Casey Robert Orr, 35, died on October 20, 2018, in Newport, North Carolina, after a fatal shooting at the Hostess House Hotel. Orr, born June 19, 1983, in Springfield, Missouri, later lived in Morehead City and worked in construction for Simmons, building homes. He was remembered for his love of sports, cooking, art, generosity and his dog Diesel.

On the evening of October 20, Orr and 44-year-old James William Durner, who were renting rooms at the hotel, argued and Durner shot Orr with a 9mm handgun. Medical testimony described a close-range wound that pierced Orr’s heart and exited his lower back.

Durner claimed self-defense at trial, but a jury rejected that claim and on September 2, 2021 found him guilty of second-degree murder. The Newport Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the Carteret County Sheriff’s Office; prosecution was handled by the Carteret County office of the District Attorney.