty to federal stalking, kidnapping, and firearms charges.
According to court documents, Bacon and Pritchett, along with other co-conspirators, were engaged in a public feud with M.S., a former friend of Bacon. The feud began when Bacon—who released rap songs under the moniker “Buck 50”—published a song that was construed as publicly labeling M.S. a “rat” or “snitch.” That feud resulted in violence between Bacon and his associates and M.S. and his associates.
In May and June 2017, Bacon, Pritchett, and others actively searched for M.S. in an attempt to kill him. On June 6, 2017, in their pursuit of M.S., Bacon, Pritchett, and co-conspirators kidnapped M.S.’s girlfriend, Keyonna Perkins, and held her at gunpoint. Perkins was then forced into the trunk of two separate cars, while the defendants and others used her phone to locate M.S. Bacon, Pritchett, and others finally located M.S. and fired multiple shots, but failed to hit him. Following that shooting, Perkins was forced into the trunk of a car and driven by Bacon and another co-conspirator to Elkton, Maryland where she was murdered.
Pritchett and a co-conspirator, meanwhile, continued their pursuit of M.S. after the first failed shooting. They located M.S. at Probation & Parole Offices in New Castle, and waited for M.S. to leave Probation & Parole and get into a white sedan. Pritchett and a co-conspirator then followed the white sedan into Wilmington until M.S. got out of the car. Pritchett then drove alongside M.S., while the co-conspirator reached out the front passenger window of Pritchett’s truck and fired multiple shots at M.S. While the shots missed M.S., one of the bullets ripped through an SUV and struck a six-year-old boy in the head, causing the child severe and permanent injuries.
“The defendants’ June 6 crime spree unfolded across multiple police jurisdictions and two separate states. The investigation required careful and ongoing collaboration between numerous law enforcement agencies, and we thank all federal, state, and local law enforcement who came together to help hold the defendants accountable for their crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Weiss. “My office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute individuals, like the defendants, who commit crimes that display a shocking disregard for human life.”
“In an act of retribution, these men not only kidnapped and killed a woman, they opened fire in the middle of a busy street, when kids were getting out of school; forever changing the life of one six-year-old boy as he was shot while riding in the backseat of his mom’s car. Rest assured the FBI, and our law enforcement partners, will continue to pursue those who seek to terrorize our communities and hurt innocent people,” said Thomas J. Sobocinski, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Baltimore Field Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jesse S. Wenger and Christopher L. de Barrena-Sarobe prosecuted the case. This case was investigated by FBI’s Delaware Violent Crime and Safe Streets Taskforce, with assistance from the Wilmington Police Department, New Castle County Police Department, Delaware State Police, and Elkton Police Department.