Wilmington man sentenced to up to 19.9 years in fatal 2023 stabbing

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A Wilmington man will spend nearly 20  years in prison after pleading guilty Monday to second-degree murder in a 2023 fatal stabbing.

On Monday, Terry Earl Hooper Jr., 38, admitted to stabbing Daniel Webb-Sholar on June 9, 2023, at a home on North Sixth Street.

Law enforcement officers and emergency medical personnel responded to the residence around 6:30 p.m. and found Webb-Sholar suffering from a deep chest wound.

Investigators said Hooper left the scene in a van driven by his uncle but later turned himself in to authorities that night.

Witnesses told investigators the two men had ongoing issues that led up to the deadly confrontation. According to witness statements, tensions escalated after Webb-Sholar allegedly spat on Hooper.

Witnesses said Hooper displayed a handgun during the dispute but later put it away. Minutes later, Webb-Sholar attempted to initiate a fistfight, and after a brief struggle, Hooper stabbed him with a large knife. Authorities said Webb-Sholar was unarmed.

Hooper’s trial had been scheduled to begin in two weeks before he entered the guilty plea.