Wilmington woman sentenced to life in prison for 2022 murder

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) -A jury has convicted a woman in the 2022 shooting death of Tammy Hayes.

Keisha Baldwin was sentenced to life without parole after a five-day trial.

Wilmington Police responded to reports of shots fired at the Edge Lounge on S. 5th Avenue on February 26, 2022. Officers found Hayes suffering from a gunshot wound. She later died from her injuries.

According to the New Hanover County District Attorney’s Office, security video of the shooting showed a woman dressed in all black firing several gunshots in the area before leaving the scene in a nearby car.

Baldwin was arrested hours after the shooting.

“The defendant is going to spend the rest of her life in prison based on the senseless murder of Ms. Hayes. We are happy to get justice for Ms. Hayes and her family with this verdict,” said Assistant District Attorney Sean Spiering.

“Those who engage in gun violence will be prosecuted at to the fullest extent of the law. Ms. Baldwin’s actions that night put others at risk, and it is fortunate that no one else was killed,” said District Attorney Jason Smith.

The Edge Lounge closed in 2024 after a nuisance abatement investigation by the NHC District Attorney’s Office, the City of Wilmington, and the North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement.