Attorney General Kathy Jennings and Wilmington Chief of Police Wilfredo Campos announced today that a Wilmington man, Oliver “Butter” Henry, has been arrested and charged for the January 2015 murder of 16-year-old Jordan Ellerbe.
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 officials said Thursday.
“Jordan was only 16, and somehow he still wasn’t the youngest victim of this bloodshed,” said Attorney General Jennings. “We live in the most prosperous country on Earth, and we have kids arming themselves and going to war with each other. It’s senseless. It’s wrong. And the ease with which it escalated and claimed young lives is the heavy toll we pay so that guns can live in our communities with our kids. My heart is with Jordan’s mother today, and with all the families that live each day with the trauma and loss that guns create. No parent should have to worry about whether their child will make it home, but millions still do.”
“This murder fueled unacceptable levels of gun violence in and around Wilmington, and it also left behind a family that has been waiting for answers, and justice,” said Chief Wilfredo Campos. “I am proud of the persistence of our investigators, who worked tirelessly on this case and who continue to dedicate time and resources to pursuing justice in other cold cases like this. While we know an arrest cannot heal the wounds left behind by this killing, I do hope it brings the family of Mr. Ellerbe some degree of closure.”
Following a lengthy investigation by the Wilmington Police Department and the DOJ, Henry, 24, stands accused of Murder 1st Degree for Ellerbe’s killing, in addition to three counts of Attempted Murder 1st Degree for the shooting or attempted shooting of Benjamin Smith and Troy Harvin.
Henry was taken into custody by Wilmington police Tuesday and is being held on $2.5 million cash bail at Howard Young Correctional Institution. Henry’s indictment was secured by Deputy Attorneys General Erika Flaschner and John S. Taylor, with support from DOJ Criminal Analyst Daniel Masi. The case was originally assigned to retired Detective Mike Gifford and then picked up and led by Detective Devon Jones.