Killer pleads guilty before testimony begins in trial

WHITEVILLE, NC (WWAY) — The man accused of kidnapping and murdering a 14-year-old Columbus County boy pleaded guilty to two counts of murder today, just as testimony was set to begin in his trial.

Marquell Hunter admitted to the 2007 murder of Rashed Delamez Jones in Lake Waccamaw and another murder in Hallsboro. Investigators say the 14-year-old Jones witnessed the murder of Darnell Frink, who was killed after a high school football game. They say Hunter, and his co-defendant, Santonio Jenrette, killed the teen to keep him from telling on them.

Hunter’s sentencing is postponed until he testifies against his co-defendants. He previously rejected a deal that would have sent him to prison for almost 20 years.