John Christopher Hubbard, a 28-year-old man from Nebo, North Carolina, was found dead from a gunshot wound to the chest on January 18, 2017. The incident occurred at the home of his friend, Justin Ryan Fowler, on Walker Road in Nebo. Initially, the death was reported as a self-inflicted gunshot wound. However, the McDowell County Sheriff's Office later determined that the circumstances surrounding Hubbard's death were suspicious and began treating it as a homicide.
The investigation revealed that Hubbard and Fowler had been outside in the yard when the shooting occurred. Fowler claimed that Hubbard had shot himself, but detectives were skeptical of this account from the beginning. After conducting numerous interviews and examining evidence, the Sheriff's Office concluded that the gunshot wound was not self-inflicted. Instead, they determined that Fowler had shot and killed Hubbard.
Further investigation uncovered that the two men had gotten into an argument over a missing electronic tablet. During the altercation, Fowler hit Hubbard in the head and then shot him in the chest with a small-caliber handgun. As a result, Fowler was charged with murder and was held in the McDowell County Jail without the possibility of release under bond.
The case highlights the complexities and challenges faced by law enforcement in determining the true nature of such incidents. The initial portrayal of the incident as a suicide was quickly debunked through thorough investigative work, leading to the arrest and charging of Fowler for the murder of John Christopher Hubbard.
