Rodriguez Ferguson and the Hoke County New Year’s Eve Murders
Overview
Rodriguez Ferguson was an 18-year-old mass murderer responsible for five killings committed during a violent series of shootings in Hoke County, North Carolina, over the New Year’s holiday of 1994 and 1995. Four people were murdered and a 15-year-old girl was permanently paralyzed at the Puppy Creek Family Fun Center on December 31, 1994. Several hours later, Ferguson fatally shot a fifth person outside the Zodiac Club near Raeford during the early morning of January 1, 1995.
The first attack occurred during an attempted robbery, but the second killing was unrelated to the robbery and followed a separate encounter outside the nightclub. Ferguson was arrested on January 2, 1995, and confessed during questioning. He was eventually convicted of five counts of first-degree murder and one count of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill while inflicting serious injury.
Background and Events Before the Shooting
On the evening of December 31, 1994, Ferguson had been drinking before going to the Puppy Creek Family Fun Center in Hoke County. The business was a family-operated recreation center and video arcade where local residents gathered to socialize and celebrate New Year’s Eve.
Ferguson reportedly went to the center intending to rob 18-year-old Steve Locklear. He carried a firearm and entered the building while several members of the Hunter family and other young people were present. What began as a planned robbery quickly became a mass shooting.
The Puppy Creek Family Fun Center Massacre
During the late evening of December 31, Ferguson opened fire inside the Puppy Creek Family Fun Center. He shot Jamie Hunter, Deborah Hunter, Tim Powell, Steve Locklear and 15-year-old Mary Ann Hunter.
Jamie and Deborah Hunter were the parents of Mary Ann Hunter. Both adults were killed during the attack. Mary Ann was struck by a bullet that lodged in her spine, leaving her permanently paralyzed. She survived but suffered life-changing injuries and required treatment at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center.
Tim Powell and Steve Locklear were also fatally shot. By the time the gunfire ended, four people had been killed inside the recreation center and one teenage girl had been critically wounded.
The attack devastated the Hunter family. Mary Ann survived the same shooting that killed both of her parents, leaving her to face permanent paralysis as well as the loss of her mother and father.
Victims at the Puppy Creek Family Fun Center
- Jamie “James” Hunter, 38 or 39 — Killed on December 31, 1994, at the Puppy Creek Family Fun Center in Hoke County, North Carolina. He was the husband of Deborah Hunter and the father of surviving victim Mary Ann Hunter.
- Deborah “Debbie” Hunter, 37 — Killed on December 31, 1994, at the Puppy Creek Family Fun Center in Hoke County, North Carolina. She was the wife of Jamie Hunter and the mother of Mary Ann Hunter.
- Timothy “Tim” Powell, 20 — Killed on December 31, 1994, at the Puppy Creek Family Fun Center in Hoke County, North Carolina.
- Steve Locklear, 18 — Killed on December 31, 1994, at the Puppy Creek Family Fun Center in Hoke County, North Carolina. Ferguson had reportedly gone to the business intending to rob him.
Seriously Injured Survivor
- Mary Ann Hunter, 15 — Shot on December 31, 1994, at the Puppy Creek Family Fun Center in Hoke County, North Carolina. A bullet lodged in her spine and permanently paralyzed her. Her parents, Jamie and Deborah Hunter, were both killed in the same attack.
The Zodiac Club Killing
Ferguson’s violence continued after midnight. During the early hours of January 1, 1995, he went to the Zodiac Club, a nightclub or lounge located near Raeford in Hoke County.
An argument involving other people had reportedly occurred outside the club, but the confrontation had ended before Ferguson approached James Morrison Jr. The encounter between Ferguson and Morrison was separate from the earlier dispute.
After a brief exchange, Ferguson pulled out his firearm and shot Morrison in the head. Morrison died from the wound, becoming Ferguson’s fifth murder victim in a period of only several hours.
The Zodiac Club shooting did not appear to be part of Ferguson’s attempted robbery at the Puppy Creek Family Fun Center. It was treated as an additional and separate act of first-degree murder committed during the same violent New Year’s period.
Victim Outside the Zodiac Club
- James Morrison Jr., reported as 28 or 31 — Fatally shot in the head on January 1, 1995, outside the Zodiac Club near Raeford in Hoke County, North Carolina.
Investigation and Arrest
Investigators with the Hoke County Sheriff’s Department quickly connected Ferguson to the shootings. He was taken into custody on January 2, 1995, approximately two days after the Puppy Creek massacre and one day after Morrison’s murder.
During questioning, Ferguson waived his constitutional rights and admitted responsibility. He reportedly told investigators, “I shot them all.” He also claimed that intoxication had influenced his behavior.
The confession became an important part of the prosecution’s case. Investigators also examined the two crime scenes, interviewed witnesses and reconstructed Ferguson’s movements from the recreation center to the nightclub.
Criminal Charges
Ferguson was charged with five counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Jamie Hunter, Deborah Hunter, Timothy Powell, Steve Locklear and James Morrison Jr.
He was also charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury for shooting and paralyzing Mary Ann Hunter.
The state maintained that the Puppy Creek killings occurred during Ferguson’s attempt to rob Steve Locklear. Under North Carolina law, a murder committed during the commission or attempted commission of another serious felony could support a first-degree murder conviction under the felony-murder rule. Prosecutors also presented evidence that Ferguson intentionally fired at the victims.
Trial and Convictions
The case was prosecuted in North Carolina state court. Because of pretrial publicity and other legal concerns, issues involving the trial location were considered before the case reached a jury.
The evidence showed that Ferguson entered the Puppy Creek Family Fun Center while armed, attempted to rob Locklear and shot five people. Four died, while Mary Ann Hunter survived with permanent paralysis. The prosecution also presented evidence that Ferguson later approached Morrison outside the Zodiac Club and deliberately shot him in the head.
A jury found Ferguson guilty of all five first-degree murder charges. He was also convicted of the aggravated assault committed against Mary Ann Hunter. Judgments in the case were entered on December 6, 1997.
Sentence
Ferguson received five life sentences for the murders. He was given additional punishment for the shooting and permanent injury of Mary Ann Hunter.
The convictions ensured that Ferguson would remain imprisoned for the killings. His case was later reviewed on appeal, but the convictions were affirmed in 2000.
Impact on the Victims’ Families
The Puppy Creek massacre was particularly devastating because several members of the same family were attacked together. Jamie and Deborah Hunter were killed while their daughter Mary Ann survived with permanent paralysis.
Mary Ann was hospitalized after the shooting and faced extensive medical care and rehabilitation. In addition to adjusting to paralysis, she was forced to cope with the deaths of both parents.
The Powell, Locklear and Morrison families also lost young relatives during a holiday traditionally associated with celebration and new beginnings. What began as a New Year’s Eve gathering became one of the deadliest crimes in Hoke County history.
Legacy of the Hoke County Murders
Rodriguez Ferguson’s crimes consisted of two separate shooting incidents committed within hours of each other. The first was a mass killing during an attempted robbery at a family recreation center. The second was an apparently senseless execution outside a nightclub.
Five people were murdered between December 31, 1994, and January 1, 1995. A sixth victim survived but was permanently paralyzed. Ferguson’s confession, the eyewitness evidence and the circumstances surrounding both shootings resulted in convictions on every major charge.
The case remains remembered not only for the number of people killed, but also for the destruction inflicted upon the Hunter family. Mary Ann Hunter survived after being shot in the spine, but both of her parents were murdered beside her. Ferguson’s actions permanently altered the lives of every family connected to the two crime scenes.
