ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. — A Rowan County man has been sentenced to 25 to 31 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the April 2025 fatal shooting of 61-year-old George Dewey Turnmire in China Grove. Michael Dean Brown entered the guilty plea in Rowan County Superior Court before Superior Court Judge Michael S. Adkins.
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The conviction stems from an April 3, 2025, shooting at 280 Sylvester Road in China Grove. Rowan County Sheriff’s Office deputies responding to the reported shooting located Turnmire deceased on the floor inside the residence with apparent gunshot wounds. Brown was detained outside the home, where deputies located a shotgun nearby.
Detectives with the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division responded to the scene and investigated the circumstances surrounding the homicide. Detectives determined that an ongoing dispute involving scrap metal on the property escalated into an altercation between Brown and Turnmire, who knew each other.
The investigation revealed that Brown forced his way into the residence and shot Turnmire. An autopsy conducted by the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that Turnmire died from multiple gunshot wounds to the torso. Brown entered his plea in court on Oct. 27.