Columbus Correctional inmate found guilty of first-degree murder after stabbing another inmate 14 times

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — On June 1st, 2022, a Columbus County jury convicted David Mark Fields of first-degree murder in the stabbing death of Scott Whitmeyer, after thirty minutes of deliberation.

Judge J. Stanley Carmical sentenced Fields to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

On September 28, 2019, Scott Whitmeyer, an inmate at Columbus Correctional  Institution was stabbed fourteen times by inmate David Fields.

The Columbus County Sheriff’s Office along with the Columbus Correctional Institution staff, began an investigation into Whitmeyer’s death.

Surveillance footage from the prison showed Fields as the individual who stabbed Scott Whitmeyer fourteen times with a prison shank.

Fields was also seen on surveillance video changing shirts after discarding the shirt he wore to  commit the crime in the bathroom.

Columbus Correctional employee Timothy Moody was able to retrieve the murder weapon that inmate Fields used and later flushed, in the prison sewer system.

Fields is quoted telling Columbus Correctional Officer Spillman “it is what it is, it’s on camera,” when asked what happened to Scott Whitmeyer.

“Our laws apply equally to everyone.” said District Attorney Jon David. “Nobody is above the law and no one is beneath its protection. Hopefully, this sends a strong message to inmates that we will enforce the law inside our prison walls for the protection of all.”