Wilmington man charged with murder in stabbing death of Marine

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A Wilmington man is in custody facing murder charges following a deadly stabbing in downtown Wilmington earlier this month.

The Wilmington Police Department says 47-year-old Davy Spencer has been charged with second-degree murder and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill. The charges stem from a homicide investigation in the downtown area.

Police say officers responded around 2 a.m. Sunday to reports of multiple fights in the 100 block of North Front Street. During that incident, 21-year-old Daniel Montano was stabbed and later died despite life-saving efforts.

Montano was assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines Regiment at Camp Lejeune. A memorial with flags has been set up at the corner of Front and Princess streets, near where the stabbing happened.

In the days following the incident, Wilmington police released images of a person of interest as they worked to identify a suspect in the case.

Spencer is now in custody. Bond information was not immediately available.