Case files · North Carolina
North Carolina True Crime Atlas
Explore 31 North Carolina case files through photographs, maps and public records. Read the case outlines or open one of five full dossiers with chapters and a companion podcast.
Move your cursor or finger across the photograph
Relief from USGS 3DEP; boundaries from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Full case files
Open a case file
Each case file has five illustrated chapters, an interactive map, an evidence board, people profiles, a companion podcast and the sources behind every claim.
Case file 01 · New Hanover CountyWilmington 1898: The Massacre and the Coup
An armed white mob destroyed Wilmington’s Black daily newspaper, killed an unknown number of Black residents, and helped oust the elected city government. The surviving records trace the campaign that made the attack possible, the people it displaced, and the long work of recovering their names.
Case file 02 · Mecklenburg CountyThe Charlotte Murders and the Trial of Henry Louis Wallace
Nine women’s murders reached a Mecklenburg County jury. Charlotte’s court record and the families’ accounts show how a missing-person report, a series of separate investigations, and two pieces of physical evidence converged in March 1994.
Case file 03 · Durham CountyThe Staircase: Kathleen Peterson, the Trial and the Owl Hypothesis
Kathleen Peterson’s death in Durham produced a first-degree murder verdict, a new-trial order, and a 2017 voluntary manslaughter plea. The court record traces the disputed forensics and the evidence cited for the owl hypothesis.
Case file 04 · Iredell CountyThe Unsolved Murder of Matt Stewart
A Mooresville nurse and father of three was killed in Gabriel Estates on June 9, 2009. His wife Angela survived and carried their toddler to safety. Follow the dispatch timestamps, the forensic record, the search for leads and the people who continue to remember him.
Case file 05 · Gaston CountyThe Killing of Ella May Wiggins
A mill worker and union organizer was killed on the way to a 1929 labor gathering. Follow her life in Bessemer City, the Charlotte acquittals, and the songs and family records she left behind.
01 · Statewide map
The case map
Select a numbered pin for a photo preview and the five-chapter outline. Each pin marks an approximate locality.
Search and filter case files ↓
03 · Research outlines
The statewide case index
Open a photograph to see the full frame and its credit. Each card includes a five-chapter outline, source links and a pin on the statewide map.
Find a case
Search by name or place and combine filters to narrow the index and map.
Cases by era
Select a bar to filter by the first year shown on each case card.
31 cases
Return to statewide map ↑No cases match these filters. Change a filter or reset the search to see more cases.
01 · Wilmington, New Hanover County
The Wilmington Coup and Massacre
November 10, 1898 · Political violence
Historical record
A coordinated white supremacist campaign turned an election-season assault on Black political power into killings, forced expulsions, and the overthrow of Wilmington’s municipal government. The death toll remains uncertain.
Show on map ↗
.jpg){kind=link}
02 · Charlotte, Mecklenburg County
The Charlotte Murders and the Henry Louis Wallace Trial
1992–1994 · Serial homicide
Nine murder convictions and death sentences
Nine Charlotte women were killed between 1992 and 1994 in the cases that led to Henry Louis Wallace’s convictions. The state Supreme Court opinion lets readers trace the evidence, the interrogations, and the limits of the verdicts.
Show on map ↗
03 · Durham, Durham County
Kathleen Peterson and the Staircase Case
2001–2017 · Homicide and evidence
Voluntary manslaughter Alford plea
Kathleen Peterson’s death led to a murder verdict, an order granting a new trial over forensic testimony, and an Alford plea to voluntary manslaughter. Each outcome belongs to a different stage of the case.
Show on map ↗
.jpg){kind=link}
04 · Mooresville, Iredell County
The Unsolved Murder of Matt Stewart
June 9, 2009 · latest police update October 2026 · Homicide investigation
Active unsolved homicide
A 31-year-old nurse and father of three was killed inside his Gabriel Estates home. His wife Angela survived. Mooresville police say the investigation remains active.
Show on map ↗
05 · Shelby, Cleveland County
The Disappearance of Asha Degree
February 2000–present · Cold case
Active missing-person case
Nine-year-old Asha Degree disappeared in February 2000. An early-morning highway sighting, the later discovery of a backpack, and renewed investigative work are distinct parts of the record.
