On the night of November 29, 2023, Jeremy Greer, a 41-year-old White man from Arden, North Carolina, was fatally shot by an acquaintance. The incident occurred around 10:20 p.m. in Candler, where Greer was a passenger in a car driven by Eric Jeron Wilson. While in the driveway of Wilson’s home on Cherry Tree Drive, Wilson shot Greer once in the chest with a 9mm Glock pistol.
Deputies with the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the scene at approximately 10:22 p.m.
and found Jeremy Greer suffering from a gunshot wound. Emergency responders transported him to Mission Hospital, where he died from his injury less than an hour later. Wilson, who was 36 at the time, remained at the scene after calling 911 himself. He was taken into custody for questioning and was subsequently arrested and charged with second-degree murder. He was held at the Buncombe County Detention Facility without bond.
The investigation revealed that Wilson and Greer were known to each other. Wilson had driven to Boone the day before the shooting to pick Greer up, and Greer had spent the night at Wilson’s house. According to witnesses, the shooting was not preceded by a physical altercation but stemmed from a disagreement over where Wilson was going to drop Greer off. Wilson told authorities he acted in self-defense, claiming Greer’s behavior had suddenly changed and that he believed Greer was reaching for a gun in his backpack. However, a search of Greer’s belongings found no weapon.
In May 2025, Eric Jeron Wilson stood trial for second-degree murder in Buncombe County Superior Court. Over eight days, prosecutors presented evidence that challenged Wilson’s self-defense claim, including communications recovered from Greer's phone that Wilson had attempted to delete from his own device. The jury found Wilson guilty as charged.
Following the verdict, a judge sentenced Eric Wilson to serve between 216 and 272 months in prison. The case was officially closed with his conviction and sentencing in May 2025.
