Chadwick Abernathy, 33, was shot and killed on August 15, 2009, during a domestic dispute at 255 Bass Farm Road in Rougemont, North Carolina. Person County deputies arrived about 5:30 p.m. and found Abernathy deceased after what has been described as a heated argument with Benji Blackwell, 35, who had an on-and-off romantic relationship with him.

Blackwell was charged with murder and held without bond in the Person County Jail. In May 2010 Blackwell pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to eight months in prison plus the time already served; conditions on release included reporting to a psychiatrist and five years of probation.