GEORGETOWN, Del. - The trial for Randon Wilkerson, the man accused of killing Delmar Corporal Keith Heacook in 2021, was underway Monday morning in Georgetown. In just under two hours, Judge Craig Karsnitz handed down his verdict: guilty of all charges.
Charges included two counts of first degree murder, three counts of first degree assault, five counts of possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony, three counts of possession of a deadly weapon by a person prohibited, one count of terroristic threatening, one count of offensive touching and one count of first degree burglary.
The trial took place in the Sussex County Courthouse in Georgetown.
TRIAL
The trial was pushed back one hour later than scheduled, to 10 a.m. In addition to prosecutors and the defendant, Attorney General Kathy Jennings was in attendance. Heacook's wife, Susan, was seated in the third row.
Wilkerson was brought into the court room just after 10 a.m. He was wearing a short-sleeved orange jumpsuit, with hair slightly longer than in his mugshot. While entering, he looked around for his family and smiled at them. He was not in handcuffs but was brought in by two police officers and was initially seated between them.
At the opening, Judge Karsnitz reminded the room to maintain appropriate decorum and etiquette.
"I know this is an emotional case," he said.
Judge Craig Karsnitz delivered the verdict less than two hours after the trial began. Courtesy Paul Boyd.
The judge said the case would be decided based on a stipulated set of facts. Both sides provided exhibits and information ahead of time and were in agreement that the provided information from both sides is true. Exhibit one was a USB flash drive of body camera footage from Deputy Sheriff Michael Houck from the Wicomico County Sheriff's Office, who attempted to revive Heacook after the assault. Exhibits two through five contained reports of the events of April 25, 2021.
COURT DOCUMENTS
On that day over two years ago, Heacook responded alone to a 911 call about disturbances in a Delmar house and reported on-scene at 5:27 a.m. After he did not respond further, additional units were dispatched at 5:36 a.m. to help him.
According to the stipulations presented in court Monday, there were six additional people in the house in which Heacook was assaulted when police arrived. The housemates' statements said that Wilkerson, now convicted of murdering the corporal, wanted to celebrate his birthday and repeatedly asked them to do shots with him. They said Wilkerson did meth, drank a lot and was "going crazy," putting holes in the walls and that he threw a weight at one housemate's closed bedroom door.
In court documents, one housemate, Monique Windsor, said drugs were being used that evening. She recounted Wilkerson's "erratic behavior," which including yelling at girlfriend Amanda Rooks, mood swings and fighting with another housemate, Charles Meagher. Windsor said she heard a commotion downstairs and went to find Meagher "laid out" in the living room. While trying to help him, she said she heard Wilkerson talking to an imaginary person by a chair in the living room about being a rap star.
After going back upstairs and trying to call 911, Windsor described hearing what she thought sounded like a dog growling downstairs. Documents say she went to look and saw a man laying down in the living room, "snoring," and appearing to be knocked out. She noted he was wearing a vest and thought he was a police officer.
According to court documents, Windsor continued to say that Wilkerson entered the room and she saw him kick the officer in the face. She ran to her room and said she tried texting 911 with another housemate because she thought "there [was] a dead cop in our living room." Later, Windsor told officers she did not think she responded when asked by dispatchers about the location of the emergency.
Officers arriving located Heacook face down in a pool of blood in the home's living room on Buckingham Drive in Delmar. The stipulations said there was evidence of struggle and that the house was cluttered. Heacook's body was dragged to the front yard by police who found him and they began CPR, but he did not regain consciousness. Emergency medical services arrived and he was taken by ambulance to TidalHealth, formerly Peninsula Regional Medical Center, in Salisbury before being transported to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center.
Stipulations shared in court said that Wilkerson was found walking and talking behind the home at 5:59 a.m., though he was alone and no cell phone was found in the area. Documents say his fists were actively bleeding.
The crime scene inside the house included the pool of blood, Heacook's baton and his flashlight. A 20-pound dumbbell was found nearby, as well. Blood was seen on walls, the floor and a nearby cardboard box. It was also found throughout the house.
Wilkerson's DNA was found on Heacook's baton near the scene as well as on his notepad, according to the court evidence. Heacook's DNA was found on the dumbbell.
