Jury selected in trial of man accused in 2017 death of 5-year-old Pender County girl

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A jury has been seated in the trial of a man accused in the 2017 death of his 5-year-old niece in Pender County, clearing the way for opening statements to begin Thursday morning.

David Wesley Prevatte is accused of killing Paitin Fields, who was found unresponsive inside her Pender County home in November 2017. She died three days later.

Prevatte was identified as a suspect in 2018 but was not arrested until 2022.

He faces charges of first-degree murder, first-degree statutory rape of a child by an adult and first-degree sex offense with a child by an adult.

Jury selection began Monday and continued into Wednesday as attorneys worked to seat jurors and alternates. The final alternates were selected Wednesday, completing the jury.

Opening statements are scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at the Pender County Superior Court Annex, located at 100 S. Dickerson St. in Burgaw.

Ahead of the trial, WWAY spoke with family law attorney Brandon Pettijohn for an outside legal perspective on issues that could arise during the proceedings.

Pettijohn said prosecutors will have to prove Prevatte committed the crimes and that DNA evidence could play a role in the case.

“The defense is likely going to try and point out that the identity of the perpetrator has not been identified, and that maybe DNA evidence does not link the defendant to the crime,” Pettijohn said.

If convicted of first-degree murder, Prevatte faces either the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole.

For previous coverage of the case, click here.