North Carolina trooper indicted for murder of Cumberland County deputy

A North Carolina State Highway Patrol sergeant has been indicted on first-degree murder charges in connection with the March 27 death of a Cumberland County sheriff’s deputy. A grand jury handed up the indictment against Sgt. Nekime Matu Oxendine, 44, following an investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation.

The victim, Capt. Adam David Bean, 42, served as the assistant chief of detectives for the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office for nearly 20 years. According to search warrant affidavits, the shooting occurred at the home of Tara Lynn Whitman, a Cumberland County sheriff’s deputy, in the Gray’s Creek community near Hope Mills.

Court documents and investigations indicate the incident stemmed from a domestic dispute involving romantic relationships between the three individuals. Search warrants suggest Oxendine and Bean had both been in relationships with Whitman. Bean was found shot in the front yard of the residence.

Oxendine, an 18-year veteran of the State Highway Patrol, has been on administrative duty since shortly after the incident and is currently being held without bond. In North Carolina, first-degree murder carries a potential penalty of death or life in prison without parole. Capt. Bean was recently posthumously honored with a Merit Award at the 2026 Public Safety Valor Awards for his service.