Special Deputy Attorney General Dean Bowman told Superior Court Judge Alma Hinton today the state was asked to try the murder case against Wardell Christopher “Wise” Johnson because former District Attorney Bill Graham had a conflict.
It was originally thought the other charges filed against Johnson were not related to the murder, Bowman said. “Mr. Graham intended to try the other cases.”
Bowman said, however, the Attorney General’s office believes the other charges filed against Johnson are related to the murder of Mack Moody on the night of July 27.
The charges against Johnson began when he and Moody got into an argument which led to Johnson shooting Moody. The argument was possibly over drugs or a woman, law enforcement said at the time.
The murder spawned two shootouts, one in which former Hobgood Police Chief Joe Williams was fired at while putting crime scene tape up at the original murder scene and then following a chase in which Johnson got into a shootout with then Scotland Neck Police Chief Doug Pilgreen, Scotland Neck Officer J.J. Wright, Halifax County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Greg Richardson and then Deputy James Matthews outside the EP Mart.
A young girl was struck most likely by flying glass during the shootout. Johnson was wounded in the shootout. He was hospitalized before being jailed in Raleigh.
Also charged was Adam “AD” Dickens, who faces an attempted murder charge for allegedly firing at family members who came to the aid of Moody following the murder.
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