The murder of Peter DiSabatino
Newark, New Castle County, Delaware · 2012
Overview
On the night of Monday, November 12, 2012, Peter DiSabatino, a 20-year-old University of Delaware sophomore, was shot outside his apartment at the Studio Green complex on Thorn Lane in Newark, Delaware. He died shortly after he was taken to the hospital. New Castle County police described two suspects in hooded sweatshirts and said the shooting did not appear random, but no one was arrested. In 2017 the department's cold case squad put his family on camera in a video series asking the public for help. In 2024 cold case detectives re-examined the evidence, re-interviewed witnesses and identified Alando Dale, then 33, as the suspect. A grand jury indicted him on January 16, 2024, and the U.S. Marshals Task Force and county police arrested him on January 29. Prosecutors said the shooting followed a marijuana sale in which DiSabatino was paid $800 in counterfeit bills. Dale pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in September 2024 and on February 20, 2025 was sentenced to 30 years in prison, suspended after 20 years, followed by probation.
How it was solved
No forensic breakthrough was announced in this case; the public record describes a second look at old work. In November 2012, New Castle County police had only a description of two men in hooded sweatshirts, and said the shooting did not appear random. For years the case stayed open. In 2017 the department's first cold case squad, two detectives, began posting videos of victims' families on a Facebook page, and the DiSabatino family's video drew tens of thousands of views. In coverage of the video, police said Peter had been called outside by someone he knew, and his father was quoted as saying the family believed it knew who was responsible but that there was not enough evidence. In January 2024 police said cold case detectives had re-examined the evidence from 2012 and re-interviewed witnesses, and that this identified Alando Dale, then 33, as a suspect. Neither the police nor the Department of Justice has said what the witnesses added. With the Department of Justice, detectives presented the case to a grand jury on January 16, 2024, which indicted Dale. The U.S. Marshals Task Force and the county's Special Investigations Squad arrested him on January 29, and he was arraigned on first-degree murder charges. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in September 2024. In its February 2025 release, the Department of Justice said that Dale and an associate met DiSabatino to buy marijuana, that DiSabatino was paid $800 in counterfeit bills, and that Dale shot him twice in the chest after a confrontation. That differs from the 2018 police account, which had DiSabatino called outside by a text message. Dale was sentenced on February 20, 2025.
Sources
- County police make arrest in 2012 cold case homicide
“Cold Case Homicide Squad Detectives continued the investigation by re-examining evidence and re-interviewing witnesses. Through their investigation, Cold Case Homicide Squad Detectives identified 33-year-old Alando Dale as a suspect.”
- Department of Justice and Cold Case Squad secure prison sentence in 12-year-old cold case homicide
“Dale, now 35, pled guilty to Murder 2nd Degree in September of 2024.”
- DOJ secures decades of prison time for 12-year cold case murder
“DiSabatino was paid $800 in counterfeit bills. A confrontation ensued when DiSabatino discovered that the money was counterfeit and Alando Dale shot him two times in the chest.”
- Man arrested for 2012 cold case murder in New Castle County
“An investigation into the shooting involved re-examining the evidence from 2012 and interviewing witnesses again by the Cold Case Homicide Squad Detectives.”
- Man facing charges in 2012 fatal shooting in New Castle County
“The case went cold — until New Castle County police re-examined evidence and reinterviewed witnesses.”
- Arrest made in 2012 cold-case homicide
“Dale had been identified as a suspect in the cold-case investigation and was indicted for murder January 16th.”
- Arrest made in 2012 slaying of UD student
“Sgt. Michael McNasby, a spokesman for the New Castle County Police Department, said cold case detectives re-examined evidence and re-interviewed witnesses, leading to a break in the case.”
- Police renew efforts to solve two Newark-area cold case homicides
“The victim was inside his apartment at 211 Thorn Lane about 9:20 p.m. on Nov. 12, 2012 with friends, when someone he knew texted him to come outside to meet him, police said.”
- Video: 8 years after he was killed, family still seeking justice in Newark-area murder
“Peter's murder remains officially unsolved, and the New Castle County Police's Cold Case unit has been highlighting cases like Peter's, putting on display the pain and anguish suffered by those surviving family members”
- Delaware cold case unit turns to social media
“Detectives are posting videos of victims’ families to the social media site, with the hope of reaching a broader audience and, ideally, netting some new leads.”
- University of Delaware Student Shot, Killed
“Pete DiSabatino, 20, was shot in the chest in a courtyard of the Studio Green Apartment Complex on Thorn Lane in Newark just before 9:30 Monday night.”
- Suspects sought in shooting death of University of Delaware student
“The circumstances surrounding the deadly shooting remain under investigation. Police say they do not believe the shooting to be random.”