Two teens charged in Sept. killing of Wilmington woman

Two 16-year-old boys have been charged with the killing of 19-year-old Keshall "KeKe" Anderson in mid-September, according to Wilmington police.

Abdullah Brown and Deonta Carney have each been charged with one count of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree attempted murder, two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and two counts of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, said Sgt. Andrea Janvier, a spokeswoman for Wilmington Police Department.

Anderson, who was the 18th person to die from Wilmington gunfire this year, was not considered to be the target, according to Wilmington police. She was fatally shot on Sept. 18 in the 200 block of W. 20th St., just around the corner from where she lived.

A 19-year-old man who was with her was injured but survived.

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Brown and Carney, who were developed as suspects in the killing, were already in custody at the New Castle County Detention Center on other charges, Janvier said. They were officially indicted on Monday by a New Castle County Grand Jury.

Both remain in prison on $1 million cash bail.

Anderson graduated from McKean High School in 2015 and was saving money to start studying business at Delaware Technical Community College, according to her family. She worked at Kmart in the customer service department to provide for her son and prepare for school.

Her smile and her personality kept others upbeat and happy, her aunt said.

In the days and weeks after her death, her family pleaded for justice – not only for their daughter, but for her infant son, Jordan Dominque Robinson Jr.

"We're hoping for the community to come forward and understand she had the world ahead of her," said Anderson's aunt, Lisa Summers, in the days after Anderson's death. "She was a vibrant young lady. She had so much going for her."

So far this year, 142 people have been injured in Wilmington shootings, 21 of those fatally.

Brown was the focus of a story in 2009 by The News Journal for his involvement with a mentoring program by retired educator Maurice Pritchett. The then-9-year-old's father was in and out of jail, and Pritchett served as a mentor to him after Brown was referred as the first participant in the educator's program.

Teachers directed Brown to the mentoring program after he began disrupting class with emotional outbursts. Brown's mother, Myra Brown, told The News Journal that her son could use a stable male presence in his life.

Pritchett was saddened to hear the news Wednesday about his former student, calling it a sad day for his family and Brown's.

"I'm so sorry that the young lady passed away and that a young man was injured," he said. "Abdullah is a really nice young man and it's unfortunate this happened. We were on the right track."

Pritchett hasn't worked with Brown since his year of mentorship at Bancroft Elementary, but said the two of them became very close. Many young men in the city lack a male figure to look up to and help them grow, he said. It's what helped Pritchett overcome those same obstacles.

"I was constantly talking to him about doing the right thing, being around the right people and just building a strong character and respect," Pritchett said. "He knew I loved and cared for him. He started coming around in school, but unfortunately, this happened and it's a sad day for me."

Since then, Brown has had encounters with Wilmington police.

He was charged with attempting to steal a bike from a man in Wilmington on May 17, 2015, according to court documents. He, along with Naseem Parks and Brandon Wingo, attempted to take the bike and assaulted the man, according to court records.

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Charges were eventually dropped after the victim failed to appear for trial.

Parks is one of more than 20 young men now charged with gang participation, as well as a multitude of other allegations, in a sweeping indictment that state prosecutors say fueled a deadly rivalry between two city street gangs. Parks is accused of involvement with the gang “Only My Brothers” or OMB.

Wingo, who was also listed as a participant in the alleged crime, was killed in Wilmington's East Side earlier this year. Three teens, who prosecutors say are a part of the rival “Shoot To Kill” gang, have been charged with his death.

About a month before Anderson was killed, Brown was one of several youths who forced their way into a house in the 700 block of Winsor St. by placing the victim in a choke hold on Aug. 28, according to court records obtained by The News Journal.

The youths ransacked the home, throwing around the contents of several plastic totes until one of the men, known to the victim as "Dullah" said "I got it."

The victim then saw the boy holding a black semi-automatic handgun, according to court papers.

As the youths began to leave the house the victim told police that "Dullah struck him in the face with a closed fist."

It wasn't until Sept. 19 – a day after Anderson's fatal shooting – that Brown was fingered for the August robber, according to police. He's been charged with home invasion, three weapons charges and second-degree conspiracy.

Carney, Brown's co-defendant in the murder case, has charges that begin at the age of 13. These include assault, resisting arrest, violating curfew – most of which were dismissed.

He pleaded guilty, however, to a weapons charge on Nov. 22 and prosecutors dropped two charges: carrying a concealed deadly weapon and receiving a stolen firearm, according to Family Court records. He's scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 30.

Esteban Parra contributed to this report.

Contact Brittany Horn at (302) 324-2771 or bhorn@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @brittanyhorn.