In a breakthrough nearly eight years in the making, the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office has announced charges against Demetrius Deshawn Hairston, 34, in the 2016 murder of Cornelius Montrell Clark, 23, of Reidsville, North Carolina.
Clark was found dead from a gunshot wound in a van off N.C. Hwy. 14 and Harrington Highway in Eden in the early hours of November 20, 2016.
At approximately 1:00 a.m. on that fateful night, deputies responding to reports of a vehicle accident discovered Clark's body in a silver van situated in a wooded area just off the road.
His death was quickly determined to be the result of a gunshot wound.
Since that day, investigators from the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office, with the assistance of the Eden Police Department and the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), have been tirelessly working to solve the case.
New technological advancements in late 2024 provided crucial evidence, leading to Hairston's arrest. Although Hairston was already incarcerated at the North Carolina Bureau of Prisons for other crimes, the evidence linking him to the murder led to the formal charge of First-Degree Murder.
Hairston was transported back to Rockingham County from his current prison location and served with the charges. He has been remanded back into prison custody and is now awaiting trial.
In addition to the murder charge, Hairston has been charged with Shooting into Occupied Property, related to a separate incident that occurred in Eden on the same night, November 20, 2016.
Gunfire struck a vehicle at the intersection of Ellette Ave and Oakland Ave, though no one in the vehicle was injured.
Mandre Daquan Graves, 34, also faces charges in connection to the shooting. He is currently incarcerated in Virginia, and authorities are awaiting his extradition to North Carolina.
The investigation into Clark’s homicide also uncovered information related to a Breaking and Entering that occurred in Ruffin, NC on November 19, 2016, just one day before Clark’s death.
Timmy Anthony Williamson II, 29, was charged in connection to the break-in at a residence on Mt Carmel Church Road. Williamson was arrested in Anderson, SC in late December 2024 and has since been extradited to Rockingham County, where he is currently incarcerated under a $9,000 secured bond.
Sheriff Sam Page praised the collective efforts of the law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation. "I want to thank my deputies and investigators, the Eden Police Department, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, and the Rockingham County District Attorney’s Office for all of their hard work throughout this investigation," said Page. "We have followed all leads on this case over the years as they became available, and we knew it was only a matter of time before it would all come together.
Though we cannot bring Mr. Clark back, we can help to give his family closure and justice."
As the investigation continues, authorities believe that the shooting, the break-in, and Clark’s homicide are interconnected. With the charges now filed, the community in Rockingham County awaits the resolution of this years-long case, hoping for justice for Clark and his loved ones.
The Rockingham County Sheriff's Office urges anyone with further information related to the case to come forward. Investigators continue to seek closure in this tragic event.
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