Wilkerson given 2 life sentences for 2021 murder of Delmar Cpl. Keith Heacook

Randon Wilkerson, the man convicted of killing Delmar Cpl. Keith Heacook in 2021, was sentenced Friday to two consecutive life sentences for murder charges and over 200 years for other offenses.

Both Heacook and Wilkerson's families, as well as members of numerous law enforcement agencies, were in Sussex County Superior Court in Georgetown for the sentencing. Heacook's sister, Anita Feaster, said she was satisfied.

"The family can start to breathe, and hopefully we will get some healing," she said. "I don't care if you take drugs. ... (Wilkerson) knows what he did. He has to live with that every day."

Wilkerson's mother, Capri Simmons, expressed her remorse after the sentencing. She said she and her family are "extremely regretful."

"We regret this terrible tragedy and our hearts are with everyone ... especially Susan and her son," she said. "We're so sorry."

April 25, 2021

It was Wilkerson's 30th birthday. He'd been up all night doing drugs, including crack, cocaine and methamphetamine, and had struck multiple roommates, including his girlfriend, according to court documents.

Background: Randon Wilkerson found guilty in murder of Delmar Cpl. Keith Heacook in quick trial

When one of Wilkerson's roommates called 911 around 5 a.m., the 54-year-old Heacook responded to the Yorkshire Estates home alone. Wilkerson knocked him out when he entered the residence, according to state prosecutor David Hume. He stomped on his head, threw a dumbbell at him, tried to take his gun and struck him with his own baton, Hume said.

Wilkerson also went across the street to the home of Steve and Judy Franklin, a couple in their 70s. He brutally assaulted them, with Steve Franklin suffering a skull fracture and Judy Franklin's eye socket broken, among other injuries.

Video shown at Wilkerson's conviction showed police arriving on the scene, finding Heacook unresponsive and dragging him out of the house to safety. Numerous officers have retired due to the incident, Judge Craig Karsnitz said.

Wilkerson was arrested in the backyard of his residence shortly thereafter, while Heacook died in a hospital a few days later.

A long history of addiction

Wilkerson agreed to a judgment based on stipulated facts, which spared everyone from a long trial. In October, Karsnitz convicted him of first-degree murder and a slew of other charges.

At Friday's sentencing, Hume said Wilkerson had been "a walking bomb," and through his drug use, "made the choice to light the fuse." Attorney Patrick Collins said Wilkerson was under a drug-induced delusion that a child molester was "on the loose" when he attacked Heacook.

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In the cellphone recording made after Wilkerson's arrest, as he was being held at Delaware State Police Troop 5, he admitted to killing Heacook and attacking the Franklins, Collins said. It was revealed at Friday's hearing that Wilkerson made other statements on that recording, such as "I will be a legend for killing a child molester," and "I saved those kids, that wasn't a police officer they were getting raped," Collins said.

"Drugs and more specifically drug addiction take a horrific toll," Collins said in his statement to the judge.

Wilkerson was abusing alcohol by 16 and addicted to drugs by 22, according to Collins. He had a $400-a-day drug habit at the time of his arrest, Hume said, and prior to that, he had overdosed on heroin at least 12 times. Karsnitz called it "more than ironic" that it was often police who revived him.

Despite his lifestyle, Wilkerson had a supportive and loving family, both Hume and Collins said.

"No matter how much support you have, addiction is extremely powerful," Collins said.

Profound impact

Hume pointed out Wilkerson's long history of crime and violence and the many traumatic effects of his actions.

Heacook's mother died after his murder but before Wilkerson's conviction, never knowing "if justice was done," Hume said. The Franklins were profoundly impacted by Wilkerson's attack, according to Hume, as were the law enforcement and Delmar communities.

Hume read statements from Heacook's wife, Susan Heacook, and son, the now 14-year-old Matthew Heacook.

Susan Heacook talked about the experiences Wilkerson took from her and her husband. Keith Heacook was about to retire and had taken a job at Salisbury University, which he was looking forward to. The couple also planned to take a trip to the Philippines.

"We won't grow old together or sit in our rocking chairs next to the outdoor bar he wanted to build," she wrote.

Matthew Heacook was 12 when his father was murdered. He was not in the courtroom Friday, nor was his mother.

"It is a time I will never forget," Matthew Heacook's statement said. "I curled in a ball on the floor and cried for what seemed like hours."

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He'll never be able to forgive Wilkerson, he wrote.

Wilkerson donned glasses to read his own statement to Karsnitz. He said he prays for forgiveness and for Heacook's family daily. He said he is "sincerely sorry."

"Killing and assaulting the elderly is not me or who I am," he said. "I thought something horrible was going on. ... I was out of my mind."

The judge's reasoning

Despite Wilkerson's remorse, the reason he attacked the Franklins was to obtain automatic weapons he thought were in the house, Karsnitz pointed out. He also attempted but was unable to take Heacook's gun, Karsnitz said.

Wilkerson "tried to paint (himself) as some sort of fantasy hero," Karsnitz said, when "the carnage here could have been substantially more than it was."

Some might argue the sentence was excessive, Karsnitz said, but he disagreed with the number of aggravating factors, such as Wilkerson's criminal history, the vulnerability of his victims and the excessive cruelty of his crimes. He then handed down the two life sentences for charges of murder and murder of a law enforcement officer, as well as 212 years for other charges.

Wilkerson mumbled loudly during the sentencing but quickly quieted. He called to his family as he exited the courtroom, just as he had at his conviction hearing.

"Love you all," he said. "God is always good."

Outside the courthouse afterward, Delmar Mayor Thomas Bauer became emotional. Delmar is tight-knit, he said, and the community will never forget Heacook. He had an optimistic thought.

Background: Keith Heacook has been on a ventilator before — it inspired him to become a police officer

"Maybe, somehow, anybody else who's doing drugs and has addiction problems, maybe they'll think about what happened to (Wilkerson)," Bauer said. "Maybe they'll get sober."

Possible appeal

Wilkerson's trial was originally scheduled for November 2022. It was delayed by continuances, one of which was requested due to “a possible involuntary intoxication defense,” according to court documents. That will likely be the basis of Collins' appeal, Attorney General Kathy Jennings said at a news conference in October.

Wilkerson claims he believed he was taking bath salts, not meth, Hume said at the news conference, and wants to claim that caused involuntary intoxication.

"We don't believe that's the case, and we don't believe that a defendant can hide from responsibility by taking illegal drugs and then claiming they thought they were getting other illegal drugs," Hume said. "It would lead to absurd results."

Collins has not responded to requests for comment.

Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on Sussex County and beyond. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter@MarvelMcNaught.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Wilkerson gets 2 life sentences for Delmar Cpl. Keith Heacook's murder