Home · Politics · Oct 8 archive
Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty for Marine Veteran in NC Bar Shooting
Developing
In Short: Former Marine Nigel Max Edge, who changed his name from Sean DeBevoise in 2023, will face the death penalty for a mass shooting at a bar in North Carolina last year, according to prosecutors.
Edge, who served nearly six years in the Marines and was awarded a Purple Heart, is accused of killing three people in the incident.
Brunswick County District Attorney Jon David announced on Wednesday that he will seek the death penalty for Edge, emphasizing that the crime was highly premeditated.
At the time of the shooting, Southport Police Chief Todd Coring said Edge acted alone and targeted the location.
Edge sustained a traumatic brain injury during his service in Iraq and has struggled with serious mental illness, but these factors were weighed against the circumstances of the crime.
Court proceedings were postponed in April when Superior Court Judge Jason Disbrow ordered Edge to be transferred to a state psychiatric facility due to his lack of mental capacity to proceed to trial.
Background
Algeria has adopted a law imposing the death penalty on those convicted of forest arson following deadly summer wildfires.
North Carolina is a state in the Southeastern and South Atlantic regions of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia to the southwest, and Tennessee to the west.
What's still developing
- Edge was born in New York and changed his name from Sean DeBevoise in 2023.
- At the time of the shooting, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation Director Chip Hawley said law enforcement officers “got the confession” from Edge following his arrest.
- He conceded that Edge sustained brain injuries from his time fighting as a Marine in the Iraq War, but argued the veteran should still suffer the consequences of his actions.