Nearly a year after the brutal stabbing death of a North Carolina woman in her residence, a former high school classmate has reportedly confessed to the crime while incarcerated on unrelated charges. Brandon Braxton, 33, was charged with the murder of 32-year-old Whitney Hurd, whose lifeless body was discovered in her home on July 14, 2024.
According to a court affidavit filed on March 20, Braxton, while detained at the Mecklenburg County Jail, submitted a grievance on March 3 that included a note stating, “I killed Whitney Hurd.” Investigators were able to verify through video surveillance that Braxton was indeed the author of the note. Braxton, who has an extensive arrest record in North Carolina, was subsequently identified as a person of interest in the case and has since been formally charged.
Hurd was found in her home in the early afternoon of July 14, 2024. Hours prior to the discovery, a neighbor reported to police that she had seen a man driving Hurd’s white BMW X3 away from the residence, with no one else visible in the vehicle. The neighbor noted that Hurd was typically the sole driver of her car.
The affidavit further revealed that Hurd’s vehicle was later located using data from her cellphone, which was never found. Braxton was interviewed by police on August 8, 2024, a few weeks after Hurd’s body was discovered. During the interview, Braxton confirmed that he and Hurd were acquaintances in high school and that he had been inside her home, but denied ever being in her vehicle.
According to the affidavit, interviews with Hurd’s friends and family revealed that while Hurd and Braxton were friends in high school, they had lost contact over the years. They also reported that Braxton had started appearing at Hurd’s residence uninvited, and on one occasion, was found intoxicated and asleep in her driveway after she refused him entry.
The affidavit also indicated that Braxton had allegedly broken into Hurd’s home at some point, prompting her to alert the police and inform her friends. Fingerprints found at the crime scene and in Hurd’s SUV matched those of Braxton, according to the affidavit. Phone records also reportedly placed Braxton in the vicinity at the estimated time of the crime.
Braxton remains in custody at the Mecklenburg County Jail without bond, facing charges of first-degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon.