DOJ secures life sentence for Claymont drug murder

A 29-year-old New Castle County man has been sentenced to life in prison following his conviction last year for a 2024 shooting death.

On May 21, 2026, Michael R. Toombs of Claymont was sentenced to two life sentences plus thirty years in prison. The sentence follows his convictions by a Superior Court jury in October of 2025 on charges of Murder First Degree, Felony Murder First Degree, Robbery First Degree, and Drug Dealing, along with 4 counts of Possession of a Firearm during the Commission of a Felony; he was also convicted by bench trial on a separate charge of Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited.

"The defendant repeatedly made the conscious, deliberate decision to inflict misery and death on other people across our state - no longer," said Attorney General Kathy Jennings. "The diligent work of the New Castle County Police Department and our Department of Justice trial team have ensured once again that the state of Delaware is a safer and more just place."

On the morning of August 23, 2024, 35-year-old Devontre Taylor agreed via phone to meet with Toombs at an apartment complex in Claymont to conduct a drug transaction; they subsequently met in-person around 10:20 am. Minutes later, Toombs shot and killed Taylor and fled back to his apartment. New Castle County Police arrested Toombs at his residence later that day, where a search revealed the handgun used to murder Taylor, hundreds of bags of fentanyl, and Taylor's phone.