Leonel Ciprian, 29, was shot and killed inside his Whiteville, North Carolina, home on September 7, 2019. A grandmother, Rafaela Noyola Jaramillo, was shot in the same attack and survived.

Investigators later made arrests. On February 24, 2020, a 17-year-old juvenile was arrested on multiple counts including three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder; the juvenile was initially booked with a $450,000 bond that was increased to $5.4 million at a first appearance. The next day, February 25, 2020, Prentis Deshawne McDuffie, known as Chopper, age 30, was arrested on the same charges and booked with no bond. The investigation is described as ongoing.

Anyone with information about the break-in or the shootings in Whiteville is asked to come forward.