12-year sentence for role in kidnapping elderly woman

The last defendant involved in the kidnapping of an 89-year-old Sussex County woman last year was sentenced Friday for his role in the crime, according to the Delaware Attorney General's Office.

Phillip Brewer, 18, received a 12-year prison sentence – seven of those years were for his part in the kidnapping of Margaret E. Smith. The other five years were for a previous parole violation.

After Smith gave two teen girls a ride from a convenience store in Milford on March 18, 2013, the girls forced the woman to give them her keys. They then stuffed Smith in her Buick's trunk and drove around for nearly two days before dumping her in a rural cemetery near Seaford, where she was found crawling around on her hands and knees.

Smith recounted her ordeal to The News Journal last year, telling how the teens played loud music while she was tossed around in her trunk with no food, water or her medication. She added she passed out several times during the kidnapping.

Brewer was one of two teen boys, then 17, who were picked up by Junia McDonald, 16, and Jackeline Perez, 17, while Smith was in the trunk. Both boys quickly realized Smith was in the trunk, but didn't act to release her, prosecutors and police said during court proceedings.

After their arrest, Brewer confessed to his involvement and helped prosecutors build cases against the other three, McDonald, Perez and Rondaiges Harper, 19.

Perez and McDonald pleaded guilty to first-degree carjacking, first-degree kidnapping and second-degree conspiracy. They were sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Harper pleaded not guilty, but was convicted of kidnapping, carjacking and conspiracy and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Contact Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299, eparra@delawareonline.com or Twitter @eparra3.