Clerk killed over $20; teen, 14, charged

A robbery and subsequent struggle over $20 in cash at Lancaster Market in Wilmington Monday has ended with a 14-year-old boy facing murder charges.

Police say Jakevis Ellington, 14, and Devonte Dorsett, 22, are responsible for the murder of 64-year-old store clerk Santanu Muhuri.

At approximately 1 p.m. Monday, the two entered the market at 101 N. Clayton St. Dorsett pointed a .45 caliber handgun at Muhuri and demanded cash, according to arrest documents. A struggle erupted, ending with Dorsett shooting Muhuri in the head.

Dorsett and Ellington then fled the store with $20 they stole, according to court records.

New Castle County paramedics treated Muhuri at the scene, then transported him to Christiana Hospital where he later died.

Ellington and Dorsett are charged with murder, conspiracy, robbery and weapon-related offenses, according to Wilmington police. Dorsett was also charged with resisting arrest.

Cash bail totaling $945,000 was set Thursday in Delaware family court.

The preliminary hearing for the case against Ellington is scheduled for Jan. 23 at 1 p.m. at the New Castle County courthouse.

Ellington's parents, who attended Thursday's hearing, declined to comment on the case. Ellington's attorney recounted a statement from his mother, stating the teen had regularly attended school, does not use drugs, and does not have a history of running away from home.

"We just pray for the best," said Kamarr Rollins, Ellington's stepfather.

The Rev. Christopher T. Curry, a pastor at Ezion Fair Baptist Church in Wilmington, said the incident is a heinous act and is part of a scourge of shootings in Delaware's largest city, caused by entrenched poverty. Kids are "wandering in the wilderness" unable to determine what society sees as "civilized" behavior, he said. Without jobs and education reforms, the violence will continue, he said.

"Who ever heard of a 14-year-old committing such an act," he said. "But I'm never going to excuse that form of behavior."

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In June, Dorsett pleaded guilty to three separate gun charges and has since been prohibited from carrying a firearm.

Wilmington police officers patrolling the Hedgeville neighborhood on Tuesday recognized Dorsett as he walked along South Broom Street, according to arrest records. Apparently unaware of evidence of his involvement in the Lancaster Market shooting, officers attempted to make contact with Dorsett in order to arrest him on a separate case.

Dorsett fled but officers pursued him for a block and a half, caught and charged him. Officers found a loaded, .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun in Dorsett's waistband, according to the arrest documents. They also found an extended magazine with 18 rounds of ammunition in his jacket pocket.

While in the police vehicle, records state Dorsett said, "They told me 10 years next time I get caught with a gun. What am I supposed to tell my pop?"

Contact Karl Baker at (302) 324-2329 or kbaker@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter @kbaker6.