Ernest Lemark Cuthbertson, a 23-year-old African American male, was tragically shot to death on December 2, 2015, in Greensboro, North Carolina. The incident occurred late at night while Cuthbertson and another victim, Jeffrey Devine Hampton, 44, were sitting in a car on East Bragg Street near Bennett Street and Gate City Boulevard. The shooting was not random, and it is believed to have stemmed from a disturbance.
Cuthbertson was found dead at the scene, while Hampton succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
The Greensboro police launched an investigation into the homicides, and it was determined that two or three men were seen fleeing the scene on foot. Initially, no arrests were made, and no suspect descriptions were released. However, the investigation continued, and several suspects were eventually apprehended.
Chauncey Jamal Slade, a 17-year-old male from Greensboro, was the first suspect arrested in connection with the double homicide. He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and shooting into an occupied dwelling. Slade was already in custody for unrelated charges when he was served with the warrants. Elijah Naitron Valentin, a 19-year-old male, was the second suspect arrested. He was taken into custody by the FBI in Georgia and extradited to North Carolina, where he faced two counts of first-degree murder. A 13-year-old male, who was an acquaintance of Cuthbertson, was also arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
The investigation revealed that the shooting followed a dispute among Slade, Cuthbertson, and Hampton, who were cousins, and others. The suspects were believed to have known the victims, and the incident was not considered random. The arrests and subsequent charges brought some measure of justice to the families of the victims, but the tragic loss of Ernest Lemark Cuthbertson and Jeffrey Devine Hampton remains a somber reminder of the violence that can erupt from conflicts.
