State recharges Millsboro man for Christmas Eve 2022 crash
The Delaware Department of Justice has refiled charges against a Millsboro man for his role in a crash on Christmas Eve 2022 that left three people dead.
Jason Wilcox, 47, was charged with 10 new counts related to the crash, which occurred at the intersection of Minos Conaway Road and Route 9. Wilcox was charged with three counts of manslaughter, four counts of first-degree assault, one count of speeding, one count of leaving the scene of a collision resulting in death and one count of failure to report a collision resulting in injury or death.
Wilcox previously pleaded guilty in October to two counts of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and drug possession charges, to which he was sentenced to 12 months probation.
On Christmas Eve, Wilcox was driving a 2016 Land Rover westbound on Route 9 approaching Minos Conaway Road. The crash happened when a 2008 Honda Odyssey, operated by a 42-year-old man from Temple, Pa., attempted to turn left from Minos Conaway Road onto Route 9 and ended up in the path of the Land Rover. The front of the Land Rover struck the driver’s side of the Honda.
The Honda contained seven occupants including the driver. A 35-year-old woman and a 9-year-old girl, both from Temple, Pa., and a 74-year-old Lewes man were ejected from the Honda and died at the scene. The driver, a 12-year-old boy, a 4-year-old boy and a 67-year-old woman all survived with non-life-threatening injuries.
Wilcox allegedly fled the scene on foot; he was located and arrested Dec. 25 by Delaware State Police at his Millsboro home.
At first, prosecutors charged Wilcox with four counts of leaving the scene of an accident causing injury and three counts of leaving the scene of an accident causing death. Wilcox’s attorney, Michael Abram, successfully argued that if the state was going to charge him with leaving the scene, it should be one charge since it stems from one crash. He added that even if the state were to charge Wilcox with seven counts, the affidavit of probable cause does not list the names of any of the victims, as is custom when charging counts for multiple victims.
Judge Rae Mims agreed with Abrams’ argument and allowed the leaving the scene charges to be dropped, although she told Wilcox that he could still be indicted on the charges in the future.