State rewards are being offered in two of four unsolved homicides in Columbus County.
The Governor’s Office is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the murder of Cynthia Hansen in her Whiteville fitness studio.
The same reward is still available for information about a second suspect in the July 3, 2021 triple-slaying at an illegal nightspot in Chadbourn known as the Bando. De’onde Qwabe Xavier Sadler, Mack Darren Jenkins, Jr., and Kameesha Dae’zuhnaka Powell died in that shooting. Na’Trell McKinnies pleaded guilty in the Bando slayings, but another suspect is still at large. Then- Gov. Roy Cooper announced the reward in December 2021.
In Hansen’s case, Gov. Josh Stein announced last week that the state will add $25,000 to the $2,000 reward offered by Sheriff Bill Rogers and an anonymous donor, just over a month after the murder.
According to the governor’s office, local law enforcement must request that the state offer the reward. The Clemency Board then reviews the case to determine if the crime meets the criteria of a major unsolved crime. If the review is successful, the governor’s office authorizes the reward.
Chad Flowers of the State Bureau of Investigation said every case must be referred by the top local law enforcement officer involved in the investigation. The Clemency Board consults with the SBI on the case before sending a recommendation to the governor.
“It doesn’t matter if the victim is black, white, male, or female,” Flowers said. “Each case is judged the same way. The Clemency Board asks the SBI, based on the known facts, if a reward will help solve a case. Then the governor makes his decision.”
The reward for information about the 2024 killing of Antonio Maultsby Jr. stands at $4,400, all from money raised by the sheriff’s office. Antonio, age 7, was killed when someone sprayed gunfire toward a group of people in the front yard of 2089 Braswell Rd. It has never been made clear whether the boy was inside or outside of the home when he was struck twice in the head. No one else was reported injured.
The Sheriff’s Office and State Bureau of Investigation worked around the clock for days trying to find evidence in Antonio’s death.
Autumn Rilee Spivey, 16, was shot to death in her bed at 2013 Stake Road in January. Two deputies arrived on the scene in minutes of that drive-by and performed CPR on the teen, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Four other people were in the home at the time. Miss Spivey had been staying at the home with relatives for an extended period of time when the killing occurred, according to another relative. Sources close to the investigation say Autumn was not the intended target. Sheriff Bill Rogers at the time said investigators were stymied from a lack of cooperation in the case.
In Antonio’s case, a Lake Waccamaw songwriter is using his art to draw attention to the case.
Mark Todd and Voodoo Dancer have released the song Antonio, a country rock ballad about the boy’s death. All royalties from the song go to the reward fund to find Antonio’s killer. Todd is also working with radio stations WTXY and WVOE on a GoFundMe to increase the reward. You can listen to the song here:
https://share.amuse.io/track/voodoodancer-antonio
Shortly after the announcement about the reward in the Hansen case, Todd wrote a letter to Gov. Josh Stein asking for his office to step in and increase the reward.
“He was a seven‑year‑old boy, asleep at his grandmother’s home, and his killer remains free,” Todd wrote. “His case deserves the same urgency, visibility, and commitment from our state.”
“I am asking you, respectfully and directly, to match my efforts. Raising the state reward would send a powerful message that Antonio’s life mattered, and it could be the key to encouraging someone with information to finally come forward…Antonio’s family, his community, and every child in North Carolina deserve to know that their lives are valued equally.”
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office had no updates on the Maultsby and Spivey cases.
“I have been informed that both cases are still under investigation and at this time we do not have any additional details to share,” Jenna Jalving said in an email.
“As far as the reward from the governor’s office, after speaking with sheriff, he nor any of our staff have requested any money from the governor’s clemency office for either of these cases,” Jalving wrote. “The reward for Maultsby case still stands at $4,400. We are always open to donations that anyone wants to send.”
Anyone with information about either of the murders is asked to contact the sheriff’s office. You can also share an anonymous tip via the sheriff’s office app.
