Editor’s note: As we approach 2013, we’re taking a look back at our top stories of 2012. From Friday, Dec. 28, through New Year’s Day, we will publish the top 20 stories since Port City Daily’s launch in September. Port City Daily’s top stories were determined by readership. The story below was first published Dec. 19.
Patty Proutey was at work when officers arrived at about 5 a.m. Friday, Dec. 14, to deliver the news no parent wants to hear—her 19-year-old son had been murdered.
Joshua Todd Proutey was found dead early Friday morning near the Hannah Block Community Arts Center at the corner of Second and Orange streets downtown, where he was working Thursday evening.
“It was a horrible, horrible, horrible scene. I could not believe that my beautiful, precious, gentle Joshy was not here,” Patty Proutey said at a press conference Monday following the arrest of four suspects charged with her son’s murder.
Joshua Proutey moved to Wilmington in August to attend Cape Fear Community College.
“He desperately wanted to be in Wilmington. He was passionate about so many things that an ordinary 19-year-old would not be passionate about,” his mother said.
Being from a U.S. Marine Corps family, Patty Proutey said her son’s intentions were to finish at CFCC, then enlist in the Marine Corps.
“He spent a lot of years in his young life in Guatemala doing missions trips. He would reach out to kids who had absolutely nothing and literally give them the clothes off his back when they were wearing tabard clothes. That’s the child that he was.
“He was a very loving, kind, gentle soul who I don’t know ever had an enemy. I don’t know of anybody who would ever want to hurt him. It makes more sense that it was random,” she said.
According to Wilmington Police Chief Ralph Evangelous, at about 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 13, three of the four suspects attempted a home invasion in the Forest Hills area, but were scared off. At about 10:30 p.m., the suspects were stalking a woman on Front Street in downtown Wilmington. She was able to get away from the suspects, Evangelous said.
“We believe they were out looking for victims. And unfortunately, you know it could have been any one of us…[who] happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Evangelous said.
At about 10:45 p.m., the suspects confronted Joshua Proutey.
He was shot and killed after the suspects stole his Samsung cell phone, wallet, $10 in cash and a sandwich.
Patty Proutey said her son did not have any money. The money the suspects stole was his last bit of money he had on him at the time.
“There is no way I can comprehend or understand why this happened to Joshua. It doesn’t make any sense on any level. It’s not at all who he was. He would have given you the last $10 he had, if you needed it. I am a mother of three beautiful boys. And those children have a mother. There is a mother out there who gave birth to those children, and I don’t know what happened.
“Joshy is my baby…and those children who did this have a mother, too. And my heart breaks for them. Do I have a few things to say to those kids? Yeah, I do. I just want the people of Wilmington to understand that Joshua loved being here. He loved living here. He loved his job. He loved working at the theater,” Patty Proutey said.
“I have to tell you it’s pretty senseless and I know it’s affected all of us…I could only imagine what the family is going through,” Evangelous said.
Reach Christina Haley at (910) 772-6337 or [email protected].
