Man convicted in murder of Columbus Co. deputy being considered for parole

RALEIGH, N.C. (WECT) - A man convicted in the murder of a Columbus County deputy in 1991 is being considered for parole, according to the N.C. Post-Release Supervision & Parole Commission.

Michael T. Brown was sentenced to life in prison and an additional 70 years to run consecutively after being found guilty of murder in the fatal shooting of Corporal Robert Hinson.

According to a news release, the N.C. Post-Release Supervision & Parole Commission is considering Brown for parole via the Mutual Agreement Parole Program (MAPP).

MAPP is a scholastic and vocational program that is a three-way agreement between the commission, the Division of Prisons and the offender.

The state’s current sentencing law, structured sentencing, eliminates parole for crimes committed on or after Oct. 1, 1994. However, the commission has the responsibility of paroling offenders who were sentenced under previous sentencing guidelines.

Brown and Aquino Williams were both sentenced to life in prison for Corporal Hinson’s murder.

According to court documents, Brown called in a false break-in on Mill Pond Road on June 18, 1991, in an effort to bring a law enforcement officer to the scene because Williams told Brown he wanted to kill a cop. When Corporal Hinson arrived at the scene, he was shot at close range by Williams. Brown and Williams drove the vehicle away from the scene before taking multiple guns from it.

Brown, 49, has been cited for 24 infractions while incarcerated, according to the N.C. Department of Public Safety website.

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