Man pleads guilty to 2nd-degree murder in connection with beating death in 2020

LOCUST, N.C. — Dakota Dylan Wensil has pled guilty to 2nd-degree murder in connection with the beating death of a man in 2020.

Just after midnight on Aug. 27, 2020, Locust police officers were dispatched to the scene on Griffin Hill Drive after someone reported that a man had “been beaten up real bad.”

When they got to the home, police said they found Eddie Wayne Love with severe head injuries on a “makeshift porch.” He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.

An investigation revealed that Love and Wensil got into an altercation over the allegation of stolen property which resulted in Love’s death. Wensil was identified as the primary suspect and charged with homicide, according to police.

Police said Wensil was arrested after fleeing to Tennessee and extradited to North Carolina.

On Thursday, in Stanly County Superior Court, Wensil pled guilty to 2nd-degree murder and was sentenced to 190 to 240 months in the North Carolina Department of Corrections.

VIDEO: Suspect accused of killing CATS bus driver extradited back to Charlotte on murder charge

Suspect accused of killing CATS bus driver extradited back to Charlotte on murder charge

©2023 Cox Media Group