After eight years, an arrest was made in the cold case murder of a teenager that sparked a years-long gang war in Wilmington, Delaware, despite the victim not being gang affiliated.
Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings and Wilmington Police Chief Wilfredo Campos announced the arrest of Oliver “Butter” Henry, 24, of Wilmington. Henry is charged with the January 2015 murder of 16-year-old Jordan Ellerbe.
Ellerbe’s family members were there for the announcement on Thursday.
“My heart is with Jordan’s mother today, and with all the families that live each day with the trauma and loss that guns create,” Attorney General Jennings said. “No parent should have to worry about whether their child will make it home, but millions still do.”
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Ellerbe was on the porch of a home on Broom Street in Wilmington’s Hilltop neighborhood when investigators say Henry pulled out a gun and opened fire, shooting the teen in the head. Two teens who were with Ellerbe at the time were also shot but survived. Henry was also charged with attempted murder in connection to those shootings.
While Ellerbe was not involved in a gang, his murder led to a feud between the rival gangs “Shoot to Kill” and “Only My Brothers” that escalated rapidly over the years.
Investigators said Ellerbe’s name was often cited in the back and forth violence between the gangs.
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“Jordan was only 16, and somehow he still wasn’t the youngest victim of this bloodshed,” Attorney General Jennings said. “We live in the most prosperous country on Earth, and we have kids arming themselves and going to war with each other. It’s senseless. It’s wrong. And the ease with which it escalated and claimed young lives is the heavy toll we pay so that guns can live in our communities with our kids.”
The cycle of gun violence and retaliation led to several shootings and murders in Delaware, including the killing of 15-year-old Brandon Wingo in broad daylight in 2016.
“This murder fueled unacceptable levels of gun violence in and around Wilmington, and it also left behind a family that has been waiting for answers, and justice,” Chief Campos said.
Henry’s arrest was the culmination of a lengthy investigation by Wilmington Police and the Department of Justice. He was taken into custody by Wilmington Police on Tuesday and is being held on $2.5 million cash bail at Howard Young Correctional Institution.
“I am proud of the persistence of our investigators, who worked tirelessly on this case and who continue to dedicate time and resources to pursuing justice in other cold cases like this,” Chief Campos said. “While we know an arrest cannot heal the wounds left behind by this killing, I do hope it brings the family of Mr. Ellerbe some degree of closure.”
