Ashley Hartwell, a 28-year-old woman from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was tragically shot in the head on August 22, 2022. She was discovered behind a vacant house on East 17th Street around 12:30 p.m. Despite being critically injured, she was still alive when found and was immediately taken to the hospital. Unfortunately, she succumbed to her injuries three days later on August 25, 2022.
The investigation into Ashley Hartwell's death revealed that she had been living with a friend in
the 1000 block of East 17th Street, close to where her body was found. Evidence indicated that she was involved with the "Money Bag Gang," a local subset of the Bloods, in exchange for illegal drugs. The gang had set up a nearby apartment as a drug house, and Demetrius White, a 16-year-old minor at the time, was known as one of the gang's "enforcers."
On the day of the shooting, a friend of Ashley Hartwell informed investigators that she was present at the drug house when some drugs went missing. Hartwell was accused of the theft and left the house angrily. A high-ranking member of the gang then instructed Demetrius White to "go get her." White returned minutes later without Hartwell and admitted to having "shot at her." He later retrieved the spent shell casing.
Another witness, also affiliated with the gang, corroborated the friend's account. This witness stated that she had left the apartment for a short time and returned to find a crowd near the brush where Hartwell's body was later discovered. White admitted to this witness that he had shot Hartwell, believing that the order to "go get her" meant to shoot her.
Demetrius White was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 13 to 16 years in prison. The case highlighted the dangerous environment and the tragic consequences of gang involvement for young individuals like Ashley Hartwell.
