LINCOLN COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Three people have been charged with murder in connection to the death of a 16-year-old boy, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.
On Dec. 15, 16-year-old Edwin Jaziel Morales Hernandez was found dead on the side of Whitehouse Road in Lincolnton.
Deputies say the victim was taken from outside his home, robbed, and then shot and left on the side of the road. Over the next 12 days, officials found evidence leading to the arrests of the three suspects.
On Friday, Dec. 27, warrants were obtained for 20-year-old Michael Dujuan Byrd, 17-year-old Isaiah Dashawn Lipscomb, and 35-year-old Larue Dean Lipscomb, Jr. All three suspects were booked without bond and charged with first-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, and kidnapping.
Byrd is being held in the Lincoln County Jail, Larue Lipscomb is being held in the Harven A. Crouse Detention Center, and Isaiah Lipscomb is being held in the York County Detention Center while awaiting extradition to Lincoln County.
Lincoln County Schools confirmed that Hernandez was a former student of the county and withdrew from school back in March of 2024.
Agencies that assisted the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office in the search include: the US Marshals Carolinas Regional Task Force, Kings Mountain Police Department, York County, SC Sheriff’s Office, Clover Police Department, and Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office
