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Lora Moultrie pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Thursday in Brunswick County Court.
Buy Photo Photo by Mike Spencer
A Brunswick County woman pleaded guilty Thursday to second-degree murder, admitting she helped in the 00 killing of a Shallotte real estate agent.
Lora Moultrie, of Shallotte, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
Authorities believe Moultrie and Shallotte resident Craig Bryant killed Adam Bradshaw in April 00 because of a real estate deal gone bad.
She will be sentenced at a later date, but if she complies with the terms of the deal with prosecutors, her pleas will be consolidated into one sentence of between 5 and 9 months, or about 3-6 / years.
As part of the agreement, Moultrie is required to cooperate with those investigating the case. That could include testifying against Bryant if his charges go to trial.
Her deal can be revoked if she doesn’t comply with terms.
Assistant District Attorney Lee Bollinger said the next step in Bryant’s case is to set a trial date. He is still in jail under a $ million bond.
“We wanted to take care of this first,” Bollinger said after Thursday’s proceedings.
Prosecutors have said that they believe Moultrie lured Bradshaw, a 34-year-old husband and father of a young child, to an abandoned property with a phone call, and that Bryant then killed him.
Moultrie’s phone calls were made from a cell phone at Costco in Wilmington, Bollinger told the court. She called Bradshaw and then informed Bryant about when he would be arriving at the Watts Road property.
Bradshaw’s body was found in the Ocean Isle Beach area three days after he disappeared. His blue, 00 Ford Mustang was found in Longwood several days after his body was found.
“His body was moved from where he was shot and hidden under a brush pile,” Bollinger said.
Members of Bradshaw’s family, including his wife, attended the hearing but deferred making comments until the sentencing.
Moultrie donned a gray, striped jail jumpsuit Thursday and gave quiet responses of “yes, ma’am,” when asked questions by Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Ola Lewis.
She blew a kiss to a supporter as she walked into the courtroom.
Her attorney Ed Geddings also requested that Moultrie be transferred to the N.C. Department of Corrections women’s prison in Raleigh for her safety, saying there have been threats against her life.
Lewis approved the transfer with no opposition from prosecutors.
Without a plea arrangement, Moultrie would face a maximum of 95 months or almost 0 years for the two felony counts.
Prosecutors dropped a felony charge of robbery with a dangerous weapon as part of the agreement.
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