KINSTON — The Asheville adolescent Teylyn McAlpin was murdered in 2020, and on August 5 the Kinston Police Department claims to have made contact with a long-sought suspect in the case. Kinston, located in Lenoir County in the eastern part of the state, police were conducting patrols near the 500 block of Larkspur Road due to “suspicious activity” reported in the area when they spotted Donate Whitson, wanted for first-degree murder and on the run for nearly three years.
KPD Maj. Brandon Turner told the Citizen Times on August 9 that the officers “initiated contact with him just to speak with him,” but that the suspect “fled on foot and tossed a firearm” during their confrontation. “He managed to flee, and the gun was found.” Since then, officers from Kinston and the License and Theft Bureau at the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles were able to conclusively identify the perpetrator as Whitson, 20, originally from Asheville.
A $10,000 reward has been offered by the United States Marshals Service, which began helping in the search for Whitson in December 2020, according to Turner. According to a 2022 press release, authorities speculate that Winston “could be living among the homeless populations,” moving frequently between different North Carolina locations “to avoid capture,” and possibly even adopting a new identity along the way.
Over a year after an Asheville youngster was shot and killed, US Marshals and local police are still looking for the person responsible. “It is suspected that other gang members are actively helping (Whitson) avoid arrest, in the Asheville, Greensboro, Raleigh, or Winston Salem areas,” the release said, implying that Whitson is likely being protected by the group Sex, Money, Murder. It’s possible that Whitson is evading capture by bouncing between these major urban centers. Whitson was a Black male, 5 feet 7 inches tall, with brown eyes and black hair, according to a Facebook post by the Kinston Police Department. According to Turner, Whitson is a potential threat who may also be armed. “Do not approach him, contact law enforcement,” Turner said if anyone happened to run into him.
The Asheville Police Department responded to reports of gunfire around 8:30 a.m. on November 28, 2020, at the Montford baseball field, according to a previous article in the Citizen Times. A police official confirmed that officers found McAlpin, then 17, with several gunshot wounds and rendered help until paramedics arrived. At Mission Hospital, McAlpin ultimately succumbed to his gunshot wounds. Both Whitson, then 18, and a male juvenile of 16 were charged by APD with McAlpin’s murder. The arrest occurred in December of 2020, and the 16-year-old’s name has been concealed in accordance with state juvenile legislation.
The mother of the murdered teenager, Javelin Duncan, had told the Citizen Times that Whitson and McAlpin were close friends, almost “like family,” before the incident. Duncan had earlier stated, “I want Donate arrested.” I demand an opportunity to question Donate publicly about his decision to take my son’s life. And I want him to see my eyes before he tells me what he thinks. About 150 people from the neighborhood gathered at the spot where McAlpin was shot two days after he died to demand a stop to the violence against young people.
McAlpin’s sister, Laquanda Duncan, proclaimed, “Death don’t have to be the thing we do,” to the assembled group. I’m sick of seeing “rest in peace” tees. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I’m sick of this. The murder of the Asheville teenager and the manhunt that followed were featured in an episode of “In Pursuit with John Walsh,” which first aired on “Investigation Discovery” on October 5, 2022. If you know anything about Whitson’s location, please contact the Kinston Police Department’s Tips Line at (252) 939-4020, Lenoir County Crime Stoppers at (252) 523-4411, or use the Tip411 app (iOS and Android). You can also utilize the USMS Tips App or call the US Marshals Service at 1-877-WANTED2.
