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The deadly shooting took place in Beulaville, however none of the parties were from Duplin County
According to the office of District Attorney Ernie Lee, last week Antonio Murphy, 29, pled guilty to the murder of 21-year-old Michael Deangelo Bryant Jr., along with various charges stemming from the events that transpired in Beulaville the night of Feb. 6, 2020.
The Beulaville Police Department responded to a shooting at approximately 8:30 p.m. at the parking lot of a McDonald’s located on West Main Street in Beulaville and called the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation for help with the homicide.
According to the DA, the SBI investigation revealed that Murphy, Bryant, and Randy Anthony Rolla Jr., 19, none of whom were from Duplin or knew each other, agreed to meet in Beulaville for a transaction.
When Bryant and Rolla arrived, Murphy and another individual got in the back seat of the car where the two victims were sitting and attempted to rob them at gunpoint. When Bryant reached for his gun, the two individuals in the back seat opened fire, striking Bryant and Rolla.
According to the DA, the assailants ran to a separate vehicle driven by a third person and fled from the scene.
Bryant and Rolla were transported by EMS to the hospital in Kenansville, where Bryant was treated for a gunshot wound to the back which fractured his shoulder blade. Rolla had suffered a gunshot wound to the head and a second to the torso. Due to the extent of his injuries, he was transported to ECU Health Medical Center in Greenville (formerly known as Vidant Hospital), where he was pronounced dead.
“The NC SBI worked diligently during the investigation to determine the identity of the suspects. Evidence obtained tied the defendant to the homicide. This evidence included forensic evidence, video surveillance footage, phone records, social media records and internet browser records. The FBI Cellular Analysis Survey Team assisted the investigation and prosecution,” wrote the DA in a news release, highlighting FBI Special Agent Harrison Putman for obtaining Murphy’s cell phone records, which placed him in Beulaville around the time of the homicide. “This was a challenging prosecution requiring a significant amount of time to prepare, meet with witnesses, review lab reports and social media records.”
The DA thanked everyone who collaborated on the case, from investigation to prosecution, he acknowledged the arduous work and countless hours that are involved in preparing a case for a successful prosecution.
“This was an effort made by all those involved to help remove this violent offender from our community and seek justice for the victim’s family,” wrote the DA, concluding that his office hopes the guilty plea will provide some degree of closure to the victim’s family.
Murphy pled guilty to second-degree murder, attempted armed robbery, possession of a firearm by a felon and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury on June 27 in Duplin County Superior Court. He was sentenced to a minimum of 25 and a maximum of 32 years in prison.
