NEW HANOVER COUNTY — A Pender County man will serve life in prison for a fatal shooting inside an Ogden area home that killed 32-year-old Yancey Martin Edwards and two dogs in May 2015.
A New Hanover County jury on Tuesday found Michael Anthony Rich Malloy, 26, guilty of first-degree murder, two counts of cruelty to animals and other felony charges in the case.
The conviction and sentencing by Superior Court Judge Josh Willey on Wednesday morning, came one week after the trial began in New Hanover County Superior Court.
Malloy is the last of three co-defendants to receive lengthy sentences in felony charges in the case. The two other co-defendants in the murder the case – 25-year-old Theio Robert Manley and 27-year-old Brent Thomas James Hyatt – have each entered guilty pleas to second-degree murder and several other felony charges.
On May 4, 2015 , Edwards and two of his dogs, were shot and killed at his home in the 400 block of Point View Court. New Hanover County Sheriff’s deputies responding to a burglary call found Edwards, shot multiple times, at the home. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Another man, Edwards’ girlfriend, and his two dogs, were also inside the home at the time of the shooting. The second male victim was shot in his elbow.
The witnesses stated two men entered the home through the kitchen window with a rifle and demanded money and drugs. Through the investigation, detectives with the sheriff’s office learned that the two intruders were driven to the home in an attempt to rob the victims. Edwards and the other victim, struggled with the intruders before shots were fired from a .22-caliber rifle.
Following the sentencing Wednesday morning, Edwards mother, Vickey Passwaters, spoke to the court.
“I just wanted to say that my son was loved deeply. Some of our family couldn’t be here … He has a son and he’s very upset about the whole thing. He would have never done to you what you done to him. I want you to know that,” she said.
Edwards’ son was 8 years old at the time of the murder.
Mallow was convicted of first-degree murder, attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon, two counts of cruelty to animals, first-degree burglary and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury.
Judge Willey sentenced Malloy to life in prison North Carolina Department of Corrections for the first-degree murder charge with no order of restitution. Assistant District Attorney Barrett Temple prosecuted the case for the state. Attorney Steve Wright represented Malloy in the case.
Reduced sentence for co-defendant
Following Malloy’s sentencing, his co-defendant, Hyatt, appeared in court to amend charges he had previously pleaded guilty to.
On Tuesday Sept. 13, 2016, Hyatt, had entered pleas of guilty to second-degree murder, attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, first-degree burglary, two counts of cruelty to animals, and two counts of first-degree kidnapping. He was sentenced to 244-305 months in prison.
According to Temple, after a review of the his case file, she came to the conclusion that there was not a strong enough factual basis for kidnapping charges.
Upon request from the state, Judge Willey vacated the two kidnapping charges from his plea in September. His sentence remains the same.
