WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. - A judge sentenced Delonte Bryant to life in prison for first degree murder.
The Wicomico County State's Attorney's Office say on Oct. 30, Delonte Bryant, was sentenced for the Aug. 2015 murder of Dommeir Deshields. Bryant was convicted in June 2023, after a three-day jury trial, of Murder First Degree, Use of a Firearm in a Crime of Violence and related offenses. Officials say 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 Aug. 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.
Authorities say in the late morning hours of Aug. 3, 2015, Bryant approached 21-year-old Dommeir Deshields in the roadway at the intersection of Anne Street and Railroad Avenue in Salisbury and shot Deshields multiple times at close range. Officials say Deshields was transported to PRMC, where he later died while undergoing surgery for his injuries. The Wicomico States Attorney's Office says the reasons for the crime remain unclear.
Wicomico County State’s Attorney 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.”
State's Attorney Dykes commended Detective 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. State's Attorney Dykes also commended Senior Assistant State’s Attorney D. Scott Messersmith and Assistant State’s Attorney Darin Ruark, who prosecuted the case.