Overview
- Police say 18-year-old J. T. Schroeder died on October 27 after an October 23 confrontation at a Whitemarsh Island Walmart that began when he allegedly kicked a shopper’s cart.
- Delano Middleton, 48, is charged with murder, and court records show he previously pleaded guilty in 2023 to aggravated assault for a 2021 stabbing and was released on parole in December 2023.
- A WJCL review of records found he served about two years, was prosecuted on one of several original charges in the 2021 case, and was on parole at the time of the Walmart incident.
- Middleton waived his first court appearance and was denied bond, and prosecutors and the state supervision agency have not provided substantive public comment.
- Schroeder’s father disputes the police account’s emphasis on a cart kick, and hospital staff held an honor walk as the teen’s organs were donated.