Cary man dies after fall from tree

Raleigh police said Sunday that Robert William Kearns, 26, was demonstrating a climb for his friends when he fell from the tree in the 1100 block of Kent Road. A witness said he was about 30 feet up when he slipped from his harness. 

Hope King, the mother of Kearns' 5-year-old son, said Kearns was a tree cutter for Leaf and Limb Tree Service in Raleigh. She said he loved to show others what he could do in a tree.

"(My son) said he was Spiderman. He thought his dad was Spiderman because his dad could climb like that," King said. 

But, she said, Kearns was always very careful. 

"He said that he always felt like he was going to fall and get hurt," King said. "He always said that to me."

Kearns loved the job, loved the rush and loved his son, King said. In recent months, he had begun turning his life around and trying to become a better father.

"My son just saw him last week and they went to lunch with my mom," she said. "They held hands and prayed together."