Jerry Edward Martin, 61, was found dead in his Bladenboro, North Carolina home on January 23, 2023. An autopsy by the North Carolina Medical Examiner’s Office determined he had been fatally shot.

On March 28, 2023, four people were charged in connection with the killing: 35-year-old Daniel Gene Autry of Elizabethtown; 30-year-old James Todd Harrelson of Bladenboro; 35-year-old Jessica Lynne Sloan of Bladenboro; and 21-year-old Tanner Scott Harrelson of Bladenboro. Each faced first-degree murder, discharging a weapon into occupied property, and felony conspiracy charges. Autry and James Harrelson were also charged with possession of a firearm by a felon. At arrest they were held at the Bladen County Detention Center without bond. Earlier, on February 14, 2023, Autry was arrested on drug-related charges after a vehicle stop in which Sloan was cited for possession of marijuana and carrying a concealed weapon.

Martin was remembered by family as a loving son, husband, father, and grandfather who enjoyed fishing, drag car racing, and working on cars. A memorial service was held January 28, 2023, at Bladen Gaskins Funeral Home in Elizabethtown. Does anyone have information about Martin’s last days or was in the area on January 23, 2023?