Mother turned in her son after seeing picture on the news, son suspected of murdering 22-year-old woman

A mother from North Carolina was watching TV when she saw her son’s face – as a murder suspect. She recognized her son as the man wanted by police in the death of a hemp store clerk in Surf City after surveillance footage from the murder-robbery was shared on the news.

She made the shocking discover just hours after driving her son, 22-year-old Charles Michael Haywood, to the hospital after he returned home with a bad cut on his hand.

She transported him to the police station the next day, where he was detained on suspicion of killing Margaret Nicole Bracey, 42, according to a search warrant obtained by People. He faces first-degree murder and armed robbery charges.

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According to a Surf City Police Department press release, Haywood entered the Exotic Hemp Company carrying a black rucksack and a bandana around his neck. He can be seen on the store’s surveillance camera reading a brochure. He was armed with a “lethal cutting instrument” during his attempt to rob the store. Police did not indicate whether this weapon was used in Bracey’s death and they did not elaborate on her murder.

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Police confirmed that the suspect and the victim did not know each other and Police Chief Phillip Voorhees confirmed the case is being viewed as a homicide.

After Haywood was apprehended and brought to court, District Attorney Ben David requested he be held without bond and turned over to the Capital Defenders Office due to the severity of the crime.

“Anytime something happens in open daylight, in a well-lit, crowded area, it gets everyone to pause and say how concerned they are and that’s why we prioritize those cases in the criminal justice system. This case is a priority for a different reason, and that is because someone has lost their life,” David said, according to WECT.

”I know that this is a case that has shocked the community, this is something a lot of people have turned their attention to,” he added. “We have always put first degree murders at the very highest priority in our office, and we’ll continue to do that.”