Man sentenced for accessory after the fact in Independence Mall murder

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A Wilmington man pleaded guilty in court Thursday for accessory after the fact in the 2017 Independence Mall murder.

Darius Dandre Nelson, 27, is guilty of Obstruction of Justice and Accessory After the Fact to First Degree Murder for the April 1, 2017 murder of Catherine Ruth Ballard in the parking lot of Independence Mall.

According to the district attorney’s office, Nelson, the ex-boyfriend of Ballard, was with new girlfriend Traneta Campbell when Campbell fired five shots at Ballard while Ballard was standing in the parking lot outside of Ruby Tuesday.

It was 1:22 p.m. on a busy Saturday at the mall, so there were numerous witnesses who came forward who saw the murder. Witnesses on the scene also reported that an argument between Campbell, Ballard, and Nelson led up to the murder.

Surveillance video captured the entire murder. The trio initially engaged inside the mall and continue their argument as they walk into the parking lot. Nelson first tried to keep Campbell and Ballard apart, and Campbell got into the passenger side of Nelson’s red Honda Civic.

When Nelson began to walk towards the driver’s side, Campbell came out from the vehicle with a gun and engaged Ballard, who was standing 10 feet away and was unarmed. Campbell fired five times, striking a nearby vehicle and hitting Ballard in the back of the head as she turned away. Nelson and Campbell got back into the car, and Nelson drove the two away from the murder scene.

U.S. Marshals arrested Nelson and Campbell hiding in a shed behind a house on Monroe Street on April 3, 2017. Campbell and Nelson were placed under arrest and confessed to police.

Although Nelson confessed to police that he sold the murder weapon, in June of 2017, he sent Campbell a letter while both were in custody asking Campbell to lie and tell detectives that she got rid of the murder weapon alone.

The Honorable Kent Harrell sentenced Nelson to at least 5 years in prison.

Traneta Campbell plead guilty to second degree murder and discharge weapon into occupied property on March 16, 2018 and received a sentence of 31 to 39 years in prison.

Catherine “Cat” Ballard worked at New Hanover Regional Hospital and was attending Cape Fear Community College full time. She would have turned 25 on April 21, 2017.