Police said one man survived a Charlotte apartment attack days before a separate murder warrant was announced.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A 79-year-old man survived a strangling and robbery inside his Charlotte apartment, police said, in a case now tied by defendant to a separate homicide investigation involving a 70-year-old Lincolnton man.
The Charlotte victim’s account began with an ordinary walk home from a grocery store. The Lincolnton case began with a missing-person report. Together, the public records describe two older men at the center of violent-crime investigations involving Kayla Rose Bessette, 36. In Charlotte, Bessette was charged with attempted murder, breaking and entering, robbery and assault by strangulation. In Lincolnton, police later obtained warrants charging her with first-degree murder and common law robbery in the death of Tony Maddox.
The surviving Charlotte victim told police he had left the Food Lion at 3009 The Plaza when a woman approached and asked him for money. He was 79 and heading back to his apartment in the 1400 block of Murdock Road. According to the probable cause affidavit, the woman followed him from the store to his home. He tried to close the door when he arrived, but police said she forced her way inside. That moment is the key break in the record: what began in a public place continued inside the private space of the victim’s apartment.
Police said the violence happened in the bedroom. The affidavit said Bessette pushed the man onto his bed, got on top of him and began strangling him. She then took money from his pockets and left the home, investigators wrote. The victim survived, but reports said he was seriously injured. Authorities have not released his name, the amount of money taken or a detailed description of his medical treatment. The early records also do not say whether neighbors heard the attack or whether any witness saw the woman enter or leave the apartment building.
Officers later located Bessette at a bus stop near the Food Lion. Police said her hands were bloody when they found her. Detectives also obtained surveillance video from the grocery store and said it confirmed her identity. The video, the blood observed by officers and the victim’s statement formed the public evidence described in the affidavit. Investigators have not released the surveillance footage, and the record does not say whether forensic testing was completed. The case, at its first stage, rested on the account of a surviving victim and the evidence police said supported that account.
What police said happened during questioning added another layer to the case. After Bessette was given Miranda warnings, investigators said she admitted breaking into the victim’s home and trying to kill him while taking his money. The affidavit said she did not deny an intent to kill when asked and “smiled with satisfaction.” Police also wrote that she said more than once that she did not regret the attack and that the victim “deserved it.” The document does not explain what she meant or give a reason for the alleged statement.
The charges in Charlotte reflect a case that prosecutors could frame around both physical harm and intent. Assault by strangulation focuses on the alleged injury caused by choking or pressure to the neck. Robbery focuses on the taking of money. Breaking and entering focuses on the forced entry into the home. Attempted murder focuses on whether prosecutors can prove Bessette intended to kill the man. At this point, those are accusations in a criminal case. The available public record does not show a conviction or plea.
The second older victim, Tony Maddox, was reported missing from Lincolnton on May 27 after last being seen the day before. Searchers found his body June 2 in a wooded area. Lincolnton police later said they had obtained warrants charging Bessette with first-degree murder and common law robbery in his death. Local reports said Maddox’s car, a black Dodge Charger, was found abandoned in south Charlotte after he disappeared. Police have not released the cause of death or a detailed account of what they believe happened between Maddox’s last known sighting and the discovery of his body.
Maddox’s death brought grief to people who knew him in Lincolnton. Reports from the community described him as a familiar face at Rock Fitness, where friends remembered small acts of kindness. A gym manager said he sometimes brought flowers that would otherwise be discarded, knowing she liked them. Members left notes and memories in a vase placed at the gym. Those details stand apart from the legal claims, but they show the personal loss behind the murder warrant. In the Charlotte case, the surviving victim’s privacy has left fewer public details about his life.
The two cases also show different kinds of evidence likely to matter in court. In Charlotte, police described a living witness who gave a direct account, video from the grocery store, the bus stop arrest and Bessette’s alleged statements after Miranda warnings. In Lincolnton, authorities have released far less. They have identified Maddox, the missing-person timeline, the discovery of his body and the charges. They have not publicly laid out what evidence led them to Bessette. That gap is common early in homicide investigations, but it leaves much of the Lincolnton case unknown.
The dates create the public timeline. Maddox was last seen May 26. He was reported missing May 27. The Charlotte attack was reported May 30. Maddox’s body was found June 2. Lincolnton police announced the murder and robbery warrants June 5. Bessette was already in Mecklenburg County custody when the Lincolnton warrants were announced. Reports said she was held without bond in the Charlotte case after her arrest. Any later custody decisions would depend on court action in the counties where the charges are pending.
As of July 6, 2026, the record shows one surviving victim in Charlotte, one homicide victim in Lincolnton and one defendant facing separate prosecutions. The next steps are expected in court, where prosecutors must prove the allegations and judges will set the schedule for each case.
Author note: Last updated July 6, 2026.