Uncle charged in murder, rape of Wilmington 5-year-old
A North Carolina man was arrested and charged in Louisiana on Friday with the murder of his five-year-old niece.
Paitin Fields, from Wilmington, was found unresponsive and taken to a hospital in November of 2017. She was pronounced dead three days later and an autopsy showed she had signs of sexual trauma and strangulation, according to officials.
A year later, David Wesley Prevatte, now 23, was arrested and pled guilty to unrelated charges of intimidating a witness, breaking and entering, larceny and burning down a building, according to the Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office.
He was released from prison after serving ten months.
After an investigation, Pender County Sheriff's Office charged Prevatte with first-degree murder, first-degree statutory rape and statutory sex offense with a child by an adult. He would have been 18 at the time of the murder.
WECT News reports Prevatte made threats to one of the lead investigators on the case in 2018.
Eventually, investigators tracked down Prevatte and found out he was living in Bayou Blue, Louisiana. He was awaiting extradition in Louisiana on Friday, officials said.
Community leaders have been calling for justice for Fields since her death more than four years ago. Leaders with the local chapter of the National Black Leadership Caucus said they are grateful that an arrest was made, but there are still questions left to be answered.
"I would like to know why did it take so long, especially if he was the only person suspected of committing the crime. He could've easily done it again," said Dorian Cromartie, the first vice-chair of the caucus’ local chapter.
Sonya Patrick, an activist with the NBLC, wants local leaders to put more resources into solving crimes so Fields' family and other victims won't have to wait so long to find answers.
"Why did it take so long? If it's because of funding, then we need to divert some funding there to investigate cases soon," Patrick said. "When there's no justice there will be no peace."
