The Delaware Department of Correction (DOC) announced the death of 71-year-old inmate Daryl Andrus on Wednesday, July 19.
Daryl Andrus had been in the custody of the DOC since 1995. He was serving a life sentence for 1st Degree Murder and Conspiracy. His conviction resulted from a 1996 trial where he and a co-defendant, Jeffrey Fogg, were found guilty of non-capital Murder First Degree in connection with the beating death of James Dilley.
At about 8:00 a.m. on April 5, 1995, police and emergency medical personnel were summoned to the home of Daryl Andrus, on Seventh Street in Holloway Terrace, New Castle County, where the badly beaten body of James Dilley had been found, according to New Castle County Police Detective Quinton Watson’s.
Andrus stated that Dilley had been paying rent and living at Andrus’ residence for a month, according to a report by New Castle County Police Detective Scott McLaren which was admitted into evidence at an evidence suppression hearing before trial.
Andrus and his friend Jeffrey Fogg had met at Andrus’ house the previous evening, then went out to a bar, according to Detective McLaren’s report. At about 1 a.m. on April 5, Andrus and Fogg arrived back at the Andrus residence, where Dilley was present, according to the report.
According to Detective Watson, Fogg stated that he went to sleep in the front room of the house and that he assumed that Andrus went to his own bedroom to sleep. Andrus stated that he went to sleep in the front room, according to Detective McLaren’s report. Andrus claimed to police that he was awakened by a noise at about 6:30 a.m., that he got up and found Dilley’s fully clothed body in a partially filled bathtub and then called for Fogg to come help him, according to the report.
The two claimed to have moved the body from the bathtub into a bedroom, wrapped it in blankets and put a space heater beside it, according to statements they gave to police. Police also testified that Andrus stated he administered mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, that he then went to a neighbor’s residence and called 911, leaving Fogg to continue administering mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
At some point before emergency personnel arrived, the blankets were removed from the body, according to the Hindering Prosecution arrest warrant for both men. At the residence, police spoke with both Andrus and Fogg. Later, police found the blankets in the rear yard of Andrus’ property, the arrest warrant alleges.
During the trial, the State presented various pieces of evidence, including the testimony of Robert Richmond, who claimed to have met Andrus while in prison. Richmond stated that Andrus had divulged specific details about the murder to him.
According to Richmond, Andrus initiated a fight with Dilley, and both Andrus and Fogg beat Dilley to death. Richmond further testified that Andrus was worried about his ring, which was confiscated by the police, matching the numerous cuts on Dilley’s face. Additionally, Richmond claimed that Andrus told him that Fogg had gone too far and become “carried away” with the beating. After the murder, Andrus and Fogg attempted to conceal the crime by moving Dilley’s body to the bathtub and filling it with water according to court records.
Andrus had been receiving palliative care for a serious medical condition while housed in the prison infirmary at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center (JTVCC). He was pronounced dead at 10:41 a.m. on July 19 by medical staff in the prison infirmary, and his body was released to the Delaware Division of Forensic Science to determine the cause of death.
The Delaware Division of Forensic Science will conduct an investigation to determine the exact cause of his death.