Naman Shrestha
The episode titled ‘Cape Fear Killer’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘The Friday the 13th Murders’ delves deep into a string of mysterious and similar rape and murder cases that terrified a couple of cities in North Carolina — New Bern and Wilmington. Focusing on the murders of Gwendolyn “Gwen” Evelyn Nelson and Latricia Ann Scott, the documentary covers all the intricate details of the investigation that spanned multiple decades. The detectives finally determined the pattern of the perpetrator and brought him to justice.
Gwen Nelson and Latricia Scott Were Killed in a Similar Manner Decades Apart
Born in the late 1950s, Gwendolyn “Gwen” Evelyn Nelson grew up alongside her sister, Kametrice Nelson, in New Bern, North Carolina, and went to New Bern High School. By the time she turned 18, she had become a mother to a daughter named Kindell Mitchell. Being a sociable and lively individual, she had the ability to light up any room she walked into. In her free time, she enjoyed spending time with her friends in the neighborhood. With her whole life ahead of her, Gwen’s dream of raising her daughter and witnessing her achieve success was shattered as fate intervened.
On the fateful day of June 28, 1977, the police were informed about human remains found near the cafeteria outside the F.R. Danuys School on West Street in New Bern. When the authorities arrived at the scene, they discovered Gwen’s remains, which were identified by her mother. The autopsy determined that she had died of blunt force trauma to the head. Several decades later, 24-year-old Latricia Ann Scott was found dead on January 13, 2012, a killing linked to Gwen’s murder. Born in the late 1980s, Latricia was raised on Wooster Street and in the Houston Moore housing project in Wilmington, North Carolina.
After graduating from Hoggard High School, she attended Cape Fear Community College for higher studies. By 2010, Latricia had embraced motherhood by welcoming two children into the world with Kyperoo Gore — Keon and Mydaya. The 24-year-old mother of two was reported missing on the night of January 11, 2012, by her mother when she couldn’t get in touch with her. A couple of days into the search for her, her remains were discovered buried in a shallow grave in the backyard of a house at 1115 Cowan Street in Wilmington, North Carolina. Just like Gwen Nelson, Latricia’s cause of death was also declared to be blunt force trauma to the head.
Gwen Nelson and Latricia Scott’s Killer Had Prior Rape Convictions
While investigating Gwendolyn Nelson’s murder, the authorities interviewed her boyfriend at the time. He admitted that he was with her on the fateful day. As per his accounts, when Gwen left his house, she was stopped by a black male who talked with her for a while before grabbing her from behind and dragging her across the street towards the school where her remains were found. The boyfriend thought that they knew each other and were joking, which is why he didn’t report the incident to the police. Incidentally, a couple of weeks before Gwen’s murder, Barbara Ann Lewis’ remains were found after she was strangled to death.
The detectives found several similar pieces of evidence in both crime scenes, leading them to believe that the same perpetrator was responsible for them. They followed up on several clues and leads, but were unable to get to the bottom of either case. After nearly three decades of the case turning cold, Gwen’s murder case was reinvestigated as the detectives reviewed evidence from the crime scene. As the investigators noticed a pattern of crimes that took place in the same area and around the same time as Gwen’s murder, they zeroed in on a potential suspect named Andrew Bernard Adams. Upon digging deeper into his rap sheet, they learned that he was only 16 years old when he was convicted of assault with the intent to commit rape on September 21, 1973.
After he was released in May 1977, he resided in New Bern and downtown Wilmington for a while, where multiple rapes occurred, including that of Gwen. A couple of years after Greg’s death, on July 13, 1979, Andrew was found guilty of three counts of assault with the intent to commit rape and one count of rape in the first degree in Wilmington. The convict also confessed to a couple of rapes and assaults he had committed in New Bern. After serving 33 years in prison, he was released in January 2007. Over the next few years, the detectives tried to connect him and his DNA to Greg’s murder, but couldn’t.
The Killer Had a Stand-off With the Police Before Being Arrested
Things changed when the remains of 24-year-old Latricia Scott were discovered at 1115 Cowan Street in Wilmington on January 13, 2012. The detectives found out that she allegedly had a romantic relationship with Andrew Bernard Adams, with whom she was last seen, as per police reports at the time. Thus, he immediately became a suspect in the case. The detectives reportedly found blood-stained sheets, pillow cases, and clothing inside a cooler at Andrew’s house at 1115 Cowan Street, linking him to Latricia’s murder. On the same evening when her remains were found, around 7 pm, the police and the suspect had a stand-off that lasted for several hours, when the police came to arrest him.
Andrew attempted to barricade himself inside a house at 815 North 6th Street in Wilmington. At about 10 pm, a SWAT team threw a smoke bomb into the residence before entering. They arrested Andrew, who was found hiding in a crawl space. Charged with first-degree murder, Andrew also admitted to killing Gwen Nelson in 1977 during an interrogation. He was also charged with the murder of Gwen and was held without bond in the New Hanover County Detention Facility.
Andrew Bernard Adams is Currently Incarcerated at a North Carolina Prison Facility
Having confessed to the killings of Gwen Nelson and Latricia Scott after his arrest, Andrew Bernard Adams recanted his confession in an interview with WECT in September 2012. He claimed that he made the confession to cover up the crime of the woman who was responsible for Latricia’s murder. As per his accounts, he had nothing to do with the murder but said that he had buried her remains. Andrew alleged that a woman, who didn’t get along with Latricia, killed her during a fight while he was intoxicated. He also claimed to have no memory of the digging of the hole where he buried the remains.
More than a year later, on October 28, 2013, he pleaded guilty to the 2012 murder of Latricia and received a life imprisonment sentence without the possibility of parole. A few weeks later, he also pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and second-degree rape for the 1977 murder and rape of Gwen Nelson. Since he had an IQ of less than 70, he was ineligible for the death penalty under the state’s law. Thus, he was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. Since there wasn’t enough evidence to charge him with the murder of Barbara Lewis, and he had already been sentenced to life in prison, the case was closed without prosecution. As of today, the 69-year-old killer is serving his sentence at Maury Correctional Institution in Hookerton, North Carolina.
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