Deputies: Bladen County man charged with murder 14 years after shooting wife

BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A Bladen County man has been charged with murder in connection to his wife’s death. This comes 14 years after the crime happened in Bladenboro, deputies say.

The Bladen County Sheriff’s Office says Mark Timothy Sykes shot his wife, Jennifer Bass Sykes, with a handgun in the stomach during a domestic argument back on October 4, 2007. Jennifer was taken to the hospital where she was treated and underwent several surgeries for her injuries.

Mark Sykes was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting Serious injury and sentenced in June 2008. He served four years and four months in prison.

Deputies say Jennifer Sykes continued to have complications due to her gunshot wound for the next 13 years. She died in March 2020. An autopsy was conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Raleigh and the cause of death was found to be complications of a remote gunshot wound to the abdomen, according to sheriff’s office.

The Bladen County Sheriff’s Office along with the District Attorney’s Office looked into the matter and have charged Mark with first degree murder in her death.

On Monday, Sykes was placed in the Bladen County Detention Center under no bond.