Lenoir Man Sent To Prison For Attempted Murder

A Lenoir man will serve an active prison sentence of 12 to 15 years after he was convicted of violent crimes during Catawba County Superior Court Tuesday (November 4). 30-year-old Marquel James Jackson was sentenced following a guilty plea to attempted first-degree murder, attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon and discharging weapon into occupied dwelling/moving vehicle.

The offenses occurred on February 3, 2025, at a hotel in Hickory when the defendant had interaction with a female victim in a parking lot. The victim was able to get Jackson out of her vehicle and tried to leave the area, but he fired two rounds from a firearm into the passenger side.

The victim told investigators that he tried to sell her drugs and when she refused, Jackson attempted to rob her of money. She was not injured in the incident. The defendant left the scene before being picked up six days later in Caldwell County.

Richard Helderman led the investigation for the Hickory Police Department Assistant District Attorney Melanie Earles prosecuted the matter for the State with aid from Legal Assistant Jordan Arney.

Story Rob Eastwood-WHKY