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Ex-Duke football murder suspect keeps returning home after arrests thanks to soft-on-crime judges: police rep

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Ex-Duke football murder suspect keeps returning home after arrests thanks to soft-on-crime judges: police rep

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A former Duke University football player who allegedly confessed to killing his former high school friend and Charlotte, North Carolina, real estate agent Whitney Hurd, was arrested and released four separate times between Hurd’s death in July 2024 and his arrest for murder in March.

Police found Hurd, 32, dead with multiple stab wounds in her townhome in Charlotte’s upscale South Park neighborhood on July 14 of last year while responding to a call for medical assistance that afternoon. Her manner of death was ruled a homicide.

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Court records show that Brandon Braxton, 33, was arrested and released on unrelated charges four times for charges including injury to real property, simple assault, larceny, trespassing, resisting a public officer, indecent exposure and assault on a female before he was eventually charged with murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon on March 20. 

Just months after Hurd’s death, Braxton allegedly exposed himself to a victim in a public Charlotte park and attempted to grab a woman’s shorts, according to court records. He spent 31 minutes in jail for the indecent exposure charge, records show.

FORMER DUKE FOOTBALL PLAYER CONFESSES TO KILLING REAL ESTATE AGENT EX-FRIEND IN HER UPSCALE TOWNHOME: POLICE

Former Duke football player Brandon Braxton allegedly confessed to killing Hurd. (Mecklenburg County Jail)

“This is nothing new, and it isn’t surprising in this case,” Charlotte Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) President Daniel Redford told Fox News Digital. 

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“It highlights the frustrations that we have all spoken about.”

— Daniel Redford, Charlotte FOP president

Redford noted, however, that authorities may not have had enough information to charge Braxton with murder in the Hurd case to keep him in jail on his multiple other charges after she was found dead. 

Brandon Braxton was arrested and released four times after Whitney Hurd’s murder. (Mecklenburg County)

But on March 3 of this year, Braxton allegedly submitted a written grievance to Mecklenburg County jail officials, stating: “I killed Whitney Hurd,” the affidavit states.

Hurd’s neighbor apparently saw a man driving her white BMW away from her home on the afternoon of July 4, 2024, and there was nobody in the passenger seat. The neighbor advised police that Hurd never let anyone else drive her vehicle, according to an affidavit.

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An indictment filed on March 31 alleges that Braxton stole Hurd’s BMW and cellphone “by means of assault” against Hurd with a knife.

EX-STAR ATHLETE ACCUSED IN PRINCETON BROTHER’S GRISLY MURDER RETURNS TO COURT AS PROSECUTORS PREP INDICTMENT

Whitney Hurd, 32, was found murdered in her Charlotte townhome on July 14, 2024. (Instagram)

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) obtained a search warrant for Hurd’s phone and received her last known location data, which led detectives to her vehicle, which was collected and processed as evidence. Detectives were unable to locate her phone, but the case was still inside the vehicle.

Fingerprints from Hurd’s vehicle were collected and processed, placing Braxton inside her vehicle and residence.

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“I call it an open-door policy. Some people call it a revolving door. … You commit a crime, you get arrested, you’re back out.”

— Daniel Redford, Charlotte FOP president

BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS MISSING AND MURDERED UNIT INVESTIGATING ALLEGED MILITARY BASE KILLING

Redford called Braxton’s four arrests and releases after Hurd’s murder “very concerning,” saying his record indicates a “progression of increasing what crimes he was committing.” He noted that certain Mecklenburg County judges take a more progressive approach to criminal justice, releasing certain violent criminal suspects on low bond or without bond.

Duke Blue Devils wide receiver Brandon Braxton (5) looks for running room against Stanford Cardinal safety Michael Thomas (3) during the first half at Wallace Wade Stadium.   (Mark Dolejs-US PRESSWIRE)

In June 2024, for example, a Rock Hill murder and rape suspect named Raphael Wright was released on $50,000 bond, leading police and the victim’s family to voice their concerns. A judge ultimately raised his bond to $850,000 a month later, and Wright was again detained.

