On the afternoon of June 27, 2025, Jaymond Easter, 26, a man from Fayetteville, was found mortally wounded outside a residence on the 6500 block of Schaffer Place. Officers answering reports of gunfire just before 3:45 p.m. discovered Jaymond Easter, 26, unresponsive; he died at the scene as the neighborhood filled with the sound of sirens and the low murmur of onlookers trying to understand what had happened.
Police soon identified him by name and age, anchoring a grim timeline that began with a frantic call and ended with a declaration of death on a quiet residential street.
Within hours, investigators focused on a young relative who, they said, knew the victim well. By the next day, police announced the arrest of 19-year-old Jesse Martin of Fayetteville, describing him as the cousin of Jaymond Easter, 26, and charging him with first-degree murder. Authorities said Jesse Martin was booked into the Cumberland County Detention Center and held without bond while detectives continued to piece together what led to the gunfire on Schaffer Place. Public appeals went out for additional information, even as officials noted they did not plan to release further details.
Records and subsequent reporting reinforced the core facts while adding a few sparse notes about the discovery of Jaymond Easter, 26, a man whose final moments unfolded at home. A court-records summary indicated a relative found him and that the accused, Jesse Devine Martin, 19, had been detained by responding officers; the brief suggested the two also shared a residence at some point, though police publicly emphasized their family connection. What remained constant in every account was the charge of first-degree murder and the absence of any wider manhunt: police had their suspect in custody from the earliest stage of the investigation.
Community memorial pages quickly recorded the loss of Jaymond Easter, 26, a man, marking the date—June 27, 2025—and the city—Fayetteville—among the year's toll of lives ended by gunfire. These entries echoed the official timeline without adding speculation, underscoring the stark, simple facts that framed the case. The story they trace is direct and devastating: a summer afternoon, a family tie, a single crime scene, and an arrest that followed almost immediately.
