Nearly 20 months after three masked men broke into a Kannapolis home on Christmas Eve and shot 26-year-old Angelo Markantonakis to death in front of his girlfriend and their young son, police have charged three suspects in the killing. Two of them remain locked up in California, awaiting extradition to face trial in North Carolina.
Kannapolis police say Justin Javan Roberts, 40, of Kannapolis, has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, and robbery with a dangerous weapon, according to Queen City News. The same charges are pending against Deonandre Isaiah Potts, 26, of California, and Antonio Martez Woodard, 36, of Charlotte, both of whom are currently incarcerated in California and awaiting extradition to North Carolina. The United States Marshals Service actively assisted Kannapolis investigators in locating and tracking the three suspects once they were identified, as reported by the Salisbury Post.
A Deadly Morning on Windy Rush Drive
Police were called to Markantonakis's residence on Windy Rush Drive around 11:30 a.m. on December 24, 2024, per the Queen City News account. Officers found Markantonakis dead from multiple gunshot wounds after the three masked suspects broke into the home he shared with his girlfriend, Arianna Black, and their three-year-old son, according to authorities. Markantonakis was killed while getting ready to head to his mother's house for Christmas dinner, according to WSOC-TV.
In the immediate aftermath, investigators described the three intruders as a Black male with brown or orange-tinted eyes wearing a camo “shiesty” mask with green trim and carrying a handgun, a six-foot-tall Black male dressed entirely in black, and a heavyset, light-skinned Black male wearing a tan mask, the same station reported at the time. Those descriptions were the only public leads for months as the case sat unsolved.
A Reward, a Federal Assist, and a Break in the Case
The investigation stalled long enough that, in August 2025, Governor Josh Stein offered a state reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. Whether that reward money directly produced the tip that ultimately broke the case remains unclear, and investigators have not said publicly what led them to Roberts, Potts, and Woodard. The exact motive behind why the three men allegedly targeted Markantonakis's home has also not been disclosed.
Once the suspects were identified, tracking Potts and Woodard required crossing state lines into California, where federal marshals joined the effort described by the Salisbury Post. Woodard's criminal record there predates this case: he was previously convicted of felony kidnapping and first-degree residential burglary stemming from a 2016 incident in Butte County, California, for which he received a 13-year prison sentence, according to a California Court of Appeal ruling.
What Comes Next in Court
All three men face the same charges, and under North Carolina General Statutes § 14-17, first-degree murder is a Class A felony punishable exclusively by life imprisonment without parole or the death penalty, per the UNC School of Government. Because they're charged with first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, and robbery with a dangerous weapon, none of the three can receive magistrate-set bail under the state's Pretrial Integrity Act; each must appear before a superior court judge for any pretrial release determination.
Potts and Woodard cannot simply be transferred to North Carolina. Because they're held in California custody, the state must carry out formal interstate extradition proceedings under Chapter 15A, Article 37 of the North Carolina General Statutes before either man can be formally arraigned in local court. That legal process will play out on its own timeline before any joint trial can move forward.
Community Support for a Young Family
Following the homicide, a GoFundMe campaign created by Markantonakis's mother raised over $12,000 to cover funeral costs and support his surviving young son, according to WCNC. Hoodline previously reported on the Christmas Eve break-in that killed him as detectives first sought the public's help identifying the masked suspects. The case was among the homicide investigations recognized within the department; Kannapolis police promoted Officer Arthur Reid Jr. to sergeant in January, citing an individual commendation tied to his role in a 2024 homicide investigation.
