A Georgia man, charged with the fatal stabbing of a teenager at a Walmart last month, has a troubling history of similar violent offenses, including an attack that led a woman to flee the state.

On October 30, Delano Middleton, 48, was taken into custody for allegedly stabbing 18-year-old J.T. Schroeder to death at a Walmart located on Whitemarsh Island. Previous reports by Law&Crime highlighted that Middleton had a record of violent crimes and was under probation when the incident with Schroeder occurred.

One of Middleton’s previous victims, Erica Young, shared her harrowing experience with local CBS affiliate WTOC, describing the moment she was attacked by Middleton at her workplace.

Young was on duty at a U-Haul facility in Savannah, Georgia, on October 22, 2021, when she encountered Middleton for the first time. She recounted to WTOC that upon asking if he needed assistance, Middleton responded by “shoving a cart over on top of me and just started stabbing me.”

During the unexpected assault, Young recalled Middleton expressing a desire “to watch me bleed out.” He inflicted stab wounds to her head and stomach, leaving her with ongoing memory issues due to the injuries she sustained.

As Middleton’s case went through the legal system, he was in jail for two years before ultimately pleading guilty to aggravated assault. He was sentenced to two years in jail and eight years probation. After receiving credit for time served, he was released in December 2023.

Young told WTOC that out of fear, she and her two children left the state of Georgia after Middleton was released. She said that she would be willing to testify against him if the murder case goes to trial. But she told WTOC that “the system failed that kid’s family,” referring to Schroeder. She said, “If they would have did their job in my case or the other cases, because there’s other victims besides myself, then he wouldn’t have been on the streets to be able to hurt a child.”

According to police, Middleton was leaving the Walmart store on the evening of Oct. 23 when Schroeder purportedly kicked his shopping cart. This incident allegedly led to the altercation that cost Schroeder his life. The teenager was taken to the hospital and died the following day after being taken off life support and donating his organs.

Middleton is charged with murder and is being held without bond at Chatham County Detention Center.