Centreville man sentenced in DE murder

DOVER, Del. — The Delaware Department of Justice secured a lengthy prison sentence for the murder of a Felton man. On June 17, Steven M. Smith of Centreville, plead guilty in Kent County Superior Court to Murder 2nd Degree and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony. Smith, 37, was immediately sentenced to 35 years in prison followed by descending levels of probation. The sentence follows an investigation into the 2023 murder of Charles Kupidlowski in Felton.

"This was excellent work by our prosecutors," said Attorney General Kathy Jennings. "I am deeply grateful to our team and the Delaware State Police for their hard work in this case, and hope that it brings the victim's family some peace."

On March 16, 2023, troopers responded to a shooting that occurred on the 200 block of Reeves Crossing Road in Felton. Upon their arrival, troopers found the 36-year-old victim in the roadway, shot in his upper body. EMS personnel attempted to treat the victim but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detectives from the Homicide Unit assumed the investigation and learned that Smith of Centreville, had an ongoing dispute with the victim. Smith drove to Reeves Crossing Road to confront the man, and when he arrived he began shooting at him with a rifle. After the shooting Smith fled to his residence in Centreville.

Smith was later taken into custody without incident at his home by the Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Office before being extradited to Delaware.