Man sentenced to more than 18 years in prison for deadly attack on Wilmington bus
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A Wilmington man has pled guilty to second-degree murder for killing a man on a bus in 2021.
Antonio Dickens, 41, will serve between 18.4 and 23.1 years in prison for killing 58-year-old Kenneth Cross. Cross remained hospitalized for 17 months after the incident before dying from his injuries in June of 2022.
The attack took place on January 12, 2021, on a WAVE Transit bus while traveling down Gardner Drive near the Wilmington International Airport.
When law enforcement arrived, they found Dickens standing outside of the parked bus while the driver was attempting to render aid to Cross, who was lying unconscious and bloodied on the bus floor. The driver and another passenger told investigators that Dickens launched an unprovoked attack on Cross minutes after boarding the bus.
Surveillance video from an onboard camera captured audio and video of the assault, as well. The footage showed Dickens verbally harassing Cross from the rear of the bus, causing Cross to switch seats in an attempt to get further away from Dickens.
Shortly thereafter, Dickens approached Cross, punched him multiple times in the face and head, and continued to hit Cross while he was unconscious.
Dickens then kicked and stomped on Cross’ head before exiting the bus.
Dickens had previously been convicted of assault on a female, communicating threats and drug offenses in North Carolina. Additionally, he was convicted of assault on a family member and destruction of property in Virginia in 2004.
