Isaac Hatton, a 19-year-old Black male from Laurel, Delaware, was killed on the evening of September 25, 2018, although his body was not discovered until the following morning. At about 8:30 p.m., Hatton became involved in a verbal confrontation with Traevon Dixon and Jerry Reed at the Little Creek Deli in Laurel. Surveillance footage captured portions of the argument, and witnesses later helped investigators reconstruct what happened afterward.
Hatton, Dixon and Reed left the area in a group of vehicles and traveled to Portsville Pond, west of Laurel. There, Hatton was shot repeatedly and left in the weeds along the edge of the water. Court records do not establish a definitive motive, noting that the killing may have involved drugs, money or another unresolved dispute.
At approximately 9:22 a.m. on September 26, Delaware State Police were called to the area of Portsville Road and Dogwood Lane after someone reported finding a person lying near the shoreline of the pond. Sussex County paramedics pronounced Hatton dead at the scene. Initial police reports described an apparent gunshot wound, while later court proceedings characterized his body as having sustained numerous bullet wounds. The Delaware State Police Homicide Unit interviewed witnesses, reviewed the deli's surveillance recordings and traced the movements of the people who had left Laurel following the confrontation. That investigation quickly focused on Dixon and Reed.
Police took Dixon into custody on September 27. He was initially charged with possession of a firearm by a person prohibited, arraigned and committed to the Sussex Correctional Institution on a $10,000 secured bond. Authorities subsequently charged him with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Warrants were also issued for Reed, who was initially not located. Reed later surrendered to police and faced first-degree murder, first-degree conspiracy, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a person prohibited. A Sussex County grand jury formally indicted both defendants in November 2018, and their cases were later separated for individual trials.
Dixon ultimately avoided a first-degree murder trial by pleading guilty in September 2019 to second-degree murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. His agreement included a commitment to testify against Reed. Dixon received an aggregate sentence of 35 years of incarceration, suspended after 20 years, followed by probation.
Reed initially rejected a proposed plea agreement and was scheduled to stand trial in January 2020. On the morning his trial was to begin, however, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and entered a no-contest plea to possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Prosecutors dismissed the remaining charges under the agreement. Reed attempted to withdraw his pleas shortly afterward, maintaining that he was innocent or that the evidence was insufficient, but the court concluded that he had knowingly and voluntarily accepted the resolution. On February 28, 2020, Reed was sentenced to a prison term requiring him to serve approximately 20 years, a punishment nearly identical to Dixon's despite Reed having pleaded to the lesser homicide offense. Reed later pursued post-conviction relief, challenging the handling of his plea and the performance of his attorneys, but the Superior Court denied his motion.
