A New Castle County Police officer will not face criminal charges for shooting a man during a 2023 domestic violence standoff in Newark, after Delaware's Department of Justice concluded he acted in self-protection when he returned fire in roughly a second. Patrolman Cody Durham shot suspect Matthew Beblo, who had allegedly just killed his estranged wife, Petya Novakova, and wounded her boyfriend, Joseph Tilghman, inside the home they shared in the Newark Oaks development.
According to the Department of Justice report cited by WDEL, Durham responded to a report of a shooting in progress on Leader Drive on September 23, 2023. He saw Beblo peek through the blinds holding what appeared to be a handgun, and Beblo then fired a shot that missed the officer. Durham returned fire, squeezing off five rounds in just 1.3 seconds, striking Beblo in the arm and torso.
Emergency medical personnel pronounced Novakova dead inside the home, according to Crime Solvers Central. Tilghman was taken to Christiana Medical Center in stable condition. Local news accounts summarized by Ground News detailed that SWAT officers later entered the residence and found Beblo dead inside a closet from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Why Investigators Cleared the Officer
Durham told investigators he was concerned the suspect could kill Tilghman or engage officers in a firefight, per the DOJ findings outlined by WDEL. The department ultimately concluded that Durham acted for self-protection or the protection of others, and the report found his use of force justified under the circumstances.
That conclusion rested on a legal standard Delaware adopted several years before the shooting. Delaware Public Media reported that Senate Bill 147, enacted in 2021, established an objective reasonable-person standard for police use of force, rather than relying solely on an officer's subjective state of mind — the framework prosecutors applied in weighing Durham's split-second decision.
The review itself was not optional. Title 29 § 2553 of the Delaware Code mandates that the Division of Civil Rights and Public Trust conduct an independent criminal investigation into every law enforcement use-of-deadly-force incident statewide, according to the Delaware Department of Justice. That same division's authority was broadened the same year through Senate Bill 148, which WHYY reported extended mandatory investigations beyond fatal shootings to non-fatal police force causing serious physical injury, while also requiring public reporting that tracks racial demographics.
Body Cameras Captured the Encounter
New Castle County Police released body camera footage depicting the shooting.
A Community Left Grieving
Beyond the legal clearance, the case carries a human toll that lingered for years. Crime Solvers Central reported that friends and community members organized a memorial fundraiser for Novakova following the 2023 incident, raising money for funeral expenses in both Delaware and Bulgaria and for the care of her two dogs.
The Newark Oaks shooting adds to a string of recent violent incidents New Castle County Police have investigated, including a Parma Ave gunfire case.
