Case Update: Sentencing

On Wednesday, January 3rd, 2024, Taquan Travontah Jakel Darden pled guilty to the murder of Nathaniel Crawford. Darden received a 240-300 month active sentence regarding the murder, followed by a consecutive 64-89 month active sentence stemming from a robbery case that occurred within the county. The Kinston Police Department would like to express our gratitude to the Lenoir County District Attorney's Office for ensuring that justice was served and to the Lenoir County Sheriff's Office for their assistance in this investigation.

The Kinston Police Department makes it a priority to investigate all crimes perpetrated in our city. We will investigate such cases without compromise for crime and continue to seek assistance from the community we proudly serve. If anyone has information about this incident, please call the Kinston Police Department’s Tips Line at 252-939-4020, Lenoir County Crime Stoppers at 252-523-4444, or through the Tip411 App that is available on both Apple and Android devices. Calls to Crime Stoppers are confidential and anonymous, and the caller may be eligible for a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest.

Previous Release

On November 27th, 2022, at approximately 4:40 pm, officers with the Kinston Police Department were dispatched to the intersection of Nobles Lane and Stadium Drive in reference to a person suffering from several gunshot wounds. Officers and Lenoir County EMS personnel arrived on scene and located the victim. Lives-saving measures were conducted, but the victim succumbed to his injuries while being transported to ECU Medical Center.