Apaulenal Eric Areyano, 26, was shot and killed on May 30, 2017, at the Sleep Inn Hotel in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Police found Areyano inside a motel room around 8 p.m. with multiple gunshot wounds and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators say Areyano had planned to sell cocaine to Javarius Ford, who rented the room after paying a deposit. Surveillance video reportedly shows Ford entering with a backpack and Areyano arriving about 20 minutes later carrying a blue bag. The two were together roughly 15 minutes before three gunshots were heard; Ford then left the room without seeking help for Areyano.

Ford later turned himself in and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm by a felon, receiving a 10–13 year prison sentence.