Delano Middleton repeat criminal offender charged with stabbing death of J.T. Schroeder outside Chatham County Walmart in Georgia after claiming teen victim kicked his shopping cart.
Georgia authorities have arrested a man a week after he allegedly stabbed to death an 18 year old who he claimed moments earlier had kicked his shopping cart outside a Chatham County Walmart.
Delano Middleton, 48, was arrested on Thursday and charged with the murder in the deadly stabbing of J.T. Schroeder.
The arrest comes after the Chatham County Police Department saying the two men getting into an altercation outside the Walmart store on Highway 80 on Thursday, October 23.
Victim’s father claims son wasn’t violent or confrontational
Middleton at the time had just left the store with a shopping cart only for Schroeder to purportedly kick it as he passed by. The incident soon escalated into violence and Middleton stabbing the 18 year old multiple times.
The teen died from his injuries the next day WJCL reported.
CCPD officers spoke with Middleton and other witnesses throughout the ongoing investigation, but did not make an arrest until a week later on October 30.
The victim’s father has since challenged Middleton’s account, insisting that his son wasn’t violent and hadn’t instigated the tragedy.
‘My son was never, ever confrontational unless he was confronted first,’ Schroeder’s father told the outlet.
Alleged perpetrator repeat history of violent offenses
The dad said he got a call to come to the scene, with the parent sharing, ‘I got over there as fast as I could and saw blood everywhere. He was literally stabbed over ten times until he finally bled out and died.’
In the immediate hours after the attack, Schroeder had been on life support as friends and loved ones surrounded him — wearing shirts, stickers, and bracelets in his memory.
Schroder according to the teen’s father is an organ donor and will have his hero’s walk Friday before donating his organs.
Court records show Middleton has a violent criminal history, including prior arrests for aggravated assault, battery, and weapons charges in 2021 and 2023.
Middleton is currently being held at the Chatham County Detention Center.
