Opinion ID: 1285745
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Shawna Hawk Murder

Text: In February 1993, Shawna Hawk was living with her mother, Sylvia Denise Sumpter, in Charlotte. Hawk was a paralegal student at Central Piedmont Community College and worked at a Taco Bell restaurant on Sharon Amity Road, where defendant was her manager. On 19 February 1993, Sumpter arrived home and began to cook dinner. Hawk's car was not there, but Sumpter saw Hawk's coat and purse in a closet. This seemed unusual because it was very cold outside, Hawk never went anywhere without her purse, and Sumpter had seen Hawk earlier in the day wearing the coat. Sumpter called Hawk's boyfriend, Darryl Kirkpatrick, to ask if he had seen Hawk, but Kirkpatrick said he had not. Sumpter then learned that Hawk was to have picked up her godson from daycare but had not done so. Sumpter looked through Hawk's purse and noticed that her keys were not there and that some money was missing. Kirkpatrick arrived at the home to comfort Sumpter. Kirkpatrick and Sumpter decided to file a missing person report and called the police. Subsequently, Kirkpatrick walked through the house looking in each room. He entered a bathroom downstairs and noticed the shower curtain outside the bathtub. When Kirkpatrick pulled the shower curtain back, he saw Hawk curled up and submerged in water. Kirkpatrick ran upstairs and told Sumpter to call 911. Emergency personnel arrived, tried to resuscitate Hawk, and then transported her to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. On 20 February 1993, Dr. Sullivan performed an autopsy on Hawk's body. He discovered a contusion on the left side of Hawk's scalp above the ear and a laceration of the left eardrum with some hemorrhaging behind the eardrum evidencing a blunt trauma prior to death. Dr. Sullivan indicated that based on the bruising present, the blow occurred prior to death but that it was unlikely that the blow caused unconsciousness. Dr. Sullivan also observed hemorrhages in the lining of the eyes (conjunctiva), on the skin of the face, in the lining of the mouth, and in the muscles in the front of the neck overlying the voice-box area, all of which were an indication of ligature strangulation. Dr. Sullivan defined a ligature as an instrument, a cord or a band or something that's made into a cord or a band, then circles the neck and is used to forcibly compress the neck. Based on his observations, Dr. Sullivan opined that the cause of Hawk's death was ligature strangulation. Defendant confessed that he stopped by Hawk's home to see her and that they talked for a while. As defendant was leaving, Hawk gave him a hug. Defendant then told Hawk he wanted her to have sex with him. Defendant took Hawk to her bedroom, told her to remove her clothing, and told her to perform oral sex on him, which she did. Then, defendant performed oral sex on Hawk. The two then engaged in sexual intercourse. Defendant admitted that Hawk was afraid and cried the whole time. Afterwards, defendant told Hawk to put her clothes on, and he took her into the bathroom. Defendant placed Hawk in a choke hold, with her head between his arms, until she passed out. Defendant then filled the bathtub with water and placed Hawk in it. Defendant also admitted taking fifty dollars from Hawk.