A search warrant filed in the death of 41-year-old Eric Ward says the woman he lived with, 49-year-old Jessica Blackburn, told McDowell County Sheriff's Office deputies she shot him during a domestic altercation at their Old Fort mobile home. Ward was found dead of a gunshot wound on the front porch of the residence on Lackey Town Road on Sept. 18, according to court documents. Blackburn now faces a murder charge in connection with his death.
According to the warrant, as reported by the Hickory Daily Record, Blackburn told deputies she shot and killed Ward and said the gun was still inside the home. The Morganton News Herald reports deputies responded around 4 p.m. that day to a 911 call reporting a domestic altercation, received a search warrant shortly after 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 18, and seized a Highpoint JCP .40-caliber handgun and a Davis Industries .32-caliber handgun.
Drugs and Evidence Collected at the Scene
Deputies also found blue and white pills and methamphetamine during the search, the warrant states. Investigators seized Blackburn's clothes and shoes, along with clothing found near Ward's body, and collected two cellphones as evidence, including one belonging to Blackburn. A sample of Blackburn's DNA and a gunshot residue kit were also collected, according to the warrant obtained by the Hickory Daily Record.
The case is being handled by the McDowell County Sheriff's Office, which operates county law enforcement services and runs the county detention facility on Spaulding Road in Marion under Sheriff Nathan Mace, according to the North Carolina Sheriffs' Association. Hoodline previously reported on the initial deputy response to Lackey Town Road when the shooting first came to light.
What North Carolina Law Says About Bond and Self-Defense
Because the case involves an alleged domestic violence offense, North Carolina General Statute § 15A-534.1 requires that pretrial release conditions be set by a district court judge rather than a magistrate, according to the Manning Law Firm. That rule can keep a suspect in custody for up to 48 hours until a judge becomes available. Hoodline detailed that 48-hour bond rule in a separate report on NC domestic violence law that cited the Old Fort case.
Separately, North Carolina's self-defense statutes could become relevant as the case moves through court, though nothing in the warrant indicates how, or whether, they might apply here. Under N.C.G.S. § 14-51.3, a person is justified in using deadly force and has no duty to retreat anywhere they have a lawful right to be if they reasonably believe such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm, according to FindLaw. North Carolina's Castle Doctrine, codified at N.C.G.S. § 14-51.2, separately creates a statutory presumption of reasonable fear for a lawful occupant defending against an intruder or unlawful force inside or at their residence, per materials from the UNC School of Government.
A Statewide Pattern Behind the Local Case
The shooting adds to a grim statewide picture. State surveillance data from the North Carolina Violent Death Reporting System found that 22% of all homicides with known circumstances in North Carolina in 2024 were tied to intimate partner violence, according to the NCDHHS Division of Public Health. The same data showed 52.4% of female homicide victims in the state that year were killed in intimate partner violence incidents, compared with 13.2% of male victims.
Domestic violence-related homicides in North Carolina climbed nearly 70% between 2018 and 2024, according to data tracked by the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and reported by WCNC-TV. In response to that trend, the North Carolina Department of Justice announced in May 2026 a statewide collective bringing together local domestic violence fatality review teams to analyze fatal incidents and develop prevention recommendations, according to the North Carolina Department of Justice.
Blackburn's admission described in the search warrant does not resolve the legal question of guilt or possible justification, which remains for the criminal justice process to determine. No additional court dates or charge details beyond the murder charge have been reported.
