A 24-year-old New Castle man has been charged with murder and attempted rape in connection with the 2024 death of a North Carolina woman on the Christiana Hospital campus.
Investigators said the case began on November 23, 2024, when troopers were called at about 8:30 p.m. to a retention pond area at Christiana Hospital, 4755 Ogletown Stanton Road in Newark. Troopers found 42-year-old Amie Bradley, of North Carolina, unresponsive and began life-saving efforts before she was taken to the hospital, where she later died.
Due to the circumstances surrounding Bradley’s death, the Delaware State Police Criminal Investigations Unit, assisted by the Homicide Unit, assumed the investigation. Authorities said detectives later identified Shawn Wootson as a person of interest and developed evidence indicating that Bradley had been strangled and that an attempt had been made to sexually assault her, police said. Investigators said Wootson left Delaware shortly after the incident, preventing detectives from contacting him for an extended period.
According to police, detectives presented the case to a New Castle County Grand Jury on March 16, 2026, and Wootson was indicted on murder charges. He was taken into custody the following day with assistance from the Delaware State Police Special Operations Response Team and transported to Troop 2.
Police said Wootson then attempted to escape while being held in a formal interview room at Troop 2 during a break in questioning. Investigators said he accessed the ceiling and was quickly apprehended after a Taser was deployed. A heavy police presence was seen outside the troop as a precaution during the incident. Authorities said additional charges are expected in connection with the attempted escape.
Wootson was charged with first-degree murder and one count of attempted second-degree rape. He was arraigned in Justice of the Peace Court 2 and committed to the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on $2,060,000 cash bail.