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Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden told Fox News Digital that his office “lacks the authority to release individuals without a judge’s order.”

“Consequently, we have no involvement in determining how, when or why someone’s release nor the amount of their bonds, or the conditions of their release,” McFadden said in an emailed statement. “The Sheriff’s Office is solely responsible for the custody and care of individuals. The factors and reasons for their release are solely determined by the appropriate authorities which is the magistrate or a judge.”

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Duke Blue Devils running back Josh Snead (9) celebrates his touchdown with wide receiver Brandon Braxton (5) during the first quarter against the Texas A&M Aggies in the 2013 Chick-fil-A Bowl at the Georgia Dome.  (Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports)

The Mecklenburg District Attorney’s Office did not respond to an inquiry from Fox News Digital.

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Braxton’s attorney said he will not be commenting publicly on the matter at this time.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said the case is still an active and ongoing investigation, and the department is unable to provide further comment at this time.

Mecklenburg County’s current bail policy, in general, is to allow suspects accused of minor crimes to be released from custody.

McFadden directed Fox News Digital to a recent study from MDRC’s Center for Criminal Justice Research showing the county’s bail policies led to increased release rates but no significant increase in defendants’ failures to appear in court or in new criminal charges filed against the same defendants. 

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Charlotte residents say they feel less safe as city faces second transit stabbing

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Charlotte residents say they feel less safe as city faces second transit stabbing

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Two in three Charlotte, North Carolina, residents say they feel less safe today than they did a year ago, according to a recent survey, as the city reels from two train stabbings.

More than 930 people responded to a survey that the Queen City recently completed before hiring its new police chief, Stella Patterson. Residents overwhelmingly said they want a proactive police force, not a reactive one, with 66% saying they feel less safe.

The results come as Charlotte contends with another stabbing on its light rail system, months after the stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska.

On Friday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) officers responded to a call regarding assault with a deadly weapon. When they arrived, they found the victim, identified as Kenyon Kareem-Shemar Dobie, with a stab wound, according to warrants.

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Oscar Solorzano, 33, was arrested in connection to a stabbing on a Charlotte, North Carolina light rail. (Mecklenburg County Jail)

NORTH CAROLINA DEMOCRATS FALL SILENT AFTER ICE ARRESTS DOZENS WITH VIOLENT RECORDS

Oscar Gerardo Solorzano-Garcia, 33, of Honduras, was arrested after the stabbing and charged with attempted first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon with serious injury, breaking/entering a motor vehicle, carrying a concealed weapon and intoxicated/disruptive behavior, according to multiple Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sources and arrest warrants obtained by Fox News Digital. 

On Monday morning, Solorzano appeared in court, where he was denied bond. The 33-year-old appeared via Zoom in an orange jumpsuit where he was charged. Authorities revealed that Solorzano, prior to the Dec. 5 attack, was banned by Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS).

CMPD noted Dobie was in critical but stable condition when he was taken to a hospital.

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The victim told WRAL News that he saw Solorzano yelling at an older woman before Solorzano handed his bike to another passenger and said: “I’m about to show you who I really am.”

“I wasn’t trying to be a macho man,” Dobie said in a TikTok post from his hospital room. “But what I won’t allow is you to attack random people for no reason, especially the elderly.”

Dobie said he jumped up and told Solorzano to leave everyone alone. He said Solarzano then grabbed his hands and stabbed him as he tried to grab him back.

Police in North Carolina have charged a 33-year-old man from Honduras with critically injuring another person in a stabbing on a Charlotte commuter train, just a few months after a Ukrainian refugee was murdered. (WJZY)

According to court documents, reviewed by Fox News Digital, Solorzano broke into a railroad car “with the intent to commit a felony,” while carrying a large fixed-blade knife.

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While intoxicated, he challenged Dobie to a fight, cursing and shouting at others using “unintelligible and slurred words,” according to court documents.

