Quiaire J. Nesmith, a 20-year-old Black man from Wilmington, Delaware, lost his life after being shot in the head near Sixth and North Broom streets in late June 2015. His family's published obituary records June 25, 2015, as the date of his death. What began as a late-night shooting investigation eventually led prosecutors to uncover a robbery arranged under the appearance of a marijuana purchase.
The shooting happened around midnight on a block where a Delmarva utility crew was making emergency repairs to gas lines. Nesmith was rushed to Christiana Hospital in critical condition but later died from his injuries. During the initial investigation, police took one person into custody for questioning and appealed to anyone with information to come forward. The early public report did not identify the person being questioned or announce charges against that individual.
The investigation ultimately established Levi Blaylock's responsibility for the killing. According to the Delaware Department of Justice, Blaylock had arranged a robbery to look like a marijuana purchase. During that attempted robbery in the 600 block of North Broom Street, he shot and killed Nesmith. Prosecutors described the fatal encounter as a botched robbery rather than an unexplained or random shooting.
In September 2016, Blaylock pleaded guilty to manslaughter, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and second-degree robbery. The convictions therefore resulted from a guilty plea rather than a jury verdict. When the Department of Justice publicly announced the plea on October 14, 2016, it reported that Blaylock faced a possible maximum of 55 years in prison. Deputy Attorneys General Abigail Layton and Phillip Casale secured the plea.
A subsequent Department of Justice announcement, published on March 10, 2017, reported that Blaylock had received a 20-year prison sentence in Superior Court. His sentence also required six months of either home confinement or work release after imprisonment, followed by 18 months of probation. The department credited Casale, Brian Robertson, and Layton with prosecuting the case.
Beyond the circumstances of his death, Nesmith's family remembered his love of music, basketball, and making others laugh. He was the son of April Nesmith and Kevin Cuff, had ten siblings, and belonged to Team Crossover Elite. Friends who posted remembrances described his humor and kindness, while former Job Corps classmates recalled attending school with him and celebrating his progress. His funeral was scheduled for July 10, 2015, at Ezion Fair Baptist Church on B Street in Wilmington, with burial at Gracelawn Memorial Park. Those tributes preserved a picture of someone whose presence had brought laughter and affection into the lives of the people around him.
