Bladen Co. man sentenced to life for 2012 murder

BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A Bladen County man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for a 2012 murder.

A jury convicted Jesse Earl Simpson of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Charles Bernard Stephens on Aug. 13, 2012, in Clarkton. Prosecutors say Simpson shot Stephens in the face with a semi-automatic pistol after a heated argument. Stephens was rushed to a Wilmington hospital, where he died two days later.

Simpson received a life sentence without the possibility of parole.