Man with violent criminal history on parole allegedly stabs teen to death: officials

A man previously convicted of a violent crime is accused of killing a teenager at a Walmart in Georgia.

Officials in Savannah, Georgia, said 48-year-old Delano Middleton stabbed J.T. Schroeder, 18, Oct. 23 at a Walmart. The 18-year-old was stabbed "during an altercation" at the Walmart location, the Chatham County Police Department wrote on X. He died four days later.

Middleton was charged with murder in the stabbing. According to WTOC, police allege that Schroeder kicked Middleton's shopping cart.

According to the outlet, Middleton stabbed a woman several times four years ago.

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Delano Middleton allegedly killed an 18-year-old at a Walmart in Georgia. (Chatham County Sheriff's Office)

Schroeder had dreams of becoming a merchant Marine and already had a sponsorship, according to his obituary.

"The world lost a beautiful soul far too soon," his obituary states. "JT loved people deeply and had a smile that could light up any room. His heart was so big that he had countless friends, each one feeling like they were his favorite. He had a way of making everyone feel seen and included, whether you were a lifelong friend or someone he’d just met."

The 18-year-old donated organs after his death, according to the obituary, and gave "the gift of life to seven families."

Criminal past

On Oct. 22, 2021, Erica Young said, Middleton walked into the U-Haul store she was working at and stole keys that were behind the desk. Then, he went outside where he planned on taking a truck, WTOC reported.

Middleton then stabbed Young in the stomach and head several times in an attack she said was unprovoked, according to the outlet.

"When I was on the ground, he told me that he wanted to watch me bleed out," Young said. "I’ve never met him before that day, never had any contact with him."

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J.T. Schroeder was 18 when he died. (Facebook/Brittany Dell Orco)

In December 2023, Middleton took a negotiated plea deal, pleading guilty to aggravated assault. As part of the deal, Middleton spent two years in prison followed by eight years of probation.

Young said the punishment was too lenient and only encouraged him to be violent in the future.

"Honestly, this is my true opinion on it," Young said. "He got away with the stabbing of me, so he thought he could get away with it again."

The stabbing victim said Schroeder's death made her wish she had fought for a harsher sentence.

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Walmart in Savannah, Ga. (Google Maps)

"I’m so sorry for their loss," Young said. "It made me wish I fought more. Then he wouldn’t have been able to get out of the streets. But I have two kids, so I fled. We packed up our entire house."

Middleton is being held on no bond at the Chatham County Jail.