A federal judge sentenced Dwayne Alexander, identified as a high-ranking Philadelphia gang member, to life in federal prison on September 30 for his role in the 2021 kidnapping and killing of 35-year-old Mark Sellers of Wilmington. Alexander, 42, becomes the last of six co-conspirators to be sentenced in a case that began with a dispute and ended in an execution-style shooting at a Yeadon, Pennsylvania industrial park.
According to phl17.com, Alexander was convicted in July 2025 of kidnapping resulting in death and conspiracy to commit kidnapping. Federal prosecutors said he authorized the killing and supplied the murder weapon used against Sellers, and that he later tried to help cover up the crime. A federal jury had already convicted Alexander of kidnapping and the more severe charge of kidnapping resulting in death, according to WHYY, which detailed how the plot unfolded.
The case traces back to a dispute between Sellers and Kimon Burton-Roberson, identified as a lower-ranking member of the Shotgun Crips street gang, in 2021. Shotgun Crips members forced their way into Sellers's Wilmington home, beat him and bound his hands behind his back with zip ties before dragging him from the house into a Jeep, the outlet reported.
From Wilmington to a Yeadon Industrial Park
Alexander, described by WHYY as a leader of the Shotgun Crips, directed the group to drive Sellers from Wilmington to an industrial park in Yeadon, Pennsylvania. There, the account states, one of the men fired a bullet from an assault-style rifle into Sellers's head, and the gang members left his body on a grassy hillock near the site.
Surveillance video at the industrial park captured a dark Jeep and, crucially, a partial number on the Pennsylvania license plate — evidence that investigators used to begin unraveling the network linking Wilmington and Philadelphia, per the same WHYY account.
Prosecutor Calls the Crime Senseless and Depraved
U.S. Attorney Benjamin L. Wallace said Alexander authorized a senseless and depraved crime, and said Alexander's life-imprisonment sentence was mandatory under federal law. The federal kidnapping statute cited in court records, per the U.S. Government Publishing Office, states that the offense may be punished by death or life imprisonment when a kidnapping results in the victim's death.
Court records reviewed by the Justice Department had previously listed Alexander's sentencing as scheduled for January 27, 2026, a date that differs from the September 30, 2026 sentencing reported by phl17.com. The discrepancy between those two timelines has not been independently resolved in the available record.
Case Closes With Sixth Sentencing
Alexander's sentencing marks the end of a prosecution that worked through six co-conspirators tied to the kidnapping and killing. The @FBI account posted a case update on X noting that three defendants had been sentenced to prison in connection with the kidnapping and murder, and that court documents and trial evidence showed the Shotgun Crips had targeted the 35-year-old victim following a dispute.
