GASTONIA, N.C. — On Tuesday, a Gaston County jury found 31-year-old Marshawn Devon Sanders guilty of first-degree murder following a week-long trial.
Sanders was convicted for the 2020 fatal shooting of 30-year-old Eric De’Sean Glenn at a convenience store on Lowell Bethesda Road.
Glenn was revealed to be the friend of a woman who previously dated Sanders. After the woman and Sanders broke up, Sanders began threatening and harassing her repeatedly.
A few weeks after the breakup, Sanders began dating another woman, 38-year-old Ashley Abernathy.
On June 9, 2020, Sanders and Abernathy drove to Gastonia to locate the woman he had previously been in a relationship with.
They eventually found the woman and began following her 2002 Honda Accord, which was occupied by her two-year-old son and Eric Glenn.
The Honda then pulled into the Incgo Express convenience store to get gas. As it was parked, Abernathy began to circle the woman’s vehicle as Sanders fired shots in their direction.
Officials said multiple rounds struck the woman’s vehicle, with one missing her son’s head by mere inches before hitting the door frame and another fatally striking Glenn in the chest.
Witnesses at the scene attempted to provide aid to Glenn, but he later died. An autopsy report revealed that Glenn died from the fatal gunshot wound inflicted by Sanders.
McGraw was immediately identified as the suspect in this case, and he and Abernathy were arrested shortly after the shooting.
After their arrest, officials said Abernathy fully confessed her involvement and eventually pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to first-degree murder in 2023. She was sentenced to approximately seven to ten years in prison.
Sanders was sentenced to life in prison without parole. He was also found guilty of two counts of attempted first-degree murder of the woman and her 2-year-old son, two counts of discharging a weapon into an occupied vehicle, and possession of a firearm by a felon.
“Today’s verdict is our community’s resounding repudiation of Marshawn Sanders and his horrific conduct. He stole the life of Eric Glenn and endangered the lives of countless other Gaston County residents. Our office remains relentless in our pursuit of justice, and we will continue to aggressively prosecute violent offenders. We thank the jury for their service and their commitment to following the facts of this case and the rule of law,” said District Attorney Travis Page.
VIDEO: Murder trial underway for deadly shooting at gas station
©2024 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