During the proceeding, Karsnitz shared quotes recorded from when Wilkerson was held at Troop 5 shortly following the assault.
"'I killed him,'" Karsnitz quoted Wilkerson. "'I killed that b****. I smashed him over the head with a weight.'"
In his interview with state police, Wilkerson said he had not slept in three days, according to court documents. He admitted to consuming alcohol, meth and heroin, but denied seeing or interacting with any police officers at his residence except for the officers who took him into custody.
AUTOPSY AND TOXICOLOGY
The toxicology report of Wilkerson showed that he had meth, cocaine, marijuana and fentanyl in his system at the time.
An autopsy of Heacook was completed by the Chief Medical Examiner of the State of Maryland. The cause and manner of death were determined to be head injuries, a homicide.
The autopsy results shared in court said there were at least 10 significant impact sites, that trauma was caused by a heavy object and that a dumbbell would be consistent with the injuries presented. He had severe brain swelling along with cuts and bruises on his face, was missing a tooth and had a fracture at the base of his skull. Additionally, his chest, arms, thigh and hands were injured.
BODY CAM FOOTAGE
Judge Karsnitz shared with the courtroom that he struggled with the decision to play responding officer Houck's body camera footage in the proceeding. Ultimately, he said people had a right to know and to witness the bravery of the additional first responders to the scene.
Footage showed Houck entering the home to find Heacook on the ground, facedown and unresponsive. Heacook was pulled from the house and officers began to take turns providing CPR in the front yard. Other officers searched and cleared the home.
"Hey buddy, you okay? Heacook, you okay? Oh my gosh, what happened buddy?" could be heard from Houck on the recording. "Heacook, come on man, come on buddy."
Heacook's wife, Susan, cried while the footage was played in the court room. A few rows in front of her, Wilkerson sat slumped over a table, watching the video.
The housemates, all of whom were inside and upstairs when police arrived, were laid on the ground on their stomachs, handcuffed and read their rights.
WILKERSON'S CRIMINAL HISTORY
Wilkerson has a criminal history in Maryland for multiple thefts, according to separate court documents. In the stipulations shared during Monday's trial, it was noted that Wilkerson is a person prohibited from owning or possessing a deadly weapon based on a conviction for selling cocaine in Duval County, Fla., from July 2019.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Lead prosecutor David Hume and Attorney General Kathy Jennings spoke during a post-trial press conference about the likelihood of an appeal from the defense team. A pretrial motion filed by the Delaware Department of Justice was sealed until Monday. The motion regarded the defense Wilkerson's team wanted to present.
Stipulations shared in court Monday said Wilkinson used multiple drugs voluntarily and witness statements corroborated that information.
"This isn't me, this is the meth," Wilkerson was heard saying about his behavior, according to a witness statement in court documents.
After the case began moving forward and he was charged, Wilkerson's defense came forward saying he had used bath salts unknowingly, according to Hume.
"There's no indication in the evidence that bath salts were used," Hume said after the trial on Monday. "We believe it's pure speculation and without basis."
Attorney General Kathy Jennings and prosecutors David Hume and John Donahue.
Hume continued, discussing a Delaware law regarding voluntary and involuntary intoxication. The law says one cannot remove himself from responsibility by being voluntarily intoxicated. Prosecutors said Wilkerson wanted to claim he was involuntarily intoxicated and took bath salts by mistake.
"We don't believe that's the case and we don't believe that a defendant can hide from responsibility by taking illegal drugs and claiming he thought he was taking other illegal drugs," Hume said. "It would lead to absurd results."
Judge Karsnitz granted prosecutors' motion to exclude the bath salts claim.
The defense and prosecutors went back and forth about the motion. Once an agreement was made regarding the facts that would be presented as evidence, without the bath salts claim, legal teams did not think the trial would take very long. Because the bath salts argument was sealed and both sides agreed to the remaining facts and evidence as true, there was little left to be argued about in front of a jury. Wilkerson's defense attorney then filed for a bench trial in late September.
An appeal is expected to be filed by the defense and is likely to be based on the motion filed to limit evidence, according to Jennings. Prosecutors told CoastTV News they are confident the verdict will stand.
Wilkerson's sentencing is set for Dec. 8.