Middletown Radio

Prosecutors with the Delaware Department of Justice have secured 56 new felony convictions—including two first-degree murders and a litany of gun offenses—in a trial against the last remaining defendant in the State’s yearslong case against the violent gang NorthPak, Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced Monday. 

“I’m grateful for the police and prosecutors who answered the havoc NorthPak wrought on our community,” said Attorney General Jennings. “Violent gangs were a plague on our city and one of the major drivers of gun violence in our state. Now, because of the work of these dedicated public servants, one of the worst gangs in Wilmington has been held accountable for the lives they’ve taken and the terror they’ve caused. Crime is down in Delaware — this is why.” 

“This latest conviction, and the lengthy prison sentence expected to follow, demonstrates the tireless efforts of our investigators, partners and prosecutors to hold members of the NorthPak group accountable for their actions,” said Chief Wilfredo Campos of the Wilmington Police Department. “We will not relent in our efforts to make our city safer, and to hold violent offenders accountable to the fullest extent of the law.” 

“The hard work and the tenacity of all the investigators involved in this case is a testament to how law enforcement works every day to keep our communities safe,” said Major Benjamin W. Feldmann of the New Castle County Police Department. “The criminals in this gang knew no geographic boundaries; it was cooperation and collective efforts across all agencies that brought these violent offenders to justice.  I cannot thank our partner agencies enough for their unpretentious hard work and dedication.” 

A New Castle County jury Thursday found Israel Lecompte, 20, guilty of the following charges: 

•          2 counts of Murder 1st Degree 
•          14 counts of Reckless Endangering 1st Degree 
•          4 Counts of Robbery 1st Degree 
•          1 Count of Attempted Assault 1st Degree 
•          1 Count of Conspiracy 1st Degree 
•          6 counts of Conspiracy 2nd Degree 
•          21 counts of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony 
•          1 count of Theft of a Motor Vehicle 
•          4 counts of receiving Stolen Property 
•          1 count of Disregarding a Police Officer’s Signal 
•          1 count of Illegal Gang Participation 

Prosecutors’ trial victory against Lecompte was the last in a steady march of jury verdicts and guilty pleas against NorthPak since a massive opening indictment was announced in June 2021. In August 2023, prosecutors secured guilty pleas from defendants Jacari Robinson and Julius Smith on multiple felonies, including murder charges. Prosecutors in March 2023 secured 40 convictions, likewise including multiple murder charges, against defendants Elijah Coffield and Greg Wing. Guilty pleas have also been secured from defendants J’Shawn Edwards, Caleb Lancaster, Davine Boyce, Isaiah Lecompte, Markevis Clark, Zymir Hynson, DeShonne Moore, Khalil Rodriguez Fitzgerald, Malik Benson, Rashawn George, Dion Young, and Markell Richards.  

With more than 150 criminal convictions, sentences for NorthPak defendants already exceed three centuries of prison time on top of four life sentences. 

Police and prosecutors’ work against violent gangs like NorthPak has been a critical plank in the State’s successful efforts to reduce gun violence. Jennings and law enforcement leaders announced earlier this year that violent crime statewide reached historic lows, including a 20% reduction in gun violence since the pandemic year of 2020 and a 50% reduction in Wilmington homicides over the same period.