Show on map ↗Five-chapter outline
- Asha, her family, and February 14
- The NC 18 witness accounts
- The backpack found in Burke County
- Renewed searches and what warrants can establish
- The continuing missing-person investigation and verified tip channels
06 · Fort Bragg, Cumberland County
The MacDonald Family Murders at Fort Bragg
1970–2021 · Homicide and evidence
Federal murder convictions
Colette, Kimberley, and Kristen MacDonald were killed at Fort Bragg in 1970. A military inquiry preceded Jeffrey MacDonald’s federal conviction and decades of litigation over the record.
Show on map ↗Five-chapter outline
- Colette, Kimberley, and Kristen at Fort Bragg
- The scene and the military Article 32 inquiry
- The 1979 federal trial and competing reconstructions
- The appellate fight over timing and later evidence
- Three life sentences and the limits of collateral review
07 · South Charlotte, Mecklenburg County
The Killing of Cherica Adams
1999–2018 · Homicide and evidence
Conspiracy conviction and separate guilty pleas
Cherica Adams called for help after being shot in Charlotte in 1999. A jury convicted Rae Carruth of conspiracy and other offenses while acquitting him of first-degree murder. The gunman pleaded guilty.
Show on map ↗Five-chapter outline
- Cherica Adams and the November 1999 shooting
- Her emergency call and the investigation
- The participants and the separate pleas
- Carruth’s trial, jury instructions, and mixed verdict
- Chancellor Lee Adams, family care, and release after prison
08 · Greensboro, Guilford County
The 1979 Greensboro Massacre
1979–2020 · Political violence
Criminal acquittals and later civil liability
Five demonstrators were killed near Morningside Homes. State and federal criminal prosecutions ended in acquittals, while a later civil jury imposed liability for one death.
Show on map ↗Five-chapter outline
- Organizing, the planned march, and Morningside Homes
- The Klan and Nazi caravan and the recorded gunfire
- The five people killed and the injured
- State and federal acquittals and the civil verdict
- The truth commission and the city’s response
09 · Red Springs, Robeson County
Sabrina Buie and the McCollum–Brown Exonerations
1983–2015 · Wrongful conviction
Wrongful convictions vacated and pardons issued
Eleven-year-old Sabrina Buie’s killing led to the wrongful convictions of Henry McCollum and Leon Brown. DNA evidence and a fresh review brought their release after three decades.
Show on map ↗Five-chapter outline
- Sabrina Buie and the 1983 investigation
- The teenagers’ interrogations and confession evidence
- The separate paths through trial and sentencing
- The cigarette-butt DNA and the 2014 hearings
- Pardons, compensation, and later civil litigation
10 · Winston-Salem, Forsyth County
Deborah Sykes and the Darryl Hunt Exoneration
1984–2004 · Wrongful conviction
Wrongful conviction vacated
Deborah Sykes was killed on her way to work. Darryl Hunt spent more than 18 years in prison before later DNA work linked another man to the crime.
Show on map ↗Five-chapter outline
- Deborah Sykes and the morning she was killed
- Witness identifications and the first prosecution
- The retrial and early DNA exclusion
- The later DNA match and Willard Brown’s confession
- Hunt’s exoneration and advocacy after prison
11 · Chapel Hill, Orange County
Eve Carson and the Chapel Hill Investigation
2008–2014 · Homicide and evidence
Federal and state convictions
The killing of UNC student body president Eve Carson produced separate federal and state cases, including an appeal over a life-without-parole sentence imposed for a crime committed by a juvenile.
Show on map ↗Five-chapter outline
- Eve Carson’s life and work at UNC
- The abduction, bank records, and surveillance images
- The joint investigation and identification of two defendants
- Atwater’s pleas and Lovette’s state trial
- Juvenile sentencing review and the university memorial
12 · Chapel Hill, Durham County side, Durham County
The Murders of Deah, Yusor, and Razan
2015–2019 · Homicide and evidence
Three first-degree murder pleas
Deah Barakat, Yusor Abu-Salha, and Razan Abu-Salha were killed in 2015. The case raised questions about bias, the language police used, and what the state’s murder pleas established.
