On September 7, 2019, a tragic incident occurred in Whiteville, North Carolina, resulting in the deaths of Alexis Ciprian Trujillo, a 5-year-old Hispanic boy, along with his parents, Leonel Ciprian Noyola, 29, and Nancy Trujillo Espinoza, 25. The family was found shot to death inside their home. The grandmother, Rafaela Noyola Jaramillo, was also shot but survived the attack.
The incident was a result of a sudden break-in, and the shooter also stole one of the victim's cars, a silver 2011 Ford Fusion.
After months of investigation, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office made two arrests in connection with the triple homicide. On February 24, 2020, a 17-year-old juvenile was arrested on multiple charges, including three counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, three counts of robbery with a dangerous weapon, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, larceny of a motor vehicle, and possession of stolen goods. The juvenile was initially booked at the Columbus County Detention Center on a $450,000 bond, which was later increased to $5.4 million during a first appearance. The juvenile has since been moved to a different detention facility.
On February 25, 2020, Prentis Deshawne McDuffie, also known as "Chopper," 30, was arrested on the same charges as the juvenile. McDuffie was booked at the Columbus County Detention Center with no bond. The investigation into the triple homicide remains ongoing, and no additional information has been released at this time.
