Pender County killer eligible for parole nearly 25 years after crime

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A man convicted of murder in a drive-by shooting nearly a quarter century ago is up for parole.

Records show Terry Dion James was convicted of first-degree murder and other crimes for opening fire with a semi-automatic gun outside a Pender County club in March 1993.

Hartense James, who had left the club after getting a warning from another patron who James had told not to go back in because he and his friends were going “to shoot the place up” was shot as he tried to get in his car and start it. James died at the hospital from the gunshot wound.

A judge sentenced him to life in prison.

James, who is now 43, is eligible for the state’s Mutual Agreement Parole Program (MAPP), because he committed his crimes before a change in North Carolina’s sentencing laws did away with parole in October 1994.