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North Carolina inmate confesses to fatal 1989 hit-and-run while he was on prison work release

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North Carolina inmate confesses to fatal 1989 hit-and-run while he was on prison work release


Just four days after Christmas in 1989, 52-year-old mother Ruth Buchanan was crossing a street in Charlotte, North Carolina, after leaving a department store with a friend when she was hit by a driver who sped through a red light. 

“Her body landed on the opposite side of the intersection and that vehicle, according to witnesses, didn’t stop, didn’t render aid and continued to flee the scene,” Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Sgt. Gavin Jackson of the Major Crash Unit said in a video released by police Friday. 

Buchanan died in a hospital the next day. 

Decades after the case went cold and was reopened with the help of DNA technology, Buchanan’s killer, Herbert Stanback, now 68, confessed to the 35-year-old crime.

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Although witnesses got a vehicle description and a license plate number, the Mercedes it was linked to turned out to have had its tag stolen and wasn’t the car that hit Buchanan. 

Herbert Stanback confessed this year to driving away after hitting Ruth Buchanan with his car in 1989 while he was on work release from prison.  (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department )

Three days later, on New Year’s Day 1990, investigators found a black Mitsubishi parked at a Comfort Inn with damage that matched the description of the suspect’s vehicle, Jackson said. 

Investigators confirmed it was the suspect’s vehicle and found personal items, including a marijuana cigarette, inside. 

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After a failed tip in the case in 2022, it was reopened, and DNA from the cigarette was tested and matched Herbert Stanback, who was already in custody at the Department of Adult Corrections in North Carolina on an unrelated charge. 

The stolen car Stanback allegedly drove when he hit Buchanan was found days after the crime at a motel in Charlotte.  (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department; WSOC-TV)

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Records showed Stanback had been in custody at a Charlotte prison that no longer exists. 

In his second interview with investigators in March, Stanback made a “full confession,” Jackson said. 

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“Interestingly, he was incarcerated at Charlotte Correctional [at the time of the hit-and-run], but he was on a work-release program at the time — where they would leave in the morning and come back in the evening — and he was working at a hotel one or two blocks up the street,” Jackson said. 

Stanback returned to the prison after hitting Buchanan and fleeing. 

“So, a once-in-a career type thing,” Jackson said, “Very rewarding feeling, just to be able to notify the family of something like that. I was able to speak to Ruth’s son and be able to bring that kind of closure for the family. It’s certainly not a phone call that they would have been expecting.

Stanback made a “full confession” to police in March. (iStock)

“I think this stands as an example — of course, not every case is going to be solved this way — but you never know what is going to happen, 20, 25, 30 years down the line. And the fact that the scientific means have been able to obtain DNA and link it, not to a specific gene pool, but to a specific individual over three decades later is amazing. It really is.”

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He added that witness information and initial reports from responding officers in 1989 were also crucial to solving Buchanan’s death. 

Stanback has pleaded guilty to felony hit-and-run resulting in serious injury or death, the Police Department said in a release. 

He was sentenced to two years in prison, which he will serve concurrently with a 22-year sentence he is already serving on an unrelated offense at the Scotland Correctional Institution in Laurinburg, North Carolina, the department and WSOC-TV reported. 



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Thousands gather in downtown Wilmington to protest against ICE – WWAYTV3

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Thousands gather in downtown Wilmington to protest against ICE – WWAYTV3


WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY)–As many as one thousand people gathered in downtown Wilmington around Thalian hall as part of the “Ice Out for Good” protest.

This protest is one of many throughout the country to protest against ICE, after the death of Renee Nicole Good, who was shot in the head by an ICE agent on January 7th.

Organized by Indivisible Actions Southeast North Carolina, protesters surrounded the building as they waved signs and chanted across third street.

Many of the protestors held signs to not only protest Trump and ICE, but also to remember Renee Nicole Good.

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In the past week, Trump and many others say the ICE agent was just trying to defend himself, and many of the protestors disagree. Many say that Good was the victim in the situation.

“I think it needs to be a thorough investigation. Minnesota needs to be involved. There needs to be an ethical way of going about this. If there was nothing wrong, then they would cooperate. We need to keep investigating. We need to understand. I think they were way too quick to write off motivation. At the end of the day our neighbor or was killed,” said one protestor.

One other protestor says they are upset over what is being told. “That’s very disturbing to see a spin put on things when you have an actual video and then you’re propagandized about what we’re being told it was, even though we saw it was not.”

“Things could have been de-escalated by the officer,” said another protestor, believing that things didn’t have to turn out that way.

A Vigil for Good will be held outside the Alton Federal Building along Water Street. It will start at 7 in the evening on Wednesday, and it will be hosted by Siembra NC and Make North Carolina Work.

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North Carolina DL, former four-star prospect plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal

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North Carolina DL, former four-star prospect plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal


North Carolina defensive lineman D’antre Robinson plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal. He transferred to UNC from Florida ahead of the 2025 campaign.

In his lone season with the Tar Heels, Robinson made 12 appearances. He recorded 39 tackles and a forced fumble. He was also credited with half a sack.

As a true freshman at Florida in 2024, Robinson played in 11 games. He notched 16 tackles, including three for loss, as well as 1.5 sacks.

D’antre Robinson played high school football at Jones (FL), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 267 overall player and No. 27 defensive lineman in the 2024 recruiting cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings.

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This past season was legendary head coach Bill Belichick‘s first at the helm of North Carolina. UNC posted a 4-8 overall record and a 2-6 mark in conference play

In December, Belichick hired former Arkansas offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino to serve in the same role for the Tar Heels next season. In November, there was speculation that Belichick would return to the professional ranks. Alas, the 73-year-old HC quickly squashed those rumors.

“Despite circulating rumors, I have not and will not pursue any NFL head coaching vacancies,” Belichick wrote. “Since arriving in Chapel Hill, my commitment to the UNC Football program has not waivered.

“We have tremendous support from the university, our alumni, and the entire Carolina community. My focus remains solely on continuing to improve this team, develop our players, and build a program that makes Tar Heel fans proud.”

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

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Experienced former North Carolina tight end signs with Auburn

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Experienced former North Carolina tight end signs with Auburn


Auburn’s latest incoming transfer brings experience and production to what was a position of weakness last season.

Former North Carolina tight end Jake Johnson signed with Auburn on Saturday, a source confirmed to AL.com. Johnson is the third transfer tight end Auburn has signed since the portal opened, joining Jonathan Echols and Xavier Newsom.

Johnson, however, is the most proven of Auburn’s signees at tight end. He brings four years of experience at North Carolina and Texas A&M, catching 16 passes for 144 yards and one touchdown in 2025.

His best season came with the Aggies in 2023, during which he caught 24 passes for 235 yards and four touchdowns. Listed at 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds, he brings versatility to Auburn’s tight end room and may be the best pass catching option.

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With Johnson now signed, Auburn’s tight end room is now up to five players, putting the Tigers in a good spot going into the 2026 season.

The transfer portal officially opened on Jan. 2 and will remain open until Jan. 16. Keep up with all of Auburn’s incoming and outgoing transfers here.



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