A Wilmington man will face 10 years in prison for an East Wilmington killing that occurred in July 2020.
Nehemiah Jackson, 21, pleaded guilty to reduced charges more than three years after 17-year-old Kavai Martin was shot in the neck.
The investigation began on the afternoon of July 27, 2020, when Wilmington Police Department patrol officers responded to a 911 call regarding a shooting on East 12th Street. Upon arrival, they found Martin suffering from a gunshot wound to the neck. He was unconscious and in critical condition.
Martin’s injuries were severe, and he was placed on life support, fighting for his life for nearly two years. Sadly, despite the efforts of medical professionals, Martin passed away in North Carolina in February of 2022.
Through investigative work, Detective Brandon Mosley of the Criminal Investigations Division identified Nehemiah Jackson, then 20 years old, as a suspect in the case.
After Martin’s death, in October 2020, Detective Mosley presented the case to the New Castle County Grand Jury, which subsequently returned an indictment against Jackson. The indictment included charges of Murder (1st Degree), Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, and Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited.
Following the indictment, Nehemiah Jackson, who was already in prison on a 2020 gun charge, was arraigned in Justice of the Peace Court 11 and was kept in the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution awaiting further legal proceedings.
On September 11, 2023, Jackson, now 21 years old, pleaded guilty to Manslaughter and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, both Class B Violent Felonies. The plea deal was reached after a lengthy legal process according to prosecutors. He was sentenced to 10 years behind bars.