A North Carolina highway patrol sergeant has been indicted in the murder of a sheriff's captain following a years-long romantic dispute involving a woman both officers dated. North Carolina State Highway Patrol Sgt. Nekime Matu Oxendine, 44, is accused of shooting Cumberland County Sheriff's Capt. Adam Bean on March 27 outside the woman's home in Hope Mills following a confrontation between the two men.
According to authorities and search warrant filings, police arrived to find the woman, Tara Lynn Whitman, performing CPR on Bean as Oxendine remained nearby. Bean was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said. The fatal shooting followed years of escalating tension surrounding Whitman's relationships with both men, state investigators wrote in court filings.
The investigation revealed that Oxendine had displayed persistent jealousy and insecurity over the years regarding Whitman's connection to Bean. Whitman began dating Bean in 2022 after ending a long-term relationship with Oxendine, and eventually ended that relationship and returned to Oxendine. As their relationship resumed in December 2025, Oxendine continued to show insecurity over Bean, asking Whitman whether Bean was more attractive and accusing him of having the power to "lure u in and out of my life on demand."
On the night of March 27, Bean asked Whitman to come to his residence after work to talk, but Whitman initially agreed but later stopped responding to his messages. When Bean arrived, he became irate after seeing Oxendine's vehicle parked outside, and Oxendine stepped outside and fired about two warning shots into the ground. Bean continued advancing toward him, and Oxendine then opened fire two to three more times, according to the warrant.
Oxendine has been charged with first-degree murder. Bean had served with the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office for 20 years and most recently served as assistant chief of detectives with the rank of captain.
NTC Report coverage is based on reporting from the original publisher.
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