On December 22, 2024, at approximately 8:21 p.m., Delaware State Police responded to the Budget Inn at 3 Memorial Drive in New Castle, Delaware, for a report of a shooting. Troopers found 49-year-old male John Pipkin in the motel's rear parking lot with an apparent gunshot wound; the 49-year-old male was transported by EMS to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Authorities identified the 49-year-old male victim as John Pipkin of Wilmington, Delaware.
Detectives determined that the 49-year-old male victim was shot during a robbery in the rear parking lot of the motel. The Delaware State Police Homicide Unit assumed the investigation and treated the case as a homicide linked to the robbery.
Through investigative means, detectives identified 30-year-old male Marvin Clifford of North Charleston, South Carolina, as the suspect. He was taken into custody on December 23, 2024, charged at Troop 2, and arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 2. The charges against the 30-year-old male include first-degree murder, attempted first-degree robbery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and carrying a concealed firearm. He was committed to Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on a $1,110,000 cash bond.
Media reports the day after the killing similarly described the incident as a deadly robbery outside the New Castle motel and noted the arrest of the 30-year-old male suspect on murder and related charges, consistent with the official account.
As of the most recent official update, investigators emphasized that the case remains active, and no additional suspects have been named in connection with the shooting death of the 49-year-old male.
