On August 28, 2023, 36-year-old Christopher Marcellus McKinnon was found deceased in a ditch near 2126 Pony Farm Road in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Responding to a 911 call at approximately 11:53 p.m., deputies from the Onslow County Sheriff's Office discovered McKinnon had suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. Witnesses reported hearing several gunshots in the vicinity around the time of the incident.
Following a year-long investigation, authorities identified two primary suspects: 26-year-old Alameen Hamm and 29-year-old Michael Holmes. Hamm was apprehended on May 28, 2024, after a brief vehicle pursuit by detectives. Holmes was arrested on August 2, 2024, in High Point, North Carolina, by the United States Marshals Service. Both individuals were charged with murder and conspiracy in connection to McKinnon's death and are being held without bond at the Onslow County Detention Center.
Sheriff Chris Thomas emphasized the importance of a thorough and methodical approach in such investigations, expressing hope that these arrests would bring some measure of closure to McKinnon's family. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue to gather evidence and prepare for the pending court proceedings.
