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Inset: Stephen Buchanan (North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation). Background: The residence where Buchanan buried his slain uncle in Cleveland, N.C. (Google Maps).
In a grim case that has shocked North Carolina, a man has been sentenced to several decades in prison for the murder of his elderly uncle, whose body he attempted to conceal in his backyard, officials revealed this week.
Stephen Eric Buchanan, aged 40, admitted guilt on Thursday to charges including second-degree murder, concealment of a death, and possession of a firearm by a felon. These charges stem from the 2024 murder of his 72-year-old uncle, Charles Knight. Buchanan also faced charges for four counts of obtaining property by false pretense.
The court, presided over by Rowan County Superior Court Judge Michael S. Adkins, handed down a sentence ranging from 51 to 63 years imprisonment.
Police were alerted to the situation on August 4, 2024, when they performed a welfare check at Knight’s home on Johnstone Road in Cleveland, a small town approximately 45 miles north of Charlotte.
Upon arrival, officers from the Cleveland Police Department discovered Knight’s remains partially buried in the backyard. Some of the remains were also found in a burn pit, according to reports from local media, including NBC affiliate WCNC and the Salisbury Post.
A warrant was issued for Buchanan’s arrest four days later, and he was arrested on Aug. 12, 2024, Rowan County court records show.
In September 2024, the defendant’s brother told a news outlet based in the United Kingdom that he was the one who called police after not seeing their uncle for several days and then seeing his brother using their uncle’s car.
“I asked Stephen where our uncle was, and he told me he was in Louisiana,” the brother told the Daily Express. “He had been going to yard sales and selling my uncle’s things. I got a call from my uncle’s neighbor one day who said there was a fire burning for three days and they could smell a dead animal.”
That report was cause for concern.
“I went to my uncle’s garden to check out the fire and I found human remains in the pit,” the since-sentenced man’s brother continued.
The investigation ultimately identified Buchanan as the lead suspect. He was first apprehended on outstanding warrants in South Carolina and then extradited back to the Tar Heel State.
The convicted killer’s motive and the victim’s cause of death remain unclear.
After the arrest, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation was the lead agency on the case. In a statement announcing the court’s sentencing decision, the agency thanked their partners.
“The SBI is proud of the great work by the men and women of the SBI, the Cleveland Police Department, and the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office for thoroughly investigating this case and bringing closure to the family of the victim,” the agency said.