North Carolina Mother Brings 22-Year-Old Son To Police After Seeing Reports Of His Connection To A Local Murder

A North Carolina mother turned in her son, Charles Michael Haywood, after a news report named him in connection with a local death.

Surely the worst thing for any mom to experience: watching a local news report when all of the sudden you see your SON’s face plastered on the screen, being accused of murder! Around 6:30 p.m. on August 24, the 22-year-old entered Exotic Hemp Company – a Surf City, North Carolina hemp shop, sporting a backpack and a bandana around his neck, where he can be seen in surveillance photos reading through a pamphlet. According to WWAY via the incident report, Charles was armed with a “lethal cutting instrument.” He allegedly demanded 42-year-old hemp shop employee Margaret Bracey to open the cash register, while wielding the weapon. A Surf City detective wrote:

“Haywood removed the cash from the register and then attacked Bracey with the knife, stabbing her multiple times. As a result of the knife attack by Haywood, Bracey was killed.”

He then stuffed the cash in his backpack, and according to the search warrant, took off his sweat pants and bandana and left them in the store before fleeing. Such a scary world we live in — even though Bracey seems to have cooperated with Haywood he STILL viciously attacked her.

Later that same evening, Charles returned home where his mother noticed a rather severe cut on his hand, which prompted her to escort him to the hospital for treatment. The next day while watching television is when she saw her son’s face broadcasted across the news. She then made the decision to take her boy into the police station, according to People via a Pender County Clerk and search warrants.

She must have experienced some degree of inner conflict when faced with this situation; on one hand, that’s a murder suspect who needs to be brought to justice, but on the other hand, it’s her own flesh and blood — her SON. We wonder how that drive to the station even went down? Was he cooperative, or did she have to play coy?

Haywood is now being charged with first-degree murder and armed robbery, according to a statement from the Surf City Police Department. Additionally, according to WECT, District Attorney Ben David is seeking the death penalty for this case. He noted:

“Anytime something happens in open daylight, in a well-lit, crowded area, it gets everyone to pause and say how concerned they are and that’s why we prioritize those cases in the criminal justice system. This case is a priority for a different reason, and that is because someone has lost their life. I know that this is a case that has shocked the community, this is something a lot of people have turned their attention to. We have always put first degree murders at the very highest priority in our office, and we’ll continue to do that.”

Charles is reportedly from Holly Springs, North Carolina but had been staying in Surf City for the past few months, according to SCPD. He is due to appear in court September 14 and as of now it is not clear whether or not he has an attorney.

Rest in peace to Margaret Bracey. What are your thoughts on this terrible situation? Let us know in the comments below.

[Images via Surf City Police Department & Exotic Hemp Company]