Man convicted in murder dies in prison

A man serving a life sentence for the murder of a Carthage woman died Tuesday in his cell at Scotland Correctional Institution.

The North Carolina Department of Public Safety said inmate Christopher Watson’s death is an apparent suicide in a Wednesday press release.

“He was found unresponsive in his cell at 7:40 p.m.,” said the release. “Prison medical staff and local paramedics responded and performed life-saving measures in attempts to resuscitate the offender.”

Watson, 31, of Sanford, was arrested in 2014 for murdering 54-year-old Carol Bowling Chacon. The victim owned two Sanford thrift stores, including Project Help Thrift Store. Chacon hired Watson through her prison ministry.

Watson stabbed her to death inside her store. Watson’s brother, Samuel, was convicted of felony accessory after the fact.

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