Durham man pleads guilty to a 2022 murder — but he’ll serve time for two
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Bennett pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and conspiracy in Durham.
- Bennett’s Durham sentence will run concurrently with his prior Cumberland County.
- A jury convicted Bennett in Fayetteville, and he was sentenced there to 25 to 31 years.
A Durham man will spend 25 to 31 years in prison for a pair of murders in 2022 that occurred days apart, according to court records.
Nizer Marquise Bennet, 23, pleaded guilty in Durham County court Monday to second-degree murder and conspiracy to second-degree murder for the fatal shooting of Marcus Ortega-Burch on September 9, 2022.
Bennett’s sentence will run concurrently with his prior sentence in Cumberland County for a murder police said he committed just days after Ortega-Burch was killed.
In 2022, police arrested Bennett — who was 19 at the time — for the fatal shooting of Fort Bragg paratrooper Nicholas Bobo in Fayetteville, charging him with second-degree murder, felony conspiracy, robbery with a dangerous weapon and shooting at an occupied dwelling.
Bennett was found guilty by a jury for that murder and sentenced to 25 to 31 years in prison, according to court records
He was charged in Ortega-Burch’s death in Durham in May 2023, according to court records.
Ortega-Burch, a graduate of Northern High School, was survived by his parents and four brothers, according to an online obituary. He enjoyed attending church, playing tennis and golf with his friends and taking frequent walks in the park with his dog, Bobo, it said.
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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 4:42 PM.