He was booted from the country by the Trump administration in March 2018 on a deportation order and reentered illegally during the Biden administration at the Texas border in March 2021, DHS sources said.

WATCH: Migrant who was deported twice accused of Charlotte light rail stabbing

CHARLOTTE MAN CHARGED WITH IRYNA ZARUTSKA’S KILLING COULD FACE DEATH PENALTY

Solorzano was deported a second time by the Biden administration and reentered illegally as a got-away at an unknown time and location.

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Solorzano has a prior conviction for robbery in the U.S. and prior arrests for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, resisting arrest and false ID, DHS sources said.

Court records indicate he had known aliases, including Solorzano-Garcia, Oscar Herardo and Kevin Garcia.

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks alongside a photo of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, who was allegedly killed by Decarlos Brown Jr., on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, at the White House, Sept. 9, 2025. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

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The stabbing attack comes months after Zarutska, 23, was fatally stabbed on a LYNX Blue Line light rail while on her way home from work from a local pizzeria shop.

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Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, who is accused of killing Zarutska, was charged with violence against a railroad carrier and mass transportation system resulting in death, a capital offense under federal law.

Brown had a history of violent crime, including assaults and robberies, and had also been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Yet he was still free and walking the streets.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the city of Charlotte and the CMPD for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Alexander Koch and Fox News’ Bill Melugin and Chelsea Torres contributed to this report.

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Murdaugh trial court clerk pleads guilty to showing sealed crime scene photos to photographer

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Murdaugh trial court clerk pleads guilty to showing sealed crime scene photos to photographer

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A former South Carolina court clerk pleaded guilty Monday in connection with showing sealed court exhibits related to the murder trial of disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh to a photographer and lying about it in court.

Mary Rebecca “Becky” Hill, who served as the court clerk in Colleton County, pleaded guilty to four charges — obstruction of justice and perjury for showing a reporter photographs that were sealed court exhibits and then lying about it, plus two counts of misconduct in office for taking bonuses and promoting a book she wrote on the trial through her public office. 

“There is no excuse for the mistakes I made. I’m ashamed of them and will carry that shame the rest of my life,” Hill said in a statement read to the court.

She was sentenced to three years of probation.

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ALEX MURDAUGH’S MONEY MAN PAYS THE PRICE AFTER ADMITTING ROLE IN MILLION-DOLLAR CRIME SCHEME

Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill is sworn in before taking the stand to testify during the Alex Murdaugh jury-tampering hearing at the Richland County Judicial Center, Monday, Jan. 29, 2024, in Columbia, S.C. (AP)

Her sentence would have been much harsher had evidence surfaced that she tampered with the murder trial, Judge Heath Taylor told Hill. 

During Murdaugjh’s murder trial, Hill was responsible for taking care of the jury, overseeing exhibits and assisting the judge. Murdaugh was eventually convicted of murdering his wife and son after a six-week trial, which drew nationwide attention.

Murdaugh’s lawyers said Hill tried to influence jurors to vote guilty and that she was biased against Murdaugh because of her book.

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ALEX MURDAUGH SLAMS NEW TRUE CRIME SERIES DEPICTING FAMILY’S DOUBLE-MURDER: ‘MISLEADING PORTRAYALS’

Former Colleton County Clerk of Court Mary Rebecca “Becky” Hill smiles after pleading guilty on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in St. Matthews, S.C. Hill pleaded guilty Monday to showing sealed exhibits from Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial and other charges. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)

Solicitor Rick Hubbard told the judge that a journalist informed investigators that Hill showed graphic crime scene photos to several media members.

He did not name the journalist.

The photos were posted online, and the metadata from the images matched a time when Hill’s courthouse key card indicated she was inside the locked room where the photos were kept, Hubbard said.

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Former Colleton County Clerk of Court Mary Rebecca “Becky” Hill is sworn in during a court hearing on Monday in St. Matthews, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)

Hill resigned in March 2024. One of the charges against her stemmed from money prosecutors said she took for herself. She brought a check to court on Monday to repay nearly $10,000.

