Kelvin Powers Jr., a 30-year-old Black man, was killed on February 11, 2015, inside an apartment at the William Penn Village Apartments in New Castle, Delaware. The attack unfolded at 7 Amstel Drive, Apartment 33, where his girlfriend was leaving with her young son when two armed, masked suspects confronted her. According to investigators, the suspects entered the apartment and shot Powers multiple times before fleeing.
Responding officers found Powers inside the apartment suffering from gunshot wounds, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Early reports had described the incident as a stabbing, but police subsequently clarified that he had been shot. Investigators also examined reports of someone wearing a ski mask and dark clothing running from the area. No motive was publicly identified in the initial reporting, leaving unanswered why the intruders had entered the apartment and attacked him.
Powers, whose full name was Kelvin Leon Powers Jr., had been born in Chester, Pennsylvania, and attended William Penn High School in New Castle. He worked as a restaurant cook and also helped with his family’s business, Powers Total Cleaning. His death left behind his parents, Kelvin and Linda Powers, three sisters, a brother, three children, and a stepdaughter. His funeral service was scheduled for February 19, 2015, at Ezion Fair Baptist Church in Wilmington. In memorial messages, relatives and friends remembered his humor, smile, and devotion to those close to him. His parents later wrote about the children missing their father and their determination to preserve his memory.
The investigation eventually became a cold case, but detectives continued seeking information about the attackers and their escape. On October 6, 2022, the New Castle County Police Cold Case Squad released surveillance footage from the apartment complex in an effort to generate new leads. Police said the footage showed a distinctive Honda Civic leaving the complex after two masked suspects fled Powers’s apartment. Investigators appealed for information about the vehicle and the people involved, hoping someone could connect those details to the killing. The department also announced that a standing cash reward was available for information benefiting the investigation or leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
Eleven years after Powers’s death, the New Castle County Police Department renewed its appeal on February 11, 2026, continuing to identify the killing as an unsolved homicide. That update did not name the suspects or announce arrests or charges, and the available public reporting does not establish any trial or conviction in connection with his death. Detectives continued asking anyone with information to contact the Criminal Investigations Unit at 302-395-8110 or [email protected]. The appeal also directed anonymous tipsters to Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333, which offers rewards of up to $5,000 for qualifying information leading to an arrest.
