Greed is a classic motive for murder.
Few writers of fiction could invent a tale as intricate and unnerving as this real life account of double murder perpetrated more than 12 years ago in neighboring Richmond County.
The execution-style slaying of Maceo McEachern and his mother, Vela McEachern, is not the type of thing that happens in small southern communities, especially not to upper middle-class community leaders.
Journalist Clark Cox has woven into this narrative much history, especially social history, of the area, along with sketches of personalities from the cast of characters.
Cox uses the simple language of the experienced journalist to tell a story of complex machinations steeped in the most basic of vices: greed.
The McEacherns operated a funeral home in Hamlet. Mrs. McEachern, a widow, remained active in the business, with her only son handling most of the work. They were black, as were most of their clientele, but mother and son, especially Maceo, had about as many white friends as black friends.
Maceo, 44, did not live with his mother. He enjoyed a special circle of friends and invested in numerous business enterprises. He was active in politics and business and served on both the Richmond County Board of Education and the Richmond County Board of Commissioners.
Although he never married, Maceo enjoyed the company of women. One in particular, Naomi Daggs, a faculty member at Richmond Community College, provided Cox with much background material, along with photographs to illustrate his book.
For the most part, Maceo’s business endeavors were successful, but he made a mistake when he agreed to invest in an enterprise developed by an acquaintance, Joey Caldwell of Gaston County. Caldwell was the developer of the sports drink Proformance, a beverage similar to Gatorade but with lower levels of sodium and sugar.
Relations among the business partners, including the late Clyde Sullivan of Southern Pines, quickly soured, but no one was prepared for murder.
Meticulous research went into compilation of this fascinating narrative, in which Cox builds suspense by recounting the background of the principals and details of the police investigation, an inquiry that eventually reached the FBI, SBI, IRS and U.S. Attorney’s office
The Hamlet Police Department is not a large, sophisticated agency, but Chief Terry Moore and his force proved that the persistence and ingenuity of a small but feisty police department could pay off.
“I think this has been the best example you could ever see of law enforcement agencies and the court system working in concert to catch and convict a criminal,” said Chief Moore.
Cox describes details of the exhaustive investigation, everything from the questioning of possible witnesses to repeated searches through a kudzu-infested field for evidence.
“This whole case was an example of greed and values in the wrong places,” said the chief.
The writer gleaned details from newspaper accounts, court records and transcripts and interviewed dozens of people who knew the McEacherns.
The murders occurred 12 years ago, the trial 10 years ago. It may be history today, but Cox finds places to add generous wallops of surprise.
Cox has enriched the story with local history dating to the Revolution, the days of slavery, the Red Shirt movement and modern politics.
The writer knows his locale well. A resident of Rockingham, Cox is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a Morehead Scholar. He has worked as reporter and editor for daily and non-daily papers for 40 years and presently is a senior writer for The Pilot. He and his wife, Helen, have two children, Candice and Tom.
Gilkeson may be reached at florence @thepilot.com
