GEORGETOWN, Del. - The trial for Randon Wilkerson, the man accused of killing Delmar Corporal Keith Heacook in 2021, was underway Monday morning in Georgetown. After just under two hours, Judge Craig Karsnitz handed down his verdict: guilty of all charges. His sentencing is set for Dec. 8.
The trial was pushed back to 10 a.m. In addition to prosecutors and the defendant, Attorney General Kathy Jennings was in attendance. Heacook's wife, Susan, was seated in the third row.
Wilkerson was brought into the court room just after 10 a.m. He was wearing a short-sleeved orange jumpsuit, with hair slightly longer than in his mugshot. While entering, he looked around for his family and smiled at them. He was not in handcuffs but was brought in by two police officers and was initially seated between them.
At the opening, Judge Karsnitz reminded the room to maintain appropriate decorum and etiquette.
"I know this is an emotional case," he said.
The judge said the case would be decided based on a stipulated set of facts. Both sides provided exhibits and information ahead of time and are in agreement that the provided information from both sides is true. Exhibit one is a USB flash drive of body camera footage from an officer from the Wicomico County Sheriff's Office who attempted to revive Heacook after the assault. Exhibits two through five are reports of the events of April 25, 2021.
According to the stipulations presented in court Monday, there were additional people in the house in which Heacook was assaulted when police arrived. The housemates' statements said that Wilkerson wanted to celebrate his birthday and repeatedly asked them to do shots with him. They said Wilkerson did meth and drank a lot and was "going crazy," putting holes in the walls and that he threw a weight at one housemate's closed bedroom door.
Heacook responded alone to a 911 call about the disturbances and reported he was on-scene at 5:27 a.m. After he did not respond further, additional units were dispatched at 5:36 a.m. to help him.
Officers arriving located Heacook face down in a pool of blood inside the home on Buckingham Drive in Delmar. The stipulations said there was evidence of struggle. Heacook's body was dragged to the front yard and police began CPR before emergency medical services arrived and he was taken by ambulance.
Stipulations shared in court said that when Wilkerson was found walking and talking nearby, his fists were bloody. The crime scene included Heacook's baton, flashlight, and a 20 pound dumbbell was found nearby, as well. Blood was seen on walls, the floor and a nearby cardboard box.
Wilkerson's DNA was found on Heacook's baton near the scene, according to the court evidence, and Heacook's DNA was found on the dumbbell.
Karsnitz shared quotes from when Wilkerson was held at Troop 5 following the assault.
"'I killed him,'" Karsnitz quoted Wilkerson. "'I killed that bitch. I smashed him over the head with a weight.'"
AUTOPSY AND TOXICOLOGY
An autopsy of Heacook was completed by the Chief Medical Examiner of the State of Maryland. The cause and manner of death were determined to be head injuries, homicide.
The autopsy results shared in court said there were at least 10 significant impact sites and that trauma was caused by a heavy object; a dumbbell would be consistent with the injuries presented. Heacook had cuts and bruises on his face, was missing a tooth and had a fracture at the base of his skull. Additionally, his chest, arms, thigh and hands were injured.
The toxicology report of Wilkerson showed that he had meth, cocaine, marijuana and fentanyl in his system at the time.
BODY CAM FOOTAGE
Judge Karsnitz shared with the courtroom that he struggled with the decision to play the responding officer's body camera footage in the proceeding.
Footage showed responding officers taking turns providing CPR to Heacook in the front yard of the home while others searched the home.
"Hey buddy, you okay? Heacook, you okay? Oh my gosh, what happened buddy?" could be heard on the recording. "Heacook, come on man, come on buddy."
Heacook's wife, Susan, cried while the footage was played. A few rows in front of her, Wilkerson sat slumped over the table, watching the video.
The housemates, some of whom were inside and sleeping upstairs when police arrived, were laid on the ground on their stomachs and handcuffed.
Wilkerson's sentencing is set for Dec. 8.