A Philadelphia man, whom officials identified as a “high-ranking gang member,” was sentenced to life in federal prison Wednesday in connection with the fatal kidnapping of a man in 2021, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware.
On Sept. 30, Dwayne Alexander, 42, was sentenced for his role in the kidnapping and killing of a 35-year-old Wilmington man in the summer of 2021. Officials said Alexander was a high-ranking member of the Shotgun Crips street gang.
According to prosecutors, in the summer of 2021, a lower-ranking member of the gang became involved in a dispute with a Wilmington man. Officials said a group of Shotgun Crips members then forced their way into the man’s home, beat him with blunt objects, bound his hands behind his back with zip ties and drove him to a location near Alexander’s home in Philadelphia.
After picking up Alexander, the group drove the victim to an industrial park in Yeadon, Pennsylvania, officials said. There, they killed the victim by shooting him in the head with an assault rifle.
Prosecutors said that, in his role as a “higher-up” in the gang, Alexander authorized the killing and supplied the murder weapon. Officials said he also helped in an attempted cover-up of the crime, including by returning to the industrial park to search for a suppressor that had detached from the murder weapon.
“Dwayne Alexander authorized a senseless and depraved crime that stole the life of the victim, a beloved father, son, brother, uncle, and member of the Wilmington community,” said U.S. Attorney Benjamin L. Wallace.
On June 5, 2025, a federal jury convicted Alexander of kidnapping resulting in death and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
“This life sentence ensures he will never endanger the public again,” FBI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul said. “Our hearts go out to the victim’s family and friends; may they know that protecting our communities and crushing violent crime is the highest priority for the FBI.”