Johnston County man sentenced for murder and attempted murder
A Johnston County man who killed a man and a left a woman paralyzed in a 2022 shooting faces at least three decades in prison, Johnston County District Attorney Jason Waller announced Monday.
Joshua Christopher Stewart, of Willow Springs, was sentenced Friday for the first-degree murder of Harley Alexander Shirley and attempted murder of Sophie Catherine Hagy.
He was sentenced to consecutive prison terms totaling a minimum of 29 years and nine months to 37 years and 10 months.
On Feb. 17, 2022, Stewart and Nathan Jackson, both suspected members of the Nine Trey Bloods gang, targeted Shirley as he sat in the backseat of a parked car with four other people, on Josephine Road in Johnston County, Waller said in a news release.
Stewart and Jackson shot at the vehicle 20 times, killing Shirley and hitting Hagy in the back twice. The other three passengers were not struck.
Hagy is now paralyzed from the waist down, Waller said.
She and the other three passengers testified against Jackson. Stewart took a plea deal several months ago that required him to testify against Jackson, Waller said. Jackson received consecutive sentences totaling 40 years in prison before the possibility of parole.
“Such senseless acts of violence cannot, and will not, be tolerated in our community,” Waller said.
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