Wilmington man pleads to grandfather’s murder

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A Wilmington teen who shot and killed his grandfather in 2017 has been sentenced for second degree murder.

A New Hanover County Superior Court Judge accepted Khai Anthony Ressler’s plea Thursday. Ressler will serve between seven and ten years in prison.

“This case is a heartbreaking scenario where someone with extremely concerning mental health issues was able to gain access to a gun,” Connie Jordan, assistant district attorney, said.

On March 4, 2017, Ressler was 17 years old when he shot his 57-year-old grandfather, Oscar Curtis Adams, in the home where they both lived on Angel Island Road. The shooting happened after Ressler started a fight and threw glass on Adams’ face.

A witness was on the phone with 911 when Ressler fired the gun. Adams died at the scene.

Ressler, the victim and the victim’s wife were the only people inside the home when the shooting happened. The victim’s wife refused to speak with investigators. Ressler later claimed self- defense.

The press release from the district attorney’s office says Ressler has a documented history of mental illness.

“Ressler had been experiencing paranoid and delusional thoughts regarding the victim in this case and Ressler was the subject of an involuntary commitment at Cherry Hospital within three months prior to the shooting,” according to the release. “Ressler was evaluated by a psychiatrist after his arrest and the physician determined that the specific nature of Ressler’s psychotic symptoms placed him in a situation where he would have been likely to conclude that he was in imminent danger of being harmed by the victim.”