Man convicted of 2020 second-degree murder of teen

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) —  A Wilmington man was convicted on Wednesday in New Hanover County Superior Court of several charges related to a 2020 murder case along Carolina Beach Road.

23-year-old Trequan Crews pled guilty to second-degree murder, discharging a weapon into an occupied dwelling inflicting serious bodily injury, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Judge J. Stanley Carmical of Robeson County sentenced Crews to a total minimum term of 12 years (144 months) and a total maximum term of 185 months in the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction.

On July 9, 2020 at 1:06 p.m., a gray Dodge Dart pulled up next a red Nissan Altima on Carolina Beach Road near the intersection of Matteo Drive. At that point, two individuals in the Dart used two different handguns to fire upon the occupants of the Altima.

The driver of the Altima, Tyshaun Delts, was struck with a bullet on his left side but survived the incident. Meanwhile, the backseat passenger, Ethon Douglas, suffered a gunshot wound to the head and died on scene. He was fifteen years old at the time of the shooting.

Detectives were then able to use surveillance footage to link the Dodge Dart to Crews, who initially fled from officers when he was apprehended later that evening.

Shaquan Palmer and Deandre Nixon were also believed to be occupants of the Dodge Dart during the time of this shooting and were also charged with this murder. Both of their cases are still pending in New Hanover County Superior Court.

Detectives also discovered that occupants of both vehicles were members of rival gang factions in Wilmington.

“One of the biggest problems that our community is facing is gang violence. We have seen way too many young people killed well before their time as a result of the ongoing problems presented by our local street gangs. These cases are especially difficult to prosecute due to a lack of cooperating witnesses, and though we encountered those challenges in this case, we are happy to get justice for Mr. Douglas and his family with this plea.” Assistant District Attorney Brad Matthews said.

“Senseless gun violence, such as this, will absolutely not be tolerated in this community. This case was particularly troubling because it occurred in broad daylight on one of the county’s busiest roads, thus endangering the lives of many of our citizens,” District Attorney Ben David said.

Detectives with the Wilmington Police Department investigated this case.

The State was represented by Assistant District Attorneys Brad Matthews and Dru Lewis, and the defendant was represented by attorney Todd Fennell.