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Maurice Lacato Phifer spent eight years in prison for shooting John Lewis Southerland in 1999, paralyzing him from the neck down.
Now, police say, Southerland has died as a result of his injuries, and prosecutors are trying to determine whether Phifer should be charged with murder nearly 13 years after the crime.
Phifer was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill in August 1999. He was released from prison in September 2007.
The Mecklenburg District Attorney's Office is reviewing his case to determine whether additional charges should be filed against Phifer. Phifer couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday.
In North Carolina, a person can be charged with murder for any unlawful, intentional act that results in a homicide, even after an extended period of time.
But prosecutors are trying to determine whether a jury would believe beyond a reasonable doubt that a bullet fired by Phifer in 1999 caused Southerland's death in 2012. Prosecutors also have to consider whether charging Phifer again will violate his constitutional right to not be tried for the same crime twice.
