Testimony commenced on Tuesday in the trial of Keith Gibson, the man accused of committing six killings in northern New Castle County and Philadelphia. Delaware prosecutors will aim to prove Gibson’s guilt in the spring 2021 robberies and murders of a 28-year-old mother at a T-Mobile store in Elsmere, as well as the shooting death of a 42-year-old man at a Wilmington residence. In addition to first-degree murder charges, Gibson faces multiple other charges related to the killings, as well as the nonfatal shooting of a convenience store clerk and the robbery of a local drug store that led to his arrest in Wilmington.

Pennsylvania authorities have not formally indicted Gibson, but they have expressed their intention to charge him with four additional killings that occurred in Philadelphia in the same spring.

During the trial’s opening statements, Deputy Attorney General Ipek Kurul presented evidence linking Gibson to the crimes. The evidence includes video footage of the T-Mobile store robbery in which Gibson can be seen shooting the victim and leaving the scene. A neighbor found a bicycle near her home, which was later connected to Gibson using a receipt, the bike’s serial number, and a key found in his possession. After killing the T-Mobile store employee, Gibson stole her car, which was later discovered by police near his residence in North Philadelphia.

Additionally, Kurul showed video evidence of Gibson robbing a Dunkin’ Donuts store in North Philadelphia and killing a woman during the robbery. She also presented footage of another robbery in Wilmington, where the masked assailant shot a young clerk who survived. Gibson was arrested two days later at a Rite Aid in Wilmington, where he was found in possession of a gun, knife, gloves, mask, bullets, and cash. Further evidence linking Gibson to the crimes includes trace cash, cigarettes, and clothes matching the Rite Aid robbery found in a nearby house, as well as a black revolver found near his hiding spot during the arrest.

Gibson’s defense attorney, Richard Sparaco, questioned the prosecutors’ ability to accurately identify his client as the perpetrator based on video evidence, highlighting the absence of DNA evidence linking Gibson to the crime scenes. Sparaco reminded the jury of Gibson’s presumption of innocence and encouraged them to assess the evidence without allowing emotions or the desire to punish to cloud their judgment.

After the conclusion of Gibson’s trial in Delaware, he will face murder charges in Philadelphia for the killing of his mother in February 2021, as well as the deaths of two men in a North Philadelphia store in January of that year. The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office has “pre-approved” charges against Gibson, and he will be arrested and formally charged in Philadelphia’s legal system once his cases in Delaware are resolved. Gibson had violated his probation shortly before allegedly committing the two Delaware murders and one of the Philadelphia murders. He had previously served a ten-year sentence for manslaughter and was released on probation in 2020. He was briefly re-arrested and imprisoned in 2020 for involvement in a fight, but was released again in December.