DOVER, Del. - Two men tied to a murder-for-hire plot that left a Dover man dead are once again convicted following a retrial that closed a years-long case.
According to the Delaware Department of Justice, the plot began in January 2020, when Khalil Dixon, of Dover, placed a bounty on three people including Shiheem Durham, 18, also of Dover. Jason Calhum, from New Castle County, accepted the hit.
Prosecutors say that on Feb. 25, 2020, Calhum and others then traveled from Wilmington to Dover, where Calhum lured one of the targets to a meeting under the guise of a drug deal. When the vehicle arrived, Calhum fired a single shot at the car, striking Durham in the front passenger seat.
Durham later died, and authorities say Dixon made several payments after the killing. Calhum and others connected to the gang “M-Block Grimy Savages” conspired to carry out the killing, according to prosecutors.
Calhum and Dixon were both found guilty of murder during a 2022 trial. Due to a juror error, however, the DOJ says their original convictions were overturned and a retrial was scheduled for 2025.
On Dec. 12, a New Castle County jury again found both Jason Calhum and Khalil Dixon guilty of multiple charges, including first-degree murder, in the killing of Shiheem Durham.
Prosecutors say the case centered on a gang-ordered hit that stretched from Wilmington to Dover and exposed what investigators call a major driver of violence in Delaware.
Calhum, 24, of Middletown, was convicted of:
-First-degree murder
-Possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony
-First-degree conspiracy
-Money laundering
-Gang participation
-Three counts of second-degree conspiracy
Dixon, 29, of Dover, was convicted of:
-First-degree murder
-First-degree conspiracy
-Criminal solicitation
-Money laundering
-Second-degree conspiracy
Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings credited years of work by prosecutors and Wilmington police.
“Gang prosecutions are complicated and multifaceted,” Jennings said. “But the trial team and law enforcement have been dogged in their pursuit of justice for more than four years.”
In total, the investigation identified 19 defendants including two juveniles connected to MGS or aligned gangs.
Prosecutors say the cases involved:
-Four homicides
-A six-victim mass shooting in Wilmington
-Multiple additional shootings
-A robbery
-Numerous gun offenses
Jennings says while justice doesn’t erase the damage done, accountability matters.
“We cannot fully heal the harm they have caused,” she said, “but we can and will hold them accountable.”
Sentencing dates for Calhum and Dixon have not yet been announced.
