Brandon Mandrell Murphy, 37, a Black male from Elm City, North Carolina, was shot and killed in the early hours of October 2, 2025. Deputies found the 37-year-old on Main Street between Parker and Anderson streets around 2:00 a.m., his death later memorialized in local obituaries and on gun-violence remembrances.
Investigators said a confrontation immediately preceded the gunfire. According to authorities, the altercation involved Brandon Mandrell Murphy, 37, and another man; minutes later, shots rang out and the Elm City resident was left dead in the roadway.
Within a week, a suspect was identified and taken into custody. On October 9, 2025, a coordinated operation involving the Wilson County Sheriff's Office Special Response Team, the Onslow County Sheriff's Office, and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation led to the arrest of 36-year-old Marcus Antwan Wiley in Jacksonville. Officials said Wiley fled Elm City after the shooting; he was located using criminal intelligence and technology and was held without bond pending a first court appearance.
Authorities publicly described a possible motive rooted in retaliation. Investigators stated that in 2024, while Marcus Antwan Wiley was serving a federal sentence, Brandon Mandrell Murphy, 37, allegedly assaulted Wiley's grandmother; officials believe the October 2 shooting was in direct response to that prior incident. Wiley had been released from federal custody on April 15, 2025, months before the killing.
Detectives also announced arrests of alleged accomplices after the killing. In addition to charging Marcus Antwan Wiley with murder, authorities arrested Marilin Latonya Wiley, 57, and Latasha Renee Brown, 43, on accessory-after-the-fact charges in connection with the case, emphasizing that the investigation remained active.
As the investigation unfolded, the community marked the loss of Brandon Mandrell Murphy, 37, through obituary notices and online memorials noting his death by gun violence on October 2 in Elm City.
