Hagerstown man found guilty of 2016 double murder in Berkeley County, WV

16 September 2023- Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney Catie Wilkes Delligatti announces that on Friday, September 15, 2023, a Berkeley County jury found DERRICK WAYNE WELLS, JR., a/k/a Nice, 34, of Hagerstown, Maryland, formerly of Martinsburg, West Virginia and Brooklyn, New York, guilty of two counts of First Degree Murder and two counts of Use of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony related to the August 18, 2016 murders of Ahmid Hafley and Alquadir Sutton.

This matter was originally investigated by then-Detectives Miller, Luciano, and Albaugh of the Detective Bureau of the Martinsburg Police Department and the Criminal Investigations Division of the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department. Over the past several years, the investigation continued, led by Investigator Kevin Miller and Felony Coordinator Dominic Orsini, members of the Cold Case Unit within the Berkeley County Prosecutor’s Office, who remained steadfast in their pursuit of justice for the families of Mr. Hafley and Mr. Sutton, enlisting the assistance of the FBI Cellular Analysis Survey Team.

The jury then heard evidence regarding the Defendant’s life sentences and whether he would be eligible for parole. After a short deliberation, the jury returned a verdict that no mercy shall attach to the Defendant’s life sentences. A formal Sentencing Hearing has been scheduled before the Honorable Michael D. Lorensen to take place December 4, 2023 at 3:00 pm.

Prosecuting Attorney Catie Wilkes Delligatti and Senior Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Joseph R. Kinser prosecuted this matter on behalf of the State. Ms. Delligatti would again like to thank Mr. Miller and Mr. Orsini for their dedication to this investigation, along with Det. Sgt. J.D. Luciano of the Martinsburg Police Department and S/A John Orlando of the FBI Cellular Analysis Survey Team.