Man convicted of home invasion in Wilmington in 2018 that left one dead

A 24-year-old man who pleaded guilty earlier this year to his role in a home invasion that turned into murder in 2018 will spend more than 20 years behind bars for the murder.

Nasir Anderson pleaded guilty in April to manslaughter and weapons charges in the death of 38-year-old Richard Young. The shooting, which Anderson claimed he was forced to do by a now-deceased family member, happened just after 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 25, 2018 in the 2300 block of North Market St.

Several people, including three small children, were home at the time — something District Attorney John Downs noted they will have to live with “for the rest of their lives.”

While Anderson apologized several times to Young’s family during Friday’s sentencing, his lengthy statement — which was at times incoherent as he spoke through sobs — focused largely on the effect his actions will have on his own family rather than Young’s.

BACKGROUND: Man pleads guilty to murder six years after fatally shooting a Wilmington man during a home invasion

He stressed that his young son will grow up without a father present because he “did stupid things.” However, he did not acknowledge that Young’s children will never see their father again.

What happened?

According to prosecutors and previous reporting, Young was enjoying a Sunday morning at home when Anderson and the now-deceased accomplice entered his apartment.

At some point during the robbery, they shot Young multiple times. He later died.

After the shooting, Young’s former roommate, Clarence Ward, told Delaware Online/The News Journal that the 38-year-old was “a family man.”

“The brother was trying to pick himself up,” Ward said. ‘He didn’t like stupid things. He changed his life, just like me.

Ward added that he was “trying to be a person and let his kids see him as a father.”

BACKGROUND: Cold case arrest: Wilmington police charge man in connection with fatal 2018 shooting

At Friday’s sentencing, Young’s daughter, now a young adult, called her father a “good person” and said he was her “best friend.”

He was the person she turned to when she and her mother “went head-to-head,” she said.

Anderson, who will spend 23 years in prison for the murder, confessed in February 2023 during his third interview with police. He reportedly told police at the time that he ‘felt guilty’.

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This article originally appeared in Delaware News Journal: Wilmington home invasion that turned murder in 2018 lands man in prison