Leroy Moore Jr. will spend the rest of his life in prison, after the jury in his retrial returned a guilty verdict today (Sept. 12).
Moore was found guilty of first degree murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, felony obstruction of justice, and two counts of solicitation to intimidate a witness. Superior Court Judge Jason Disbrow announced the sentence after the jury returned just after noon today.
Moore was convicted of shooting Tony Moore twice in the back at Sandy Ridge Apartments in Whiteville on Oct. 25, 2021. The killing was the fourth in less than two years at the complex, which was under a nuisance order from the courts at the time for crime and violence in the area.
Sandy Ridge was off-limits to visitors at the time Moore and a second man went to the complex and opened fire.
District Attorney Jon David said Moore used a rental car to go to the complex so his own vehicle would not be spotted. He pulled into the complex “at a high rate of speed,” around 9 p.m. David said. Moore was armed with two rifles and multiple magazines.
Moore, 38, and an unidentified co-conspirator fired at least 36 rounds into the complex. Moore was hit twice by return fire, David said, and wrecked while fleeing the scene. He left his rental car, paperwork, wallet, identification, firearms and other evidence at Sandy Ridge.
Baker was airlifted to New Hanover Regional, where he later died of his injuries.
Five hours later, David said, Moore checked into a Lumberton hospital using a fake name. He left against medical advice after having been treated.
“The Whiteville Police Department arrived on scene within two and a half minutes of 911 calls of shots fired, secured the crime scene and began collecting evidence,” David said in a press release. “The State Bureau of Investigation was called to help process the crime scene and helped aid in the investigation and later apprehension of Leroy Moore.”
Moore was on the way to a guilty verdict in the first retrial earlier this year, but two jurors held out, resulting in a hung jury. Moore took the stand in that trial, claiming that two other men killed Moore and shot into the complex. The retrial began Aug. 26 in Columbus County Superior Court.
Sandy Ridge has since undergone a makeover, with new management, better lighting, more frequent police patrols and other improvements. Reports of crime at the complex have dropped dramatically.
Before Baker was killed, a gunfight at the complex in May injured a pregnant woman and sent players and parents scrambling for cover at nearby Nolan Park. Three other people were killed in shootings there, and WPD responded to 29 gunfire and assault calls in Sandy Ridge between January 2018 and May 2021. Police and sheriff’s deputies were occasionally pelted with rocks or vegetables by people in the complex when responding to calls there.
The State of North Carolina was represented Jon David, Assistant District Attorney Allie Smith and Victim Witness Legal Assistant Tasha Batten.
David also thanked the Whiteville Police Department and the State Bureau of Investigation. “Without these professionals, a result like this would not be possible,” he said.
Baker was previously arrested by deputies in October 2019 for possession of two handguns stolen from Country Boy Outfitters in Whiteville. The Glock and Ruger handguns were part of a stash of 28 firearms stolen from Country Boy’s after two separate break-ins. A number of the handguns have been recovered from local crime scenes, and one AK-47 style rifle was reportedly seized by police in another state as part of a drug arrest.
