Bryan H. Pedroza Castanon, a 22-year-old White/Caucasian male, died on March 19, 2023, after what first appeared to police like a crash in Newark, Delaware, turned into a homicide investigation. Just before 6:00 a.m., New Castle County police responded to Old County Road for a possible traffic accident and found a vehicle off the roadway near a wooded area. Inside was Bryan, suffering from a gunshot wound.
Investigators later determined the shooting happened near the 2400 block of Old County Road, an area under Delaware State Police jurisdiction, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
In the first hours after the discovery, police had not released Bryan’s identity and said no suspect information was available. Days later, Delaware State Police identified him as Bryan Pedroza, 22, of Wilmington, the victim of the March 19 Newark homicide. Funeral and memorial notices listed him as Bryan H. Pedroza Castanon, born April 1, 2000, and reflected the grief of a family preparing services only days after his death.
As investigators worked through the circumstances, the case shifted from a mysterious roadside death to a robbery-related killing. Authorities later said Bryan had been with Sierra Steiner, of Newark, when they drove to Dolphin Drive in the Glasgow area. According to accounts of the investigation, Steiner was accused of helping set up a robbery with Charles Lowe, of Felton. While Bryan was parked with Steiner in the vehicle, Lowe allegedly arrived separately, parked behind them, and approached armed with a firearm. Bryan tried to drive away, but Lowe shot him, causing the vehicle to crash into the wooded area where police later found him.
The search for suspects led police outside Delaware. On April 8, 2023, law enforcement located Charles Lowe and Sierra Steiner near Elkton, Maryland. Officers said the pair attempted to flee, leading to a brief pursuit that ended when their vehicle crashed in a parking lot. They were taken into custody by Maryland law enforcement officers working with Delaware authorities and later faced murder and related charges.
At the time of arrest, Lowe was charged with first-degree murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of a firearm by a person prohibited with a prior violent felony conviction, and second-degree conspiracy. He was committed to Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on a cash bond of more than $1 million. Steiner was charged with first-degree murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and second-degree conspiracy, and she was committed to Delores J. Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution on a cash bond also exceeding $1 million.
The case later ended in convictions and prison sentences. Lowe was convicted of second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, first-degree conspiracy, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and he received a 35-year prison sentence. Steiner was convicted of second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, and second-degree conspiracy, and she received a 21-year prison sentence. What began as a call about a crashed vehicle became, through the investigation, the story of a planned robbery that ended with Bryan fatally shot as he tried to escape.
