SALISBURY, Md. - The Wicomico County State’s Attorney has announced the sentencing of a Salisbury man previously convicted of attempted murder after shooting his estranged wife multiple times in 2024.
On Nov. 16, 2024, prosecutors say Dequan Bratten, now 33, confronted his wife over alleged infidelity. Bratten then bought a gun and ammunition from Terrance White in an illegal straw purchase, according to investigators.
Bratten then waited for his wife to return from work, prosecutors say, and shot her four times as she attempted to flee. Despite the multiple gunshot wounds and the severity of her injuries, the woman survived.
Bratten later plead guilty to attempted first degree murder and firearm use in a crime of violence in April of 2025.
On March 20, 2026, Bratten was sentenced to life with all but 50 years suspended. Following his active sentence, he will also be placed on supervised probation for three years.
“This case is a chilling reminder of why we must be relentless in our effort to enforce firearms restrictions laws,” Wicomico County State’s Attorney Jamie Dykes said. “Dequan Bratten was prohibited from possessing the firearm he used on November 16th, yet a single illicit transaction provided him with the means to turn a domestic dispute into a near-fatal tragedy. The victim’s survival is a miracle, but it does not erase the fact that this entire event was facilitated by a criminal disregard by Bratten and White for the laws governing legal possession and transfer of firearms. Absent Bratten’s prohibited access to the firearm in question, a rash and violent impulse may never have escalated into a life-altering crime.”
(Wicomico County State's Attorney)