Robert Roger Arguelles, a 59-year-old man, was a respected member of the Taylorsville, North Carolina community, serving on the Alexander County School Board and known by friends and colleagues as a kind-hearted and selfless individual. His life, however, was tragically cut short on the afternoon of June 17, 2026, in what police have described as an ambush. On that day, Arguelles was at the Old Hickory Tannery, a furniture company in Newton, where he was a co-owner. It was there that he was shot multiple times in the chest and back in his office and was pronounced dead at the scene. The man accused of this violent act was his 85-year-old business partner, Willard Gary Black.
The motive for the shooting appears to stem from a bitter business dispute that had recently culminated in a significant financial judgment. Arguelles had loaned Black approximately $300,000 to support the business, and a lawsuit was filed in 2024 to recover the funds. A settlement was reached, but Black later attempted to withdraw his consent. On the very morning of the shooting, a judge had ordered Black to comply with the civil agreement, which included turning the business over to Arguelles and repaying the borrowed money, a sum totaling over $310,000 with interest. Just four hours after this court order, the fatal confrontation occurred.
Following the shooting, Willard Gary Black was detained at the scene, and a. 38-caliber revolver, believed to be the murder weapon, was recovered. He was initially charged with second-degree murder. In early July 2026, a Catawba County grand jury indicted Black on the more serious charge of first-degree murder. He was being held on a $2.5 million bond and would be subject to house arrest if he were to post it. The case has been moved to Catawba County Superior Court, with Black's next court appearance scheduled for August 17, 2026. The investigation is ongoing, but authorities have indicated that Arguelles was unarmed and that there was no evidence of a physical altercation before the shooting.
