Torie S. Carpenter was 22 when she was found shot to death in her Selma, North Carolina, apartment on March 25, 2006. A neighbor alerted authorities after seeing one of her young children wandering outside with blood on his clothing. Carpenter, a single mother of two, was discovered in the apartment doorway, shot multiple times at close range. Investigators reported no sign of forced entry, suggesting she may have known her attacker.

Authorities arrested 22-year-old Michael Wilkerson near his Clayton, North Carolina, home and charged him with first-degree murder. Witnesses said a red car was seen speeding away from the scene, a description that matched Wilkerson’s vehicle, and police recovered a 9mm Ruger in his possession that they said was the gun used in the shooting. Carpenter’s family took custody of her children and asked for privacy while they mourned.