Steven Kellam seeks to have prison sentences overturned

A Dover man currently serving two life sentences and more than 700 years in prison for allegedly masterminding a double homicide and series of home invasions in 2014 is seeking to have almost all his convictions overturned.

Steven Kellam, 43, appeared in Delaware Superior Court in Georgetown Sept. 25 for oral arguments in his motion for post-conviction relief. Kellam’s attorney, Zachary George, argued that Kellam’s convictions on double homicide, home invasions, robbery and weapons charges should all be vacated due to ineffective counsel at trial and the claim that the jury instructions used at his 2018 trial were outdated. George said the only charges against Kellam that would not be vacated are convictions on conspiracy charges. In his legal filings, George argues that the jury in Kellam’s criminal trial should have been given the option for lesser included offenses, given that he did not actually take part in the homicides he was convicted of.

In March 2018, Kellam was sentenced to two mandatory life sentences and 769 years in prison for his role in the January 2014 murders of Cletis Nelson and William Hopkins at a manufactured home on Harmons Hill Road. Judge T. Henley Graves, who presided over the trial, said he gave the maximum sentence to Kellam on all charges as a deterrent to anyone looking to lead a life like Kellam’s.

At trial and during this appeal, prosecutors paint Kellam as the head of a criminal organization that carried out robberies and home invasions of drug dealers in Kent and Sussex counties. At trial, prosecutors said members of the ring had plans to rob drug money from Hopkins and Nelson. While Kellam did not set foot in the house where Nelson and Hopkins were killed, prosecutors say he gave orders to kill Nelson and Hopkins to Rhamir Waples, Richard Robinson and Damon Bethea. All three are cousins of Kellam who had come to Sussex County from the Philadelphia area to party and to commit a robbery. Kellam was also accused of providing the guns that were used in the murders. Kellam was also convicted of masterminding two other home invasions carried out by Waples and Robinson.

At his sentencing, Kellam claimed he was innocent and denied the accusation put forth by prosecutors that he had ordered the killings in part as revenge for a fight between a cousin of his and Hopkins, which Hopkins won. Kellam said his trial attorney, Patrick Collins, did not show evidence at trial that would have proved his innocence. 

Kellam has been fighting for post-conviction relief for several years now, with delays caused by, among other things, the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down the courts for months and the change of presiding judge from Judge Craig Karsnitz to Judge Francis Jones due to conflicts of interest. 

Kellam, with a bearded face and his hair now in long braids, was calm and collected during his Sept. 25 hearing. Argument was brief, as Jones sought an affidavit from Collins regarding the jury instructions. Once that affidavit is received, Jones said he would then accept supporting and response briefs from George and Deputy Attorney General Kathyrn Garrison, who is representing the state. After the briefs are received, Jones said he would then determine whether additional oral argument is needed.