NEWTON, N.C. — A judge in Catawba County has denied bond for a 75-year-old Vietnam veteran accused of killing a father and trying to kill his three children.
READ MORE: Dad shot, killed in front of kids in Catawba County road rage case
Deputies said the road rage incident happened in October 2024 along Island Point Road in Sherrills Ford.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Terrell Giddens.
They spoke Tuesday morning for about 20 minutes about the evidence in the case including the suspect’s confession about using an assault-style rifle.
Giddens was charged with murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder in the shooting death of Jeff Guida.
READ MORE: rosecutors plan to seek death penalty in Catawba County road rage case
The victim’s three children ages two, 11 and 13 were in the family’s SUV when prosecutors said Giddens also decided to fire into the vehicle after killing their father in an attempt to possibly cover up the crime.
Investigators said the shooting stemmed from a road rage incident where Giddens believed he was being tailgated. He then allegedly followed Guida, who was unarmed, after he turned into the family’s neighborhood.
Giddens left the scene after the shooting and then took his kayak out onto Lake Norman to dispose of evidence including his clothing and the assault-style rifle, prosecutors said.
Dozens of family members and friends of the victim were in court and some wore shirts with the words “Justice for Jeff.”
“We were devastated,” said co-worker Karen Church. “His absence has affected so many of our lives.”
“Cold-blooded. Calculated, malicious murder,” said prosecutor Tim Gould. “There’s no justification. No excuse for it. From his own confession, he decided to kill him. He decided to shoot up his car.”
The judge took very little time before announcing his decision to say that the case is “one of the clearest examples of the danger of a defendant potentially to others in the community” that he’s ever seen.
“Just breaks my heart for his children who are still here that are living with the effect of someone trying to murder them also,” said co-worker Megan Black.
VIDEO: Dad shot, killed in front of kids in Catawba County road rage case
