Wicomico County, MD - On October 30, 2023, the Honorable S. James Sarbanes, Administrative Judge of the Circuit Court for Wicomico County, sentenced Delonte Bryant, 30 years of age, of Salisbury, to life in prison for the August 2015 murder of Dommeir Deshields. Bryant was convicted in June 2023, after a three-day jury trial, of Murder in the First Degree, Use of a Firearm in a Crime of Violence and related offenses. 

The sentences on the other counts were either legally merged or made concurrent to the life sentence. Bryant was previously convicted of the same crimes in August of 2018 and given the same sentence. 

This trial was a retrial of the matter after the Maryland Appellate Court vacated the original jury verdict and ordered a new trial. The sentence the Court could impose after retrial was limited by statute to be no greater than that imposed after the first trial.

In the late morning hours of August 3, 2015, Bryant approached his victim, 21 year old Dommeir Deshields, in the roadway at the intersection of Anne Street and Railroad Avenue in Salisbury and shot him multiple times at close range. Mr. Deshields was transported to PRMC, where he was pronounced dead later that day while undergoing surgery for his injuries. The reasons for the crime remain unclear.

Wicomico County State's Attorney (SA) Jamie Dykes said "We will not tolerate this lawless behavior in Wicomico County, and I thank everyone involved in this case for their diligence and perseverance in successfully obtaining a conviction of Mr. Bryant almost eight years after the offense." SA Dykes commended Det. Sabrina Metzger of the Maryland State Police, the lead investigator on the case, and all other members of the law enforcement community, for their work in the investigation. 

SA Dykes also commended Senior Assistant State's Attorney D. Scott Messersmith and Assistant State's Attorney Darin Ruark, who prosecuted the case.