KINSTON, N.C. – In a controversial turn of events at the Lenoir County courthouse this morning, two men previously facing first-degree murder charges for a deadly altercation nearly three years ago have been released following a plea agreement.
Jeffrey Hill, who was brutally beaten in a parking lot on West Gordon Street on May 2, 2021, succumbed to his injuries days later, marking a sorrowful chapter for the community of Kinston. The defendants, Clinton Christmas and Joseph Hughes, were initially indicted for his murder.
Under the terms of the newly accepted plea deal, Christmas has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, receiving a sentence equivalent to the time he has already spent behind bars — 692 days. Similarly, Hughes’s plea to obstructing justice has resulted in an eight-month sentence, also offset by his pre-trial confinement of 1,062 days.
The decision has sparked outrage among the victim’s family, particularly from Jennifer Rouse, Hill’s sister. She has vocally criticized the outcome, expressing her devastation over the loss of her brother and the justice she feels he was denied.
“It’s a slap in the face,” Rouse conveyed to WITN last week. “My brother was attacked and left to die after just leaving a local bar, and now his attackers are walking free without just punishment.”
As the community grapples with the implications of this resolution, questions linger about the adequacy of the legal proceedings and the message it sends about public safety and accountability in Kinston. Hill is survived by his two children and a network of family and friends who continue to mourn his untimely death.
This case continues to highlight the complexities and, often, the dissatisfaction inherent in the plea bargaining process within the judicial system.
