Obediah Hester IV, a 27-year-old African American male, tragically lost his life on November 12, 2014, in Rose Hill, North Carolina. Hester was a state witness in a 2012 Wilmington murder case involving Brian Grant. On the night of his death, Hester was shot and killed behind a trailer at 1071 Wards Road in Wallace, NC. The perpetrator, Nashid Porter, was out on pretrial release for the 2012 murder when he committed this heinous act.
Porter was charged with first-degree murder and later pled guilty, avoiding the death penalty but receiving a life sentence without parole.
The investigation revealed that Porter had asked Hester to come by his house after work, leading him to an abandoned mobile home on Wards Road, where he shot Hester execution-style. This act was seen as an attempt to silence Hester, who was scheduled to testify against Porter in the upcoming trial. The Duplin County Sheriff's Office conducted a thorough investigation, which played a crucial role in bringing Porter to justice.
Hester's death had a profound impact on his family, including his mother, April Williams, and his grandmothers, Sarah Bragg and Thelma Williams. Hester was a father to three sons, aged 16, 9, and 7 at the time of his death, two of whom were diagnosed with a kidney disease. The family expressed their grief and the void left by Hester's absence, emphasizing his role as a loving father and a beloved family member.
The legal proceedings against Porter were marked by his initial rejection of a plea deal in May 2015. However, he eventually pled guilty to first-degree murder, resulting in a life sentence without parole. The District Attorney, Ernie Lee, expressed satisfaction with the outcome, hoping it would provide some closure to Hester's family. The case highlighted the senseless nature of the crime and the importance of justice for the victim's family.
