A second person has now been held accountable for the 2023 killing of William Edwards Jr. in Whiteville, though her punishment looks dramatically different from the one handed to her co-defendant earlier this year. Destiny Kemp pleaded guilty Tuesday to obstruction of justice for her role in Edwards's murder, while prosecutors dismissed the accessory-after-the-fact charge she had faced since her arrest more than three years ago.
Edwards Jr. was shot and killed on April 5, 2023, at New and Used Tire Bargains in Whiteville, according to WECT. Kemp had been arrested and charged in May 2023 in connection with his death, and a judge on Tuesday sentenced her to one year of probation, which will be transferred to Gaston County. She was credited for 84 days already served, the station reported.
Kemp's arrest in May 2023 came alongside that of Natrell McKinnies, who was taken into custody the same week. Whiteville Police arrested and charged McKinnies with first-degree murder on May 3, 2023, according to WWAY News, while Kemp was initially charged with accessory after the fact and held on a $750,000 secured bond, per an earlier report from WECT documenting the same arrests.
McKinnies Already Facing Three Life Sentences
McKinnies's case resolved first. In March, the 29-year-old was sentenced for Edwards's murder along with two other deaths, the station's report notes. He received three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for the killings of Diondi Sadler, Deonde Sadler and William Edwards Jr., according to The News Reporter, with the sentencing dated to March 18.
The three killings tied to McKinnies spanned years rather than a single incident. Diondi Sadler was killed in July 2019, Deonde Sadler in July 2021 and Edwards in April 2023, as reported by WRAL. That same outlet reported the investigation stretched over several years and drew in the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Whiteville Police Department and the Columbus County Sheriff's Department. The News Reporter also noted that the Columbus County District Attorney's office said investigators believe others were involved in the killings and were seeking the public's help.
Family's Lawsuit Alleges Warnings Were Ignored
Beyond the criminal case, Edwards's family has pursued a separate legal track against the city where he died. The family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the City of Whiteville in 2025, the same WECT report on Kemp's plea notes. The suit alleges that police officers were informed of threats Edwards received after he witnessed another alleged murder, but that no action was taken.
An earlier WECT report on the filing detailed the lawsuit's specific legal claims, which allege wrongful death, gross negligence, ordinary negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress against the Whiteville Police Department and the State Bureau of Investigation. That same filing alleges McKinnies sent threatening letters to Edwards and that no action was taken to protect him even after he handed those letters over to authorities.
With Kemp's plea now closing out the criminal proceedings tied directly to Edwards's death, the wrongful-death lawsuit against the city remains the one avenue still working its way through the legal system. The dossier of court filings reviewed by WECT does not detail the suit's current status or what, if anything, the city has said in response.
