Man charged with first-degree murder says he stabbed man in self-defense

Jacolby Floyd, 30, of Spring Lake, said he was on the way home when a man attacked him.

"I had poked him with a knife," Floyd said in a jailhouse interview. "In an attempt to get away, but I did not mean for that man to die."

On September 2, authorities found 39-year-old Derrick Ervin in a pool of blood in a mobile home park on D Street in Spring Lake.

Floyd said he was trying to stop Ervin from attacking him with a board.

"On my attempt to escape, he had me blocked off with a board with nails in it," he said. "Then, he struck me several times with the board with nails in it."

He said he was hit in the face and had a tooth knocked out. Floyd said he believes the motive behind Ervin's attack was attempted robbery.

"I had money from a car accident and I guess he had found out about it and he was attempting to rob me and kill me," Floyd said.

Ervin's sister believes that Floyd didn't have to use a knife to get away. She wants him to stay in jail and get a maximum sentence for first-degree murder.

Floyd says there's talk of a plea deal that would lessen the charge against him to manslaughter.

"Now, they're trying to say something about 5 to 7 years. They're playing with my life and the dude come down there and try to kill me," Floyd said.

Spring Lake Police Chief Troy McDuffie said the video provides facts about the case that gives a better prospective of what happened.

Sources close to the investigation said the video may be the basis for a plea deal.

Ultimately, Floyd wants the charges dropped.