A 37-year-old man who admitted to a 911 operator in January 2022 that he shot his mom in their Dover home will spend the next 30 years behind bars after pleading guilty to second-degree murder on May 11, the Delaware Department of Justice said Friday.
Kyle Leonard was sentenced to 40 years in prison, which will be suspended after he serves 30 years. When he is released from prison, he’ll spend six months in a work release program or on home confinement, followed by two years of probation.
The sentence stems from the killing of Debra Leonard on Jan. 7, 2022, at the home she and her son shared.
What happened to Debra Leonard?
That Friday, Leonard called 911 around 7:20 p.m. and requested that police respond to his home in the 200 block of Harriet St. That’s where he’d killed his 67-year-old mother.
INITIAL STORY:‘I shot my mom’: Court documents detail Dover-area killing in continued spate of violence
Leonard identified himself by name and provided his date of birth to the 911 operator, court records show. When he was asked where his mother was, he replied, “She’s dead,” according to court documents.
“Kyle stated that his mother is in the living room and stated that the shooting occurred 20-30 minutes prior to his call to 911,” the document said.
Leonard also told the 911 operator that the gun was in a bedroom and described it as a 9 mm.
When the 911 operator asked why he’d shot his mother, Leonard said they were “arguing.” The documents did not detail what about, and Leonard declined to answer any of the investigator’s questions, according to the arrest warrant.
What did Delaware State Police find?
Delaware State Police troopers who responded to and searched the home, located in an unincorporated development adjacent to Dover Mall, found an unresponsive Debra Leonard with gunshot wounds where the younger Leonard said she would be.
VIOLENCE CONTINUES: Millsboro man arrested after fatally shooting ex-wife through her Bridgeville home, police say
Three spent shell casings were found near her body, which had been seated in a chair in her living room. A 9 mm gun was found on a bed.
Leonard was charged with first-degree murder and a weapons offense but that was later reduced to second-degree murder.
Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings said the murder was “a tragic and disturbing crime that highlights the serious danger that exists at the intersection of gun violence and domestic strife.”
She added that she’s hopeful the sentence “brings some peace” to Debra Leonard’s remaining family.
Got a tip? Send to Isabel Hughes at ihughes@delawareonline.com or 302-324-2785. For all things breaking news, follow her on Twitter at @izzihughes_
