NEW HILL — An Apex man arrested last Wednesday has been charged with murder after Chatham County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a trespassing call in New Hill.
Officers were dispatched to the 3300 block of Christian Chapel Church Road on June 23 and found Brandon Wade Bryarley, 33, of Staley, dead at the scene. He’d been shot multiple times and succumbed to his wounds before police arrived, according to a CCSO statement released last Friday.
James Edward Fox, 47, of 219 Watersay Dr., Apex, is suspected of killing Bryarley and has been charged with felony murder, police say.
“Fox told investigators that he had an ongoing issue with strangers riding vehicles on his property,” the press release said, “and that Bryarley was riding a motorcycle on his land.”
Fox is being held at the Chatham County Detention Center without bond and is scheduled to appear in court on July 19. Police collected evidence on scene and spoke with additional witnesses regarding the incident, but request anyone with information about Bryarley’s death contact the Sheriff’s Office at 919-542-2911.
“I appreciate the hard work of our deputies who put in long hours to gather facts and evidence,” Sheriff Mike Roberson told the News + Record. “However, we can’t solve crime without the help of the public. In Chatham County, we are fortunate to have a good relationship with our community.”
Bryarley’s death is the latest in a recent string of violent crimes. On June 14, Siler City police were dispatched to the 400 block of East Sixth Street in response to reports of gunshots, according to Siler City Police Chief Mike Wagner. Upon arrival, officers found one person who had been shot.
Wager has not made the identity of the victim public.
The victim eventually succumbed to the gunshot wounds at an undisclosed time. The department is conducting a homicide investigation with assistance from the State Bureau of Investigations, said Wagner, who declined to provide further details citing the sensitivity of an ongoing investigation and the unique complexity of this case.
“We’re going to maintain confidentiality while were working with SBI,” he told the News + Record, “so that when we make charges we’re absolutely certain we’ve got the right people.”
The suspected murder is at least Siler City’s second fatal gun crime in the last six months. Earlier this month, an extradition team retrieved Sergio “Yovani” Rodriguez Pereira from Gwinnett County, Georgia, where he’d fled after allegedly shooting his brother-in-law, Ramon Hernandez.
Hernandez, 28, died Dec. 20 in the UNC-Chapel Hill Medical Center after he was shot several times in the torso. He’d been found earlier the same day on Waterford Street after authorities received reports of gunshots. A witness later identified Rodriguez as the shooter.
Rodriguez, 24, faces one count of first-degree murder and three counts of assault with a deadly weapon among other less serious charges. He is next scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.
Siler City’s crime rate exceeds the state and national average, according to Wagner, who has worked to shore up his staff in his two years as chief. In the last complete year of data, the town had 67 violent crimes, he previously told the board of commissioners, including murder and rape, and 325 property crimes.
Reporter D. Lars Dolder can be reached at dldolder@chathamnr.com and on Twitter @dldolder.