North Carolina Man Sentenced After Stepfather Shot 17 Times Outside Gastonia Home

Christopher Hill has been sentenced to 25 to 32 years in prison for killing his stepfather, Braxton Devin Farquhar, outside a home in Gastonia, North Carolina.

The case started on January 11, 2023, when Gastonia police were called to the 100 block of West Sixth Avenue after reports of gunfire. When officers arrived, they found 34-year-old Farquhar outside the home with multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators later identified Hill, who was 23 at the time, as the suspect in the shooting. Police said he was Farquhar’s stepson, and a warrant was issued charging him with first-degree murder. Hill turned himself in the next day.

During an early court hearing, prosecutors said the shooting happened during an argument. Witnesses reportedly told investigators they saw Hill shoot Farquhar. Prosecutors also said Farquhar was unarmed when he was killed, and that he had been shot 17 times, including several times in the back.

Hill claimed in court that he had been verbally and physically abused, but the case continued through the court system. More than three years after the shooting, Hill pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

On June 3, 2026, Hill was sentenced to 25 to 32 years in prison, closing a deadly family case that began with an argument and ended with a man shot outside his Gastonia home.