Months after Michelle Hurd was found stabbed to death in her North Carolina townhome, a former high school classmate has been charged with her murder.

Police had investigated Brandon Braxton, 33, after Hurd’s death last July, but he was never charged in the case, even though his fingerprints were found in her vehicle — which had been stolen after her murder — and in her home, WSOC reported. The vehicle was later found abandoned.

Hurd’s family told detectives that they had been friends in high school but that he “lost touch” for several years, then starting showing up at her home. She even reportedly called police once when he “broke into her home.” Another time she reportedly found him drunk and asleep in her driveway after she refused to let him in the home.

But police got a break after he was arrested on unrelated charges in January. He had previously be arrested 10 days after the murder and again in October, all on unrelated charges, and released on bond. But after his arrest on January 23 in Pineville for trespassing and resisting, he was ordered held without bond.

Then, on March 3, Braxton submitted a grievance to the jail administrative sergeant that said, “I killed Whitney Hurd.”

Detectives took a look at jail surveillance video and saw that it was Braxton who accessed the jail kiosk at the time the grievance was submitted. On Tuesday, he was charged with first degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon.

According to Queen City News, witnesses reported seeing a man driving Hurd’s car away from her home on July 4, 2024. DNA and fingerprints linked Braxton to the vehicle and the crime scene.

The affidavit also said that Braxton had been in contact with Hurd’s family and friends and he tried to reestablish a connection with her, but those witnesses reported that his behavior raised red flags.

According to WBTV, Braxton was arrested seven times in Mecklenburg County alone after Hurd’s murder, facing charges that included assault on a woman, simple assault, injury to property, and larceny.

His next court appearance is April 9.

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[Featured image: Brandon Braxton/Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office]