Columbus County man sentenced to life without parole after ‘vengeance’ murder

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — After a three-week long trial, a Columbus County jury has convicted Corey Hines of the first-degree murder of Elliot Dew.

According to a press release, Judge Tiffany Powers sentenced Hines to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

At trial, evidence showed that Corey Hines sought vengeance for the death of his brother Juwan Young who was killed in an unsolved murder on November 28, 2016.

It is unclear whether Deron Blanks was a suspect in that murder, however, Hines apparently believed he was
involved.

Video surveillance confirms an ambush style shooting whereby Hines fired multiple rounds into a BMW driven by Deron Blanks at the Saw Mill Apartment Complex in south Whiteville on November 16th, 2017.

Fortunately, no serious injury resulted from the shooting, although at least one of the bullets penetrated a nearby apartment.

Fifteen days later, on December 11th, 2017, Hines received information that Blanks was seated inside a Chevrolet Equinox that was parked outside of the Happy Mart Convenient Store on JK Powell Boulevard in Whiteville.

Hines approached the vehicle unleashing multiple rounds of ammunition from a 9mm semiautomatic firearm.

Blanks suffered seriously bodily injury in the loss of a finger on his left hand.

Dew, an unfortunate bystander, suffered two fatal gunshot wounds to the head.

Ballistics evidence confirmed the gun used at Saw Mill apartment Complex was the same 9mm handgun used at the Happy Mart Shooting.

“What makes this incident particularly horrific is that Mr. Hines knowingly created a deadly risk to numerous innocent bystanders in his desire to avenge his brother’s unsolved murder,” said District Attorney Jon David, “This case serves as a vivid reminder of the need for young people to cooperate with law enforcement, rather than take matters into their own hands. Everyone loses when we use ‘street justice’ rather than our traditional court system.”