Man pleads guilty in Polk County killing, gets five years

A South Carolina man originally charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of a 20-year-old man at a Polk County apartment complex has pleaded guilty to a lesser homicide charge and received a minimum prison sentence of five years and three months.

William Nelson Campbell, 22, pleaded guilty Sept. 15 to voluntary manslaughter in the April 11, 2024, shooting death of Dwight Alex Bennett at Ashley Meadow Apartments in Columbus.

Polk County Superior Court Judge Jacqueline Grant sentenced Campbell to a minimum of 63 months and a maximum of 88 months in the custody of the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction.

From murder charge to manslaughter conviction

Campbell was initially charged with second-degree murder following the shooting.

Court records show that the original charge was classified as a Class B1 felony. The charge was ultimately resolved through a guilty plea to voluntary manslaughter, a Class D felony.

The court also accepted Campbell's guilty plea to assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, a Class E felony.

What happened inside the apartment complex?

According to statements made during the Sept. 15 court hearing, Campbell went to the apartment complex to sell marijuana.

Campbell's defense attorney, James Thomas Amburgey, told the court that his client was assaulted by people at the apartment before firing a handgun approximately six times.

Four shots struck Bennett, including a fatal gunshot wound to the chest, according to Amburgey.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office responded to Ashley Meadow Apartments shortly after 1 p.m. on April 11, 2024, following a report of a shooting.

According to the Sheriff's Office's initial public statement, deputies found one person dead at the scene. Another individual was transported by emergency medical services for treatment of injuries.

Authorities said the incident appeared to have stemmed from a dispute involving several individuals. A suspect was taken into custody, and the Sheriff's Office reported that there was no continuing danger to the public.

Sheriff Tim Wright and investigators did not immediately identify the suspect by name, although public records showed the arrest, according to reporting at the time.

Witness accounts described how a legally blind man, Ricky Toms, intervened and wrestled a handgun away from the suspect before law enforcement arrived.

Those accounts described a confrontation following the shooting in which Toms reportedly subdued the armed individual until deputies arrived.

A review of the case history shows that Campbell initially faced additional charges arising from the incident.

The court record lists charges involving discharging a weapon into occupied property, carrying a concealed gun, marijuana possession, and possession of marijuana paraphernalia.

Those four charges were dismissed by the district attorney's office on April 16, 2024.

The court record specifically identifies the dismissals as occurring without a plea agreement.

The remaining homicide and assault charges continued through Superior Court until Campbell entered his guilty plea.

Judge Grant determined that Campbell had zero prior record points under North Carolina's structured sentencing guidelines.

The court imposed a sentence within the presumptive range, meaning no additional written findings of aggravating or mitigating factors were required, according to public records.

Campbell received credit for eight days spent in confinement before sentencing.

The court also ordered him to pay $375.50 in court costs. No restitution or fine was assessed in the judgment.

Grant recommended that Campbell undergo an assessment, comply with any recommended treatment, and enroll in vocational training while incarcerated.

The judgment lists those provisions as recommendations, rather than separately stated mandatory sentencing conditions.

The sentencing order does not establish Campbell's projected release date.

Assistant District Attorney John Douglas Mundy represented the state, while Amburgey represented Campbell.

The case was prosecuted by the District Attorney's Office, led by District Attorney R. Andrew Murray.

Bennett's parents reportedly said Murray did not consult them on his decision to accept the plea agreement to the lesser manslaughter charge offered by Campbell’s attorney.

Judge Grant was appointed by then-Governor Roy Cooper as Superior Court Judge in 2021 following the retirement of Judge Marvin Pope.

Court records may be accessed from the NC Judicial Branch Odyssey Justice eCourts portal system, case number 24CR280497-740.