A Hampstead man will spend the rest of his life in prison after a Pender County jury convicted him in a brutal 2022 double killing. Cody Camron Coffield, 30, was found guilty this week on two counts of first-degree murder and ordered to serve two consecutive life sentences.
According to the Office of District Attorney Jason W. Smith, Coffield drove to Roy Lester Batson II’s property on Feb. 17, 2022, and stabbed both 49-year-old Batson and 57-year-old Ricky Lynn Bullard multiple times. Batson died at the scene and Bullard died in the ambulance. Prosecutors said Coffield fled and was caught after a lengthy manhunt, with officers finding blood on his clothes and shoes that matched Bullard’s DNA. “This was a senseless, unprovoked act that resulted in the deaths of two men,” Smith said, as reported by WECT.
Investigation and arrest
Authorities say Coffield left the scene after the stabbings, triggering a multi-agency manhunt that ended when he was found in nearby woods and taken into custody. Early reporting detailed his first court appearance in February 2022 and noted he was being held without bond as prosecutors weighed their options in the case. The Pender County administrative calendar lists Coffield’s two first-degree murder case numbers, as shown by NC Courts, and initial coverage of the charges was reported by Port City Daily.
Trial and sentence
A jury returned guilty verdicts on two counts of first-degree murder on June 3, and a judge imposed two consecutive life terms, according to WECT. The sentence formalizes the jury’s decision and removes Coffield from the community for the rest of his life.
Legal context
Under North Carolina law, first-degree murder is punishable by either life imprisonment or the death penalty. Prosecutors initially said a capital case was on the table after the 2022 killings, and early coverage noted the district attorney’s office would consider seeking the death penalty during the initial stages of the prosecution, Port City Daily reported.
Neighbors recall victims
Neighbors told reporters they were stunned by the violence and remembered Batson and Bullard as ordinary local men. One neighbor described Batson as “happy” and said he had plans to enter rehab, according to early local reporting by WWAY. The conviction and life sentence bring a measure of closure for those who have followed the case since the 2022 slayings.
