A Marine who deserted has been charged in connection to the murder of his grandmother, according to local law enforcement.
The corpse of 74-year-old Sallie Copeland Evans was dredged from a Rocky Mount-area creek on Friday, as authorities tracked down and arrested 18-year-old Isaiah Kahleal Evans Caesar, an AWOL Marine who used his grandmother’s credit card to secure a hotel room.
Evans was last seen on the 22nd of April, leading the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office to look for clues in relation to her disappearance.
Upon discovering the credit card use, deputies cornered Caesar at the hotel and found explosive materials in his room, prompting an evacuation of the hotel.
In addition to having his grandmother’s credit card, Caesar was also in possession of her car, which -while originally gold in color- had been crudely spray-painted black.
Caesar was previously stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia, and was wanted for desertion after going AWOL on April 2nd.
Evans’ family told the News & Observer that the grandmother had been trying to convince her wayward Marine to return to his post and asked her neighbor to drive him to Camp Lejeune on the 24th.
“I was looking out my kitchen window waiting on her, and I see the front end of the car,” neighbor Willie Patterson said. “I didn’t see who was driving the car. I turned around to go get my glasses and my hat and my umbrella and out the front door. There was no car. They were gone.”
Patterson knew something was wrong because he was her go-to neighbor when she would go out of town, frequently taking care of her dogs in her absence.
Caesar is currently facing murder and desertion charges, his court date is scheduled for May 16 and he is being held without bond.
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