Third suspect charged with murder in death of Columbus County teen Autumn Spivey

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A third suspect has been arrested and charged in connection with the January drive-by shooting that killed 16-year-old Autumn Spivey in Columbus County.

According to court records, Kalup Donsha-Cialeek Frink, 19, of Whiteville, was booked into the Columbus County Detention Center Tuesday afternoon.

Frink is charged with:

• First-degree murder
• Discharging a weapon into occupied property

He is being held without bond.

The charges stem from the January 22, 2026, shooting that claimed the life of Spivey. Court documents allege Frink “unlawfully, willfully, and feloniously did of malice aforethought kill and murder Autumn Spivey.”

Frink becomes the third person charged in the case. Authorities recently arrested Armani Darrell Mason, 27, and Tony Larrell Mason, 20, on first-degree murder charges related to Spivey’s death. Both men are scheduled to return to court Aug. 28 for a probable cause hearing.

At the time of those arrests, Columbus County Sheriff Bill Rogers said investigators built the case through interviews with people connected to the shooting and stressed that detectives had continued working the investigation for months without giving up.

Spivey’s mother, Summer Ward, previously told WWAY she feared the case would go unsolved before the arrests were announced.

“I just thought that it would never get figured out,” Ward said. “I was about to give up on finding out who did this.”

Sheriff Rogers also said investigators were committed to bringing answers to the family.

“I just want to let them know that we didn’t ever give up and we worked hard to bring them closure,” Rogers said.

Frink’s arrest marks the latest development in the ongoing homicide investigation.