John Christopher Freeman, a 43-year-old male from Maxton, North Carolina, tragically lost his life on November 30, 2014. Freeman, along with two other men, Teddy Ray Maynor, 34, and Mitch Oxendine, 35, were shot in the woods behind a home on McLeod Drive in Maxton. The incident occurred around 10 p.m. on a Sunday night. When deputies arrived at the scene, they found two of the men dead, while Freeman, critically injured, was transported to Scotland Memorial Hospital in Laurinburg, where he
later succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation revealed that the men were shot in a concrete picnic area in the woods, known locally as "Little Swamp," a place notorious for parties and drug activity. The motive behind the shooting remains unclear, but local residents speculated that it might have been a retaliation related to some incident. A family member of one of the victims called 911, alerting the authorities to the tragic event.
Casey Collins Locklear, a 22-year-old male from Pembroke, North Carolina, was arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of Freeman, Maynor, and Oxendine. Locklear was on probation for a 2010 robbery in South Carolina at the time of the murders. He remains in the Robeson County jail without bond. The investigation into the triple homicide is ongoing, with authorities urging anyone with information to come forward.
The deaths of John Freeman, Teddy Maynor, and Mitch Oxendine marked the second multiple-victim homicide in Robeson County within a week, highlighting a disturbing trend of violence in the area. The community was left in shock and mourning, as they grappled with the loss of three lives in such a senseless act of violence.
