Local News

Bond Denied For Teens In Ambush Slaying

Posted Updated

DURHAM, N.C. — Two Durham teens charged in what authorities are calling an ambush slaying were ordered held without bond Friday.

Michael Harrison Hunt Jr. and Tyrone Lamont Baker, both 19, are charged with murder in connection with the Aug. 8 shooting death of Adam Lutz. The pair was arrested in Kinston Thursday afternoon after authorities received an anonymous tip regarding their whereabouts.

Authorities said Lutz was lured by another teen to a wooded area in Durham County to obtain the prescription pain-killer Percocet for $3 to $4 a pill. There, Hunt and Baker were waiting to ambush him, authorities said, adding they believe the pair stole guns from Hunt's neighbor.

Blood-stained money was found in Lutz' truck, according to a search warrant.

Investigators said an ongoing feud also might have been a motive in the slaying. Two weeks before the murder, Lutz and Hunt had a run-in, and witnesses told authorities that one of the men pulled a gun.

Hunt's mother said she was stunned by the charge against him.

"Michael is a good person. I just can't see him doing anything like this. I just don't believe it -- any of it -- because I know how he is and how I raised him," Tammy Matthews said.

Nicole L. Smith, 17, Stephen Kyle Knight, 19, and Janeen Webb, 16, also are charged in the case.

Smith, who authorities said led Lutz to the wooded area, is being held without bond on a charge of first-degree murder. Both Knight and Webb have been charged with accessory after the fact to murder -- authorities said they drove a getaway car -- and are being held in the Durham County Jail on $50,000 bonds.

A sixth teen was present during the slaying, but no charges have been filed against her yet.

 Credits 

Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.