Show on map ↗Five-chapter outline
- Three lives and their service to others
- The February 10 shooting and the initial police response
- Video evidence and the dispute over motive
- Hicks’s guilty pleas and the families’ statements
- The police apology and community remembrance
13 · Elizabeth City area, Pasquotank County
The Pasquotank Prison Attack
2017–2025 · Prison crime
Four defendants convicted or pleaded guilty
Four correctional employees died following an escape attempt at Pasquotank Correctional Institution. The prosecutions took years, ending in a combination of capital sentences and a plea to life terms.
Show on map ↗Five-chapter outline
- The prison work program and the four employees
- The October 12 escape attempt
- The emergency response and the human toll
- Four prosecutions and their different outcomes
- The questions the attack raised about prison workplace safety
14 · Murphy, Cherokee County
The Eric Rudolph Manhunt in the North Carolina Mountains
1998–2005 · Federal manhunt
Federal guilty pleas and life sentences
After bombings in Georgia and Alabama, investigators spent years searching the western North Carolina mountains. A Murphy police officer arrested Eric Rudolph in 2003, and Rudolph pleaded guilty in federal court in 2005.
Show on map ↗Five-chapter outline
- The bombings and the federal search
- Why the search turned to western North Carolina
- Years in the mountains and what the record supports
- The Murphy arrest in May 2003
- Federal pleas, victims and sentencing
15 · West Charlotte, Mecklenburg County
The Charlotte Loomis Fargo Heist
1997–2000 · Theft and financial crime
Federal guilty pleas
A vault supervisor loaded $17,044,200 into a company vehicle. The theft, conspicuous spending, and an international arrest produced a federal paper trail and a disputed sentencing calculation.
Show on map ↗Five-chapter outline
- The cash room and the people with access
- October 4 and the transfer of $17 million
- The spending trail and the flight to Mexico
- Arrests, recovered cash, and the guilty pleas
- The sentencing appeal and the later popular retellings
16 · Lumberton area, Robeson County
The Killing of James Jordan
1993–1998 trial and appeal · Homicide and evidence
Murder conviction and guilty plea
James Jordan was killed in 1993. Larry Demery pleaded guilty, and a jury convicted Daniel Green, who has maintained that he did not kill Jordan.
Show on map ↗Five-chapter outline
- James Jordan’s final trip and the roadside stop
- The interstate search and recovered property
- Demery’s plea and his testimony against Green
- The felony-murder verdict and direct appeal
- Post-conviction claims and the distinction between parole and exoneration
17 · Bessemer City–Gastonia corridor, Gaston County
The Killing of Ella May Wiggins
1929–1930 · Political violence
No murder conviction
A textile worker, union organizer, and ballad writer was shot while traveling toward a union meeting during the Loray Mill conflict. The men tried for her murder were not convicted.
Show on map ↗Five-chapter outline
- Mill wages, workloads, and Wiggins’s family
- The Loray Mill strike and armed confrontation
- The September ambush of a truck carrying union supporters
- The Wiggins prosecution and the separate Aderholdt case
- Labor ballads, race, and public memory in Gaston County
.jpg){kind=link}
18 · Ferguson area, Wilkes County
The Murder of Laura Foster and the Trial of Tom Dula
1866–1868 · Historical homicide
Murder conviction and execution
Laura Foster’s killing led to trials in Iredell County and Tom Dula’s execution in 1868. The archive and the ballad tell the story in different ways.
Show on map ↗Five-chapter outline
- Laura Foster in the postwar Yadkin Valley
- Her disappearance and the discovery in Wilkes County
- The witnesses, Ann Melton, and competing accounts
- The venue change, trials, and execution at Statesville
- How the Tom Dooley ballad remade the case
19 · Morganton, Burke County
The Death of Charles Silver and the Trial of Frankie Silver
1831–1833 · Historical homicide
Murder conviction and execution
The death of Charles Silver in the mountain community of Kona led to his wife Frances’s prosecution in Morganton. Later accounts supplied motives and last words that need to be checked against the record.
Show on map ↗Five-chapter outline
- The Silvers in Kona, then part of Burke County
- Charles Silver’s death and the investigation
- The prosecution of Frances Silver in Morganton
- The appeals for clemency, escape, and execution
- The purported scaffold ballad and the surviving papers
,_Washington.jpg){kind=link}
20 · Washington, Beaufort County
Joan Little and the Beaufort County Jail Trial
1974–1975 · Trial and self-defense
Acquitted
Joan Little said she acted in self-defense when jailer Clarence Alligood died in her cell. The case moved to Raleigh and ended in acquittal in 1975.
