Man gets life sentence in Columbus Co. murder case

COLUMBUS COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) - A Columbus County jury has found a man guilty of first-degree murder.

Corey Hines was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being convicted of fatally shooting Elliot Dew.

The District Attorney’s Office says Hines was seeking vengeance for the death of his brother Juwan Young who was killed in an unsolved murder on Nov. 28, 2016.

Officials say that video surveillance confirmed that Hines fired multiple rounds into a BMW driven by the man he believed shot his brother at the Saw Mill Apartment Complex in south Whiteville on Nov. 16, 2017. No serious injuries resulted from the shooting, although at least one of the bullets penetrated a nearby apartment.

On Dec. 11, 2017, Hines received information that the same man was seated inside a Chevrolet Equinox that was parked outside of the Happy Mart Convenient Store on JK Powell Boulevard in Whiteville. Hines fired multiple rounds at the vehicle. The man suffered the loss of a finger on his left hand while Dew, who the DA’s Office says was a bystander, suffered two fatal gunshot wounds to the head.

According to law enforcement officials, ballistics evidence confirmed the gun used in the Saw Mill Apartment Complex shooting was the same 9mm handgun used in the shooting at the Happy Mart.

“What makes this incident particularly horrific is that Mr. Hines knowingly created a deadly risk to numerous innocent bystanders in his desire to avenge his brother’s unsolved murder,” said District Attorney Jon David, “This case serves as a vivid reminder of the need for young people to cooperate with law enforcement, rather than take matters into their own hands. Everyone loses when we use ‘street justice’ rather than our traditional court system.”

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