Three Arrested in 2025 Kannapolis Killing of Khari Wilkes After 19-Month Manhunt

A 19-month manhunt for the killers of a 28-year-old Kannapolis father ended this week with the arrests of three South Carolina men, police announced. Khari Keem Wilkes was shot from behind while sitting in his white 2021 Dodge Challenger in an apartment complex parking lot on Pine Hill Lane, and he later died from his injuries.

Kannapolis police identified the suspects as Cordarian Ne’Quan Morton, 21, Gaines D’Marion Adams V, 21, and Karmelo Jalen Moates, 23, all from Piedmont, South Carolina, according to WSOC TV. All three are currently incarcerated in South Carolina, and police said they will be extradited to North Carolina to face charges in Wilkes's death.

Officers responded to calls to the parking lot around 6 p.m. on January 6, 2025, where they found a person suffering from a gunshot wound, the station reported. According to the Salisbury Post, Wilkes was transported to Atrium Health Cabarrus, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Surveillance Video Captured the Getaway

Investigators released surveillance footage in May 2025 showing a dark four-door Honda sedan pulling into the lot, where two men got out and shot Wilkes before fleeing on foot, as reported by WSOC TV. The footage indicated the gunmen ran off after discovering that the vehicle's driver had already relocated the car, leaving them without a quick escape.

The case drew state-level attention in December 2025, when North Carolina Governor Josh Stein authorized a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible, per the Salisbury Post. Whether that reward played a direct role in cracking the case remains unclear.

A Father's Memory Kept the Case Alive

Wilkes left behind a 5-year-old son, Kanon, whose fifth birthday fell just five days after the shooting. His mother, Shakitta Hill, hosted a Steps in His Honor memorial walk in June 2025 and continued publicly urging witnesses to come forward throughout the investigation, the station's reporting shows. Wilkes was buried at Rutherford Memorial Park in Concord following a funeral service on January 17, 2025, at Living Water Community Church in Kannapolis, according to his Legacy.com obituary.

Kannapolis police thanked the Greenville County, Spartanburg County, and Greenwood County sheriff's offices in South Carolina for assisting with the investigation, WSOC TV reported. The multi-agency effort mirrors the interstate coordination that helped Kannapolis police crack another long-unsolved case this month — the Christmas Eve 2024 killing of Angelo Markantonakis, in which three suspects were charged after a 20-month manhunt, with two of them held out-of-state in California, as per Hoodline.

What Extradition and Sentencing Could Look Like

Because the suspects are being held out of state, their transfer hinges on formal legal procedure. Under South Carolina Code § 17-9-10 and North Carolina's Uniform Criminal Extradition Act, suspects who do not waive extradition require formal governor's warrants signed by both states before they can be transferred, according to the North Carolina Criminal Law Blog. It remains an open question whether any of the three men will contest extradition in South Carolina court.

If convicted, the men would face severe statutory penalties. 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 Arnold & Smith PLLC. That same firm notes that under North Carolina's Pretrial Integrity Act, defendants charged with Class A felony murder cannot receive magistrate-set bail and must appear before a Superior Court judge for any pretrial release determination — meaning all three men are expected to remain in custody through their initial North Carolina court appearances. The exact formal charges each man will face upon extradition have not yet been detailed.

The case adds to a violent crime picture in Kannapolis that has drawn scrutiny in recent years. The Kannapolis Police Department reported 6 homicides in 2024 out of 1,190 total violent and property index offenses citywide, according to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. Wilkes's killing was one of those unresolved cases until this week's arrests brought the 19-month investigation to a turning point.