Show on map ↗Five-chapter outline
- The Beaufort County jail and Little’s detention
- Alligood’s death and Little’s account of attempted sexual assault
- The search, surrender, and defense organizing
- The venue change and the Raleigh trial
- The acquittal and debates over the right to self-defense
21 · Wilmington, downtown, New Hanover County
The Wilmington Ten and the Mike’s Grocery Firebombing
1971–2012 · Wrongful conviction
Convictions overturned and pardons of innocence
The firebombing of Mike’s Grocery occurred amid violence over school desegregation. Ten defendants were convicted, won relief in federal court, and eventually received pardons of innocence.
Show on map ↗Five-chapter outline
- School desegregation, organizing, and Gregory Congregational Church
- The grocery fire and shootings in February 1971
- The trial, witnesses, and combined sentences
- Federal review and the disclosure of prosecution evidence
- The 2012 pardons and the city’s historical record
.jpg){kind=link}
22 · Pisgah Forest area, Transylvania County
John and Irene Bryant in Pisgah National Forest
2007–2013 · Serial homicide
Federal guilty pleas and life sentences
John and Irene Bryant disappeared during a fall outing in Pisgah National Forest. The federal case against Gary Michael Hilton traced the investigation across several states.
Show on map ↗Five-chapter outline
- The Bryants, the forest, and the October outing
- The search and the discovery of Irene Bryant
- ATM evidence and the recovery of John Bryant
- The multistate inquiry and federal jurisdiction
- Hilton’s admissions and the four federal life sentences
23 · Hoke County, near Raeford, Hoke County
The Abduction and Killing of Brittany Locklear
January 1998–present · Cold case
Unsolved homicide
Five-year-old Brittany Locklear was taken while waiting for a school bus in Hoke County. The North Carolina SBI continues to list the case as unsolved.
Show on map ↗Five-chapter outline
- Brittany, her family, and the school-bus morning
- The vehicle descriptions reported to investigators
- The search and recovery
- The agencies’ later efforts and public appeals
- The verified tip channels and limits of the public file
.jpg){kind=link}
24 · Fayetteville, Cumberland County
The Killing of Shaniya Davis
2009–2018 direct appeal · Homicide and evidence
First-degree murder conviction
Five-year-old Shaniya Davis’s disappearance led to a search from Fayetteville to Sanford and a capital prosecution. The state Supreme Court opinion records the evidence and the issues on direct appeal.
Show on map ↗Five-chapter outline
- Shaniya and the report that she was missing
- The Sanford surveillance evidence
- The search, recovery, and forensic record
- Mario McNeill’s trial and capital sentencing
- The state Supreme Court’s review and the case’s separate proceedings
25 · Cary, Wake County
Nancy Cooper and the Cary Computer Evidence
2008–2014 · Homicide and evidence
Second-degree murder guilty plea
Nancy Cooper’s disappearance and death led to a first-degree murder conviction, a new-trial order, and a second-degree murder guilty plea. The exclusion of defense testimony about a computer file was central on appeal.
Show on map ↗Five-chapter outline
- Nancy Cooper and the search in Cary
- The location where her body was found
- The trial and the computer mapping files
- The defense experts and the new-trial order
- The guilty plea and the resolution of the case
26 · Hickory, Catawba County
The Killing of Zahra Baker
2010–2011 · Homicide and evidence
Second-degree murder guilty plea
Ten-year-old Zahra Baker was reported missing in Hickory in 2010. Elisa Baker pleaded guilty the next year to second-degree murder and obstruction of justice.
Show on map ↗Five-chapter outline
- Zahra’s life before the move to North Carolina
- The missing-person report and first searches
- The shift to a homicide investigation
- Elisa Baker’s plea and its factual basis
- What the plea resolved and what the family could still ask
27 · Jacksonville area, Onslow County
The Killing of Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach
2007–2012 · Homicide and evidence
First-degree murder conviction
Maria Lauterbach disappeared near Camp Lejeune in 2007. Her killing led to a cross-border fugitive search, extradition, and the state conviction of Cesar Laurean.
