The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has launched a criminal investigation into the Scotland Neck Police Department (SNPD) following explosive allegations that the department mishandled critical evidence in the 2021 Latoya Lawrence murder.
According to Fighting Crime News and Who’s Wanted, Antonio Clark and his wife Akeshia Clark were accused of chasing Lawrence as she drove before she was fatally shot. Lawrence and Antonio were reportedly dating at the time.
Lawrence was found dead inside her vehicle from a gunshot wound on August 7, 2021, after what police initially reported as a single-vehicle crash near the intersection of Grace and Tenth Streets in Scotland Neck.
Video Shows “Pop That C**chie” Line Dance Inside a Scotland Neck Funeral Home
Evidence Lost, Confession Thrown Out, and Charges Dismissed
The case began unraveling when reports emerged that SNPD had lost a video of Antonio confessing to the killing. A written confession was also rendered inadmissible due to Clark not being read his Miranda rights, according to Fighting Crime News and Who’s Wanted.
More damaging still, a video doorbell camera reportedly captured the murder, but that evidence was allegedly destroyed by police, further weakening the state’s case.
On May 21, 2025, prosecutors dismissed the murder charges against Antonio and Akeshia Clark without leave, meaning they can never be charged again in for Lawrence’s murder.
“Other evidence that may have been obtained lawfully in this case has not been produced to the State for use as evidence at trial,” court documents state. “Statements from law enforcement that potential evidence… was lost or destroyed, further hinder the State’s ability to prosecute.”
SBI Investigation Expands as Top SNPD Officials Resign
In a stunning development on Friday, May 30, it was confirmed that Scotland Neck Police Chief Tommy Parker resigned amid the ongoing SBI investigation.
According to reporting by the RR Daily Herald, the SBI probe intensified after it was revealed that SNPD officers, including Parker, left their jurisdiction and traveled to Rocky Mount to interview and arrest Antonio Clark for Lawrence’s murder—an action outside their legal authority.
A public information officer for the SBI confirmed that District Attorney Kim Scott, who oversees Halifax County, made the discovery that SNPD had acted outside its legal boundaries in the arrest.
Scott reported the incident to District Attorney Jeffrey Marsigli of the Eighth Prosecutorial District (Edgecombe, Nash, Wilson counties), who then formally requested the SBI open a criminal investigation into the Scotland Neck Police Department for misconduct.
According to the Herald, the SBI’s investigation into the department began as early as April 2024, stemming from mounting allegations of evidence destruction, improper arrests, and systemic misconduct within the agency.
Public Outcry Grows As Justice for Latoya Lawrence Fades
What began as a pursuit for justice in the death of Latoya Lawrence has now become a state-level scandal, shining a harsh spotlight on the operations and oversight of the Scotland Neck Police Department.
With the case now closed, the alleged killers walking free, and the public trust severely damaged, community members are demanding accountability, transparency, and reform in the wake of what many are calling a gross miscarriage of justice.
