Verdict reached in Daniel Kempton trial

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A Pender County jury has decided the fate of a man accused in a 2021 murder.

The jury found Daniel Joseph Kempton guilty of Voluntary Manslaughter for the fatal stabbing of Edward Hicks.

Kempton was originally charged with Second Degree Murder.

In July of 2021, law enforcement were called to Tasha Lane in Burgaw, where they found Hicks dead.

Sentencing will take place Thursday morning in the Pender County Superior Court Annex.