A North Carolina state trooper has been charged with murder after allegedly shooting dead a sheriff's captain in a jealousy-fuelled dispute over a shared former partner. Highway Patrol Sergeant Nekime Matu Oxendine, 44, is accused of killing Cumberland County Sheriff's Captain Adam Bean, 42, outside a home in Hope Mills in March, after a years-long love triangle involving a 43-year-old woman who had dated both men turned violent. The case has drawn scrutiny given both men's roles in law enforcement, and Oxendine remains on administrative duty while an internal investigation continues alongside the criminal case.

According to a probable cause statement, the woman had left Oxendine for Bean before the pair split last December and she reconciled with Oxendine. On the night of the shooting, Bean travelled to the property despite being asked not to and reportedly confronted Oxendine aggressively; police say Oxendine fired two warning shots before shooting Bean two or three times as he continued to approach. Text messages cited in the statement show jealousy between the men dating back to 2022, with Oxendine repeatedly questioning the woman about her feelings for Bean. A judge has ordered Oxendine held without bond, and North Carolina Highway Patrol has said it respects the judicial process while its own internal review proceeds.