ROANOKE RAPIDS, N.C. — Wake County deputies arrested 18-year-old Eric Lamont Martin Jr. early Saturday, July 4, at a home near Raleigh, ending a multi-week manhunt for a suspect wanted in connection with three killings across two North Carolina counties.
Martin faces murder charges in three separate deaths: the June 22 double homicide of Patrick Shane Faircloth, 19, and Maraiah Thompson, 15, in Roanoke Rapids, and the June 11 fatal shooting of Raphael Antonio Gowans in Columbus County. The arrests cap weeks of cross-county investigative work and raise unresolved questions about whether the killings are connected. A second man, Isaiah Napoleon Cooper, 19, was already in custody, charged with helping Martin evade police after both incidents. Investigators say the cases remain active and additional charges or details could follow.
The June 22 shootings came to light when Roanoke Rapids police responded before dawn to reports of gunfire near the intersection of Vance Street and West 11th Street. Officers discovered Faircloth, of Chadbourn, and Thompson, of Whiteville, both deceased at the scene. As officers canvassed the area, one spotted a vehicle leaving the area and pursued it into the Lincoln Heights community, where the driver — later identified as Cooper — was stopped and detained. Cooper was questioned and released at that time while detectives pursued additional leads. The June 11 killing of Gowans had occurred in Brunswick, in Columbus County, eleven days earlier. Roanoke Rapids Police Chief Lawrence Wiggins confirmed that his department immediately began coordinating with the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office to determine whether a single suspect was responsible for all three deaths.
Court records and arrest warrants detail Cooper’s alleged role across both incidents. In the Roanoke Rapids case, Cooper faces two counts of accessory after the fact and one count of obstruction of justice. According to his arrest warrant, Cooper allegedly fled the scene of the June 22 shootings in a vehicle with Martin and provided false information to officers in an attempt to mislead investigators. A separate Columbus County warrant charges Cooper with accessory after the fact in the Gowans killing, alleging he helped Martin — known by the street name “Thirty” — evade law enforcement after seeing a Columbus County Sheriff’s Office Facebook post identifying Martin as a suspect. That warrant also alleges Cooper was present with Martin in Roanoke Rapids on the night Faircloth and Thompson were killed. Cooper was arrested July 1 and received a $250,000 secured bond. He is scheduled to appear in Halifax County District Court on July 8. Court records also show that on Tuesday, July 1, the Whiteville Police Department charged Cooper with resisting an officer.
Martin’s background in the region added context to investigators’ early focus on him as a suspect. Court records show that in March, Martin — who has previously listed a Fayetteville address on legal documents — was sentenced to 18 months of probation and community service in Halifax County following a conviction on a common law robbery charge. Despite that local connection, authorities say he managed to stay ahead of law enforcement for weeks following the June killings. Roanoke Rapids police had publicly warned that Martin should be considered armed and dangerous, urging residents not to approach him. Wiggins acknowledged the strain the investigation placed on his department and partner agencies. “The complexity of this investigation has required a substantial number of resources, time, and coordination,” Wiggins said. “Investigators continue to pursue leads related to this case. This investigation is still ongoing, and additional information may be released in the future.”
Martin’s capture on the morning of July 4 required a coordinated law enforcement operation that Wake County Sheriff Willie Rowe described as unusually resource-intensive. Deputies received a tip in the early morning hours that Martin was at a residence on Anthony Drive near Raleigh. The arrest involved the Wake County Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team, patrol deputies, a K-9 unit, drone surveillance, the Criminal Investigation Division, the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, and the U.S. Marshals Service. “We thank the community for being vigilant to help bring a measure of peace to the victims’ loved ones,” Rowe said following Martin’s capture. Investigators have not publicly disclosed what specific tip or information led them to the Anthony Drive address, and officials have not yet stated whether Martin was armed at the time of his arrest.
Wiggins said the investigation connecting the Roanoke Rapids and Columbus County killings has demanded unusually broad interagency coordination. The Roanoke Rapids Police Department worked alongside the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office throughout the weeks-long manhunt, and the Wake County Sheriff’s Office ultimately executed the arrest. Authorities have confirmed they are still working to formally establish whether the three deaths share a common motive or circumstance. No court date for Martin has been publicly announced. The investigation remains open, and police have not ruled out additional charges or arrests. Anyone with information about either case is asked to contact the Roanoke Rapids Police Department at 252-533-2810, Halifax Central Communications at 252-583-1991, or Halifax County Crime Stoppers at 252-583-4444, where callers may remain anonymous. The Columbus County Sheriff’s Office can also be reached at 910-642-6551.
As of July 4, Martin is in custody awaiting formal court proceedings, while Cooper awaits his July 8 district court appearance. Whether investigators will formally link all three killings under a single theory of the case remains the central unresolved question, with detectives from multiple agencies still pursuing leads.
