NC NC- Hokie Shepherd, 62, retired school teacher, SA, stabbed & shot, her Cadillac stolen,@ home, E. Caswell St; '85, suspect id.-Thomas Wade, Jr.(dec.)

[dotr]

The Murder of Hokie Shepherd is now Solved

Kinston Police Department, NCSBI, & FBI Leverage Othram’s Forensic Sequencing Platform to Identify a 1985 Homicide & Sex Assault Suspect

dnasolves.com

'On Tuesday, January 8th, 1985, 62-year-old Hokie Shepherd, a retired school teacher who lived alone at 1100 E. Caswell St. in Kinston, North Carolina, was found murdered in her home by a friend. The Kinston Police Department responded to the scene and determined that Shepherd had died from an apparent gunshot wound and assault. Her 1983 burgundy Cadillac had also been stolen, which was eventually found at a local elementary school. Despite countless hours of investigations, the person responsible for Hokie’s brutal attack and murder could not be identified.'

''This investigation allowed investigators to narrow in on the suspect, who was identified as Thomas Williams Wade Jr. At the time of the offense, Thomas was 28 years old and was initially interviewed as a potential person of interest. Shortly after the crime, he relocated from the Kinston area and lived the rest of his life in Granville County, where he passed away in 2007. If Thomas was alive today, he would have been charged with 1st degree murder as well as larceny for the theft of Shepherd's car.''

Kinston police close case on 39-year-old murder; suspect dead

Hokie Shepherd was found dead in her home on East Casewell Street in 1985.

www.witn.com

'On January 8th,1985 Hokie Shepherd was found dead on East Caswell Street.

The police department says she was found nude lying on the floor between the bathroom and bedroom of her family home on East Casewell Street by her friends. They also say her 1983 burgundy Cadillac was stolen.

The 62-year-old was a retired school teacher and was shot and stabbed.'

 

[LadyL]

well I'm glad they identified him
RIP Ms. Shepherd

 

[dotr]

Son of suspect in nearly 40-year-old Kinston cold case murder speaks out

“He should have been tried by 12 people, he was not tried by 12 jurors he was prosecuted publicly," Thomas Wade III said.

www.witn.com

2024
''Thomas Wade III says he feels his father is being painted as guilty without proper due process and he’s now left to defend his father’s character.
“My father is no longer here so why is my family being tortured and publicly humiliated? That is not right,” Wade said.
Wade is hoping to get answers after his dad was named a suspect in a 39-year-old cold case murder.''

August 17 2025 rbbm

MSN

"Shepherd was 62 years old when she was murdered and was a beloved retired Lenoir County Public Schools teacher of more than 30 years. Last year, Major Brandon Turner of the City of Kinston Police Department, received a call from retired detective Tommy Lewis, requesting that they look into the case again.

From there, the KPD was able to send DNA profiles to a company called Orthram, a private lab used for DNA testing, and that uses genealogy to map out family histories.

“We sent some DNA profiles into Orthram who conducted tests and they were able to match a DNA profile,” Major Turner said. “We’re happy to say that on Sept. 30th, 2024, we met with the DA’s office, presented our evidence, and were able to identify the suspect as Thomas Williams Wade Jr.”