Journalist Neil Gordon who worked with Hill on “Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders” and previously accused her of plagiarism, commented on Hill’s plea to Fox News Digital.

Former Colleton County Clerk of Court Mary Rebecca “Becky” Hill pleaded guilty Monday to showing sealed exhibits from disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial and other charges. (Fox Nation/ Tracy Glantz/The State via AP, Pool)

“I appreciate seeing Becky step up and take responsibility for her actions, including the charge of misconduct in office, as it was directly related to the book I co-authored with her,” he said in a statement. “The specific instance was her decision to arrange a “Facebook Live” from her clerk’s office with the Colleton County Chamber of Commerce solely to promote our book.”

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“The fact that it occurred during the workday showed boldness, poor judgement, and frankly ignorance of the oath she took as an elected official.,” he added. “Sadly, poor judgement around our book had been a pattern for Becky, as we later learned she plagiarized its preface.”

Meanwhile, Murdaugh is also serving a prison sentence for stealing money from his family’s law firm and client settlements.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to Murdaugh’s attorney.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Florida designates Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as foreign terrorist organizations, DeSantis says

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Florida designates Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as foreign terrorist organizations, DeSantis says

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Florida is designating the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist organizations, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday. 

The move mirrors a similar action taken by Texas in which Gov. Greg Abbott designated the CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations.

“Florida agencies are hereby directed to undertake all lawful measures to prevent unlawful activities by these organizations, including denying privileges or resources to anyone providing material support,” DeSantis wrote on X. 

TRUMP MOVES AGAINST MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD AS ISLAMIST GROUP SPREADS IN WEST

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantissaid CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood will be designated as foreign terrorist organizations.  (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

The governor’s order said the Muslim Brotherhood has long engaged in and supported violence, political assassinations and terror attacks on civilians with the intent of establishing a worldwide Islamic caliphate. 

It also said the group, as well as Hamas have active fundraising arms in the United States. 

SCATHING REPORT CALLS ON US TO LABEL ISLAMIST GROUP INFILTRATING ALL ASPECTS OF AMERICAN LIFE AS TERRORIST ORG

The order said CAIR, which was created to challenge stereotypes against Islam and Muslims, has had individuals associated with it that have been convicted of providing and aspiring to provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations. 

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In a post on X, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said: “Great news! Thanks for this important Executive Order, Governor. We are ready to support!”

A joint statement by CAIR and its Florida chapter said the DeSantis administration has prioritized serving their interest of the Israeli government over the people of the state. 

“He diverted millions in Florida taxpayer dollars to the Israeli government’s bonds. He threatened to shut down every Florida college’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter, only to back off when CAIR sued him in federal court,” the statement said. “Like Greg Abbott in Texas, Ron DeSantis is an Israel First politician who wants to smear and silence Americans, especially American Muslims, critical of U.S. support for Israel’s war crimes. Governor DeSantis knows full well that CAIR-Florida is an American civil rights organization that has spent decades advancing free speech, religious freedom, and justice for all, including for the Palestinian people. That’s precisely why Governor DeSantis is targeting our civil rights group with this unconstitutional and defamatory proclamation.

“We look forward to defeating Governor DeSantis’ latest Israel First stunt in a court of law, where facts matter and conspiracy theories have no weight,” the groups added. “In the meantime, we encourage all Floridians and all Americans to speak up against this latest attempt to shred the Constitution for the benefit of a foreign government.”

Florida’s designation is at the state level. It doesn’t carry the legal force of a federal Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) listing, which only the U.S. State Department can issue. 

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In Texas, Muslim and interfaith leaders have demanded that Abott reverse his proclamation regarding CAIR. In a lawsuit against Texas over the governor’s declaration, CAIR argued that it violates both the U.S. Constitution and state law.

Texas Gov. Greg Abott designated CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, as a foreign terrorist organization.  (Getty Images)

The order violates its First Amendment rights and due-process protections, CAIR said, arguing that the state overstepped its authority because terrorism designations fall under federal, not state, jurisdiction.

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