Man who stabbed hemp store clerk to death

Charles Michael Haywood, 22, appeared before a judge Monday, March 27 and is charged with capital murder for stabbing a woman who worked at a North Carolina hemp store last year.

Margaret Bracey, 42, was working alone at the Exotic Hemp Company when Haywood burst into the store. Security footage shows Haywood asking her about products before pulling out a knife and telling her to empty the register. He then stabbed her multiple times, killing her, although she complied with his demands.

WECT reports that District Attorney Ben David says the state of North Carolina is seeking the death penalty for a man accused of fatally stabbing a woman who worked at a hemp store last August. WWAY reports that Superior Court Judge Dawn Layton agreed to the district attorney’s proposal and ruled.

“This is particularly despicable, cruel or cruel given the facts and circumstances of what happened to Margaret Bracey that evening. It was also done in the commission of an armed robbery and for financial reasons. All of these are aggravating factors when the state has the power to impose the death penalty. Not every first-degree murder ends in death, there must be so-called aggravating circumstances. The judge agreed that this case should proceed on the basis of the facts and circumstances and Charles Michael Haywood should be tried for his life,” said Pender County District Attorney Ben David.

The warrant details the sequence of events leading up to Bracey’s death.

“Haywood removed the cash from the register and then attacked Bracey with the knife and stabbed her multiple times,” wrote a Surf City, North Carolina, detective as a likely reason for a search warrant. “As a result of Haywood’s knife attack, Bracey was killed.”

“Haywood cut his hand during the attack and was seen on video bleeding from his hand,” the warrant said.

According to the warrant, Haywood took about $750 from the till and put it in his backpack. He then switched clothes to disguise himself as he left.

The attacker was reported by his own mother after she saw his face on TV.

“[Haywood’s mother] brought Haywood to the Surf City Police Department, where he was questioned and eventually arrested on charges of first-degree murder and armed robbery,” the court document said. “At the interview [Haywood’s mother]she shared that Haywood had returned to her apartment with his shirt wrapped around his hand. [She] stated that Haywood entered the residence and showered. [She] stated that she checked Haywood and found that he had a laceration on his hand that required medical attention. [She] stated that Haywood put the shirt he had wrapped around his hand in a garbage bag and put the garbage bag in the garbage can outside.

While Haywood was held in prison, he was denied bail.

The next court date for the case has not yet been set. District Attorney Ben David expects the jury to be selected from residents of Pender County, North Carolina.

“Two of my prosecutors, Jason Smith and Amy White, will both actually handle the case when it comes to the trial. I was at the scene with Jason the night it happened and we all worked closely together. That’s one thing I want to stress, you know, these decisions aren’t made lightly, we’ve got 100+ years of prosecutors sitting around the table with me and the lead investigators when we have what we call critical case reviews.”