First State Times

The Department of Justice secured convictions on all counts, including 1st Degree Murder, against a Newark defendant charged with the killing of 17-year-old Madison Sparrow, Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced Thursday. Sparrow was first reported missing on October 2, 2020; a subsequent investigation by Delaware State Police and the DOJ revealed evidence that Annika Stalczynski and Noah Sharp conspired to lure Sparrow into a wooded area, ambush her, and ultimately kill her.

“This case has hung heavy on our community’s, and this office’s, hearts for the past two years,” said Attorney General Jennings. “Prosecutors spend their careers steeped in the details of heinous crimes — I personally have seen virtually every horrific case in our state’s history. But the truth is that nothing can prepare you for something like this. The depravity of what these two defendants, whom the victim believed were her friends, did to young Madison is nearly beyond comprehension.

“I’m immensely proud of the prosecutors and police who led a successful criminal investigation and prosecution, and grateful to the jury for doing the right thing; but I am also keenly aware that for Madison’s family, friends, and community, closure is more elusive than justice. Madison was a daughter, a friend, and a wonderful person. Her loss is too great to measure, and everyone who knew and loved her is in my heart.”

Madison’s parents, Heather Sparrow and Richard Prestidge, issued the following statement:

“We want to thank our friends and family. This has been a two-year process and we couldn’t have done this without their love and constant support. We also want to thank the community and especially Newark Charter School and its administration and families, along with the community that has supported the Love Wins 5K the last two years and that supports the Madison Sparrow Memorial Scholarship to aid future educators.

“We want to thank law enforcement for the countless hours investigating and pulling together evidence to ensure justice for Madison. We also appreciate their immediate actions after she went missing that facilitated finding Madison and bringing her back to her family. We want to thank the State’s prosecutors for their professionalism in presenting evidence to the court and jury. And finally, we want to thank the DOJ’s social workers for their work through the process.”

Sharp was convicted of Murder 1st Degree, Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony, and Conspiracy 1st Degree, and now faces a mandatory life sentence. The State will also seek the maximum allowable sentence against Stalczynski, who entered a guilty plea to Murder 1st Degree and Conspiracy 1st Degree. Because the Defendant was a juvenile at the time of Sparrow’s murder, State law requires that she has an opportunity for sentence modification after 30 years. Pursuant to that statute, the State’s recommendation is a life sentence to be reviewed after 30 years.

Sharp’s conviction and Stalczynski’s plea were secured by Deputy Attorneys General Matt Frawley and John Downs, with support from DOJ Social Workers Lisa Rapko and Jessica Quillen, Paralegals Jaime Prater and Lisa Loikith, and Investigator Cliff Dempsey, following an investigation led by members of the Delaware State Police Homicide and Troop 2 Criminal Investigations Unit.

Original source can be found here.