Show on map ↗Five-chapter outline
- Maria Lauterbach’s service and her disappearance
- The investigation near Camp Lejeune
- The Red Notice, arrest in Mexico, and extradition
- The state trial and the evidence behind the verdict
- The life sentence and the limits of the appeal record
28 · Burlington, Alamance County
The Burlington Assaults and Ronald Cotton’s Exoneration
1984–1995 · Wrongful conviction
Wrongful convictions vacated
Survivor identifications helped convict Ronald Cotton in two Burlington rape cases. DNA testing later excluded Cotton and implicated another man, leading to his release in 1995.
Show on map ↗Five-chapter outline
- The two Burlington attacks and the survivors
- How the photo and live lineups worked
- Cotton’s trials and the state Supreme Court ruling
- Testing the preserved evidence and the later DNA match
- Exoneration and the lessons for eyewitness procedures
29 · Raleigh, Wake County
Jacquetta Thomas and the Greg Taylor Exoneration
1991–2010 · Wrongful conviction
Wrongful conviction vacated
The killing of Jacquetta Thomas led to Greg Taylor’s wrongful conviction. In 2010, a three-judge panel found him innocent after a review that exposed problems with the forensic evidence and its reporting.
Show on map ↗Five-chapter outline
- Jacquetta Thomas and the Raleigh crime scene
- The abandoned truck and the prosecution’s evidence
- The laboratory tests and what was reported to the defense
- The innocence commission investigation and hearing
- The 2010 ruling and the state’s forensic review
30 · Salisbury, Rowan County
The 1906 Salisbury Lynching
August 1906 · Political violence
Mob killings and related prosecution
A mob seized Nease Gillespie, John Gillespie, and Jack Dillingham from the Rowan County jail after the Lyerly family killings. Their lynching ended any possibility of trying the three men in court.
Show on map ↗Five-chapter outline
- The Lyerly family killings and arrests
- The courthouse, jail, and gathering crowd
- The seizure and killing of the three men
- The prosecution of George Hall and its limits
- Black press accounts and the Rowan County memorial
31 · Fayetteville area, Cumberland County
The Eastburn Family Murders and the Hennis Trials
1985–2020 military review · Homicide and evidence
State acquittal followed by military conviction
Kathryn Eastburn and two daughters were killed in 1985. A state acquittal on retrial preceded a military prosecution after later DNA testing, raising questions about jurisdiction and successive trials.
Show on map ↗Five-chapter outline
- The Eastburn family and the surviving child
- The 1986 state conviction and its reversal
- The state retrial and acquittal
- Later DNA testing and the Army’s court-martial
- Military jurisdiction and the appellate judgment
04 · Institutional spotlights
Prisons, jails and records
Three places to examine how North Carolina has housed people accused or convicted of crimes and how prison operations have changed.
Central Prison · Raleigh
The first prisoners entered temporary quarters in 1870. The permanent penitentiary opened in 1884. The present complex houses men under death sentences and serves as a medical and mental health center.
Public history · Avery County
The former Avery County Jail
Newland’s former county jail now houses the Avery County Historical Museum. The National Register record places the building next to the historic courthouse and documents its architecture.
Institutional records · Pasquotank County
Pasquotank Correctional Institution
Four employees died after an attempted escape in 2017. A security assessment examined operations after the incident. The case outline follows the people who were killed, the investigation and the institutional response.
05 · Sources and method
How to read the archive
Portraits in the public record
From wanted poster to booking photo
The FBI images above come from the manhunt for Eric Rudolph. This separate ATF-published mugshot shows the difference between photographs circulated to locate a fugitive and a photograph published as a booking record.
Open the Murphy manhunt outline → · North Carolina’s account of the arrest
The atlas is a curated starting point. The editorial order balances historical significance, the depth of surviving records, and geographic range. Chapters distinguish allegations, findings, final dispositions, and questions the record leaves open. Captions distinguish contemporary archival images from later photographs of the area. Cover crops fit the layout. Open an image to see the full frame and source.
LKN Law Article Library · LKN Law History · North Carolina Post-Conviction Review Commission · North Carolina appellate opinions
About the author
Christopher Adkins
Chris Adkins is a North Carolina attorney, certified mediator and former Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer. He founded Adkins Law in Huntersville and writes The Lake Norman Brief’s history and true crime collections from court records, archives and primary sources.
This dossier summarizes public court opinions, government records and published reporting. It is history and legal education, not legal advice. Corrections are welcome through the contact page.