Manhunt for NC murder suspect crisscrossed state until he was found on a hog farm
A Charlotte man accused of murder in connection with a homicide in Garner was found on a hog farm nearly two weeks after the fatal shooting, the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.
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Jose Francisco Banegas-Quintanilla, 28, was arrested and transported to Johnston County on Friday night, according to the Sheriff’s Office. He is accused killing Victor Manuel Martinez-Rivera, 37, at the Garner Super 8 Motel on Oct. 11.
Johnston County deputies found Martinez-Rivera dead with gunshot wounds in the second-room floor of the motel, the Sheriff’s Office said. Martinez-Rivera also is from Charlotte.
Investigators determined Banegas-Quintanilla fled the scene in Martinez-Rivera’s vehicle, according to the Sheriff’s Office, tracking his travel from Johnston County to Charlotte and from Charlotte to the Lenoir County city of Kinston.
A warrant for Banegas-Quintanilla’s arrest on murder charges was issued Oct. 13, court records show. Over the next two weeks, investigators conducted “numerous” interviews and analyzed surveillance footage to find Banegas-Quintanilla, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
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On Friday, detectives determined that Banegas-Quintanilla was staying in a trailer on a Pitt County hog farm, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Together with the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office and the Greenville Police Department, Johnston County deputies took Banegas-Quintanilla into custody without incident.
Along with the murder charge, Banegas-Quintanilla also faces charges of robbery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a stolen motor vehicle.
A warrant for Banegas-Quintanilla’s arrest alleged that he stole Martinez-Rivera’s silver 2016 Toyota RAV4 and threatened Martinez-Rivera with a handgun.
This story was originally published October 26, 2026 at 12:45 PM with the headline “Manhunt for NC murder suspect crisscrossed state until he was found on a hog farm.”
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