N.C. Deputy Stabbed by Suspect Accused of Killing Grandmother

The Craven County Sheriff's Office is searching for a 24-year-old man who allegedly killed his 72-year-old grandmother in Havelock and then stabbed a deputy in the leg when confronted at a Bojangles in Vancebro.

By Julia Marnin

Source The News & Observer (Raleigh)

Oct. 30, 2025

2 min read

What to know

Craven County sheriff's deputies are searching for 24-year-old Dominic Liam Connelly, who is accused of killing his 72-year-old grandmother and setting her Havelock home on fire on Oct. 25.
Connelly allegedly stabbed a deputy in the leg during a confrontation inside a Bojangles restroom in Vanceboro on Oct. 29 before fleeing the scene.
He remains at large and is wanted on charges of murder, first-degree arson and motor vehicle theft.

A manhunt is underway for a 24-year-old man who is accused of killing his 72-year-old grandmother and setting her Havelock, NC, home on fire before stabbing a Craven County sheriff's deputy in the leg when confronted at a Bojangles in Vancebro days later.

A North Carolina man killed his grandmother and fled, then attacked a deputy with a knife inside a Bojangles bathroom while on the run, authorities said.

The Craven County Sheriff’s Office is still searching for Dominic Liam Connelly, 24, who is considered dangerous. He is accused of killing his 72-year-old grandmother, Patricia Lopedote, at a home, which was found on fire in Havelock on Oct. 25.

Connelly was spotted at a Bojangles in Vanceboro on Oct. 29, when deputies responded to the restaurant and found him in the bathroom, the sheriff’s office said in an Oct. 30 news release. Vanceboro is about a 110-mile drive southeast from Raleigh.

Connelly stabbed a deputy in the leg, Craven County Sheriff Chip Hughes told WITN.

Connelly then ran off from the restaurant and was seen heading toward an apartment complex behind Bojangles, according to the sheriff’s office. He had been wearing dark clothing.

Three local schools, Vanceboro Farm Life Elementary School, West Craven Middle School and West Craven High School are closed on Oct. 30 due to the “emergency situation” in Vanceboro, Craven County Schools said in a Facebook post shared by the sheriff’s office.

Deputies found Lopedote dead at the Havelock home after they were called to a fire at the residence, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies also noticed her car was missing.

Connelly is accused of stealing her car after killing her. Her cause of death has not been specified.

Lopedote’s car was later found abandoned, in a parking lot near baseball fields in New Bern on Oct. 28, according to the sheriff’s office.

Connelly is wanted on charges of murder, first-degree arson and larceny of a motor vehicle, the sheriff’s office said. The office posted several photos of Connelly on Facebook.

Anyone with information on Connelly is asked to call 252-636-6620 or 252-633-2357.

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