DOJ secures lengthy prison sentence in stalking case

A New Castle man has been sentenced to prison for stalking, illegally possessing a firearm, and violating his probation.

Donald Beckwith, 42, was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a Superior Court judge on June 3, 2026. The sentencing followed his conviction earlier that day on charges of Stalking and a conviction from earlier this year of Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited. Beckwith was additionally found guilty of Violation of Probation, a charge stemming from his prior conviction in 2018 of Sexual Solicitation of a Child.

"The probation officer's vigilance in this case almost certainly prevented a horrific and tragic act from occurring," said Attorney General Kathy Jennings. "Their work, along with that of the New Castle County Police Department and our DOJ trial team, has helped keep a deeply dangerous individual off the streets - for that, they have my sincere gratitude."

In April of 2025, Beckwith's probation officer observed him using an internet-capable electronic device, a violation of his probation from his 2018 conviction. The officer subsequently conducted an administrative search of his apartment which yielded a series of letters that Beckwith had written. The letters, written while Beckwith was in prison years before, contained graphic descriptions of his intent to commit sexual violence towards minors, to engage of acts of violence against the State and Courts, and to stalk, kidnap, and murder an individual related to his prior criminal case. The investigation that followed, aided by the NCCPD, revealed that Beckwith had been in the immediate vicinity of that individual's residence roughly 50 times in the course of a year; he was subsequently arrested in June of 2025.

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