Facebook message sent to mom of Marine lead NC cops to the killer — his roommate
Investigators initially believed a 22-year-old Marine in North Carolina accidentally shot and killed himself in 2013, police said.
But they were wrong.
On Friday, a judge sentenced Tyler Prudden to one to two years in prison for the involuntary manslaughter of Lanija Gilpatrick, according to the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office.
Prudden — also a Marine at the time of the shooting — was the victim’s roommate, media outlets report. He’s listed as Gilpatrick’s “close friend” in his obituary.
“Nothing that we do in court brings this young man back,” Assistant District Attorney Bob Roupe told the Daily News after the sentencing. “But as far as what the law can do, the judge did.”
Gilpatrick died a few days after being shot with a pistol, according to the sheriff’s office. Deputies ruled it an “accidental self-inflicted shooting” and closed the case.
But Nancy Patterson — Gilpatrick’s mom — was skeptical, WJAC reported. She told the media outlet her son grew up around weapons and “knew how to handle them.”
Then, on the first anniversary of his death, she received an anonymous message pointing the finger at Prudden, according to WJAC.
Law enforcement was able to trace that message to Michigan, where Prudden’s ex-wife lived, the assistant DA told the Daily News. She denies ever sending it, but “cooperated when law enforcement returned to Michigan to question her,” according to the newspaper.
Michigan State Police arrested Prudden in July 2016, the sheriff’s office said. He had been working in the state for a security agency at the time, WILX reported.
“At the time of the arrest, Prudden was armed but peacefully arrested,” according to the media outlet.
He was extradited to Onslow County shortly thereafter and released on bond, according to WCTI.
