A weekend mountain murder has left a Western North Carolina man dead and his girlfriend charged with his murder. The McDowell County Sheriff's Office responded to a home in Old Fort, Friday afternoon.
The victim identified as 41 year old, Eric Jerome Ward was shot and was found dead the scene. His girlfriend 49 year old, Jessica Martin Blackburn was arrested in connection to the shooting.
She's charged with murder and is being held without bond in McDowell County. Investigators say the shooting happened after a domestic violence related incident. However, no further details have been released at this time and the incident remains under investigation.
