NC man charged with killing man who tried to stop beating near downtown Chapel Hill
A Moore County man was charged Wednesday after another man died from his injuries following an assault near downtown Chapel Hill.
Cody Ray Callahan, 19, of Carthage, was arrested in his home county Wednesday and charged with voluntary manslaughter, simple assault and false imprisonment, according to a Chapel Hill Police Department news release.
Police said Callahan assaulted Michael Jesse Griffin, 55, of Chapel Hill, around 7:40 p.m. Sept. 7 in the 300 block of East Rosemary Street, according to the release. The area is near several UNC-Chapel Hill fraternities and sororities, just one block north of East Franklin Street and the campus.
Griffin was trying to stop Callahan from assaulting another man when he was assaulted by Callahan, the release said.
Griffin was taken to UNC Hospitals, where he died on Sept. 13, police said.
Callahan is being held in the Moore County Jail under a $500,000 secured bond until he appears in court on Oct. 7 in Orange County, the release said.
Police are continuing the investigation.
Griffin’s obituary noted that he was a native of Shelby, North Carolina, and was a 1992 graduate of Western Carolina University. He had worked with Bank of America Mortgage and served as a volunteer firefighter in Pendleton, South Carolina, it said.
Anyone with information about the assault can call 911 or the Chapel Hill Police Department at 919-968-2760 (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday).
Anonymous tips can be left with the Chapel Hill-Carrboro-UNC Crimestoppers at 919-942-7515 or chapelhillcrimestoppers.com
This story was originally published September 26, 2024 at 3:53 PM.
