JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) -- District Attorney Ernie Lee announced a jury on Thursday found a Duplin County woman guilty of second-degree murder and other charges.
Lee said in a media release that Marshje Swinson, 29, of Willard, was found guilty in Duplin County Superior Court at trial by jury of second-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon intent to kill inflicting serious injury and assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury. Judge George R. Hicks of Cumberland County sentenced Swinson to two consecutive active sentences of a minimum of 240 months (20 years and a maximum of 300 months for second-degree murder followed by a minimum of 73 months and a maximum of 100 months for the consolidated felony assaults.
Evidence was presented during a three-week trial that officials said showed Swinson shot and killed Lonnel Henderson, 26, on October 23, 2020, outside of their residence at Wells MHP Lane in Wallace. Officials said Swinson and Henderson were in a domestic relationship and had a child together.
The trial also produced evidence that Swinson also assaulted the victim’s sister, Shardonnay Langley with a gun. Langley suffered a gunshot wound to her forehead. The defendant also struck Langley with the butt of the firearm on the side of her head without discharging the firearm.
The Wallace Police Department, with Captain Weston Padgett, was in charge of the investigation and interviewing witnesses. Chief Jimmy Crayton conducted the crime scene investigation and collected the physical evidence at the scene. Additional evidence presented at the trial included other witness testimony, law enforcement testimony, expert forensic evidence from the North Carolina State Crime Lab in Raleigh, and electronic data collected from the defendant’s cell phone and social media accounts. The defendant testified in her defense and claimed the shootings were accidental.
The jury began deliberations on Wednesday and deliberated for almost four hours over two days before reaching its verdict.
The State was assisted by Administrative Assistant II Amy Hedgpeth, who coordinated with many witnesses and family members to ensure their presence in court for testimony. The State called 20 witnesses to testify.