Man convicted in fatal 2021 attack of Delaware police officer

GEORGETOWN, Del. (AP) — A man was convicted of first-degree murder Monday in the death of a Delaware police officer, according to the state’s top law enforcement official.

Randon Wilkerson, 32, was convicted on 16 charges after a short trial in the 2021 death of Delmar, Delaware, police Cpl. Keith Heacook during a bench trial.

Heacook, 54, was attacked by Wilkerson after responding to a house in Delmar shortly after 5 a.m. on April 21, 2021, authorities said. A witness reported that Wilkerson slammed his foot repeatedly on Heacook’s head while he lay unconscious.

Superior Court Judge Craig Karsnitz’s guilty verdict came about an hour after a stipulation of facts was read in court, according to the Delaware News Journal.

Wilkerson also allegedly attacked and seriously injured an elderly couple who live across the street from the home where Heacook was attacked. Both have since been released from the hospital and are recovering at home, authorities have said. Wilkerson was arrested shortly after the attacks and was charged.

Wilkerson had been listed as a resident of Salisbury, Maryland, but the attorney general’s office says his most recent address was also in Delmar, Delaware.

Delaware Attorney General Kathleen Jennings said in a statement Monday that officials lived up to a promise to hold Wilkerson accountable. He’ll spend life in prison, she added.

A message seeking information on Wilkerson’s attorney was left with prosecutors.

Heacook, a father of four, was a 22-year veteran of the Delmar police department.