Robert Kenneth Wayne Stewart

Robert Kenneth Wayne Stewart was born on September 12, 1963, in Robeson County, North Carolina. During childhood, his family relocated to Eastwood in Moore County. His father worked as a house painter, while his mother held an office job at a paving company in Pinebluff. Stewart attended Pinecrest High School after completing middle school in Aberdeen but dropped out before graduating.

Those who knew Stewart during his early life described him as quiet and withdrawn, though prone to sudden and intense outbursts of anger. As an adult, he worked as a house painter and later operated his own painting business, though financial difficulties followed him throughout much of his life, including multiple bankruptcies. Stewart also served approximately six years in the National Guard, receiving an honorable discharge without advancing beyond the rank of private.

Stewart’s personal life was marked by instability and repeated failed marriages. He married for the first time in 1981, though the marriage lasted only a few months. In 1983, he married Wanda Gay Neal, then 17 years old. That marriage ended after three years amid reports of excessive drinking, possessiveness, and a volatile temper. Stewart remarried in 1986, but his third wife later stated that he remained fixated on Neal and often compared the two women unfavorably. After divorcing again in 2001, Stewart reunited with Neal and married her a second time in June 2002, promising to change his behavior.

On the morning of March 29, 2009, Robert Stewart arrived at Pinelake Health and Rehabilitation, a 120‑bed nursing home in Carthage, North Carolina, shortly before 10:00 a.m. Wearing bib overalls and armed with multiple firearms, he began the attack in the parking lot by firing at the empty vehicle of his estranged wife, Wanda Neal, who worked as a nurse at the facility. He then shot at another vehicle entering the lot, wounding visitor Michael Lee Cotten in the shoulder.

Stewart entered the nursing home carrying a .357‑caliber handgun, a .22 Magnum semi‑automatic pistol, and a 12‑gauge shotgun. He moved through the hallways searching for Neal, who had been reassigned to the Alzheimer’s unit earlier that day. Upon hearing gunfire, Neal hid in a locked, passcode‑protected bathroom and was not physically harmed.

As Stewart advanced through the building, he opened fire on residents and staff. He killed seven elderly patients, including two who were seated in wheelchairs, while staff attempted to evacuate others to safety. Jerry Avant Jr., a 39‑year‑old nurse, attempted to intervene and was fatally shot, becoming the only employee killed during the attack.

Carthage Police Corporal Justin Garner, the sole officer on duty at the time, arrived within minutes and confronted Stewart inside the facility. After Stewart refused commands to drop his weapon, he fired at Garner, striking him in the leg with shotgun pellets. Garner returned fire, shooting Stewart in the chest and incapacitating him. Stewart survived and was taken into custody, later reportedly telling the officer, “Kill me, kill me.”

Six victims died at the scene. Stewart and several wounded victims were transported to a hospital, where two additional victims later died the same day. In total, eight people were killed and one wounded survivor remained hospitalized, in addition to the injured police officer.

The victims were Jerry Avant Jr., a nurse at the facility; Louise DeKler, age 98; Lillian Dunn, age 89; Tessie Garner, age 75; John Walter Goldston, age 78; Bessie Hedrick, age 78; Margaret Johnson, age 89; and Jesse Vernon Musser, age 88. Most were long‑term residents receiving nursing care at the facility.

Stewart was initially charged with eight counts of first‑degree murder. At trial in 2011, prosecutors argued the attack was premeditated, while the defense claimed Stewart was impaired by the sleep medication Ambien and incapable of deliberate intent. On September 3, 2011, a jury convicted Stewart of eight counts of second‑degree murder, rejecting the first‑degree charge. The court imposed the maximum sentence on each count, ordering them to run consecutively, resulting in a total sentence of 179 years, 4 months, and 20 days in prison.

As of November 2024, Robert Kenneth Wayne Stewart remains incarcerated at Neuse Correctional Institution in Goldsboro, North Carolina.