Gaffney killer draws interest in Mooresville murder case

Could the Gaffney serial killer be responsible for last month's murder of a Mooresville man?

That's one of many questions the Mooresville Police Department is asking as it continues the month-old investigation into the shooting death of a local resident.

Matthew Ryan Stewart, 31, was fatally shot and his wife Angela wounded in the arm during what has been termed a home invasion in the Gabriel Estates neighborhood in north Mooresville. The incident happened shortly after midnight on June 9.

Police have not identified a suspect and no arrests are imminent, Chief Carl Robbins said Tuesday.

"We're still actively investigating," he said, calling the search a "top priority."

One of the avenues of investigation will be to see whether the case has any possible connection to the man who was shot and killed by police Monday during a burglary in Gastonia. Patrick Tracy Burris, 41, with a long list of felonies throughout the Carolinas, has been positively identified as the man who murdered five people in Gaffney, S.C. last week.

With the help of the State Bureau of Investigation and, most recently, the state law enforcement division, Robbins said evidence and leads from the Mooresville shootings continue to be analyzed, including leads stemming from rumors swirling around the community.

"We have to interview people and see if there's any factual information in those," he said.

Later this week, subject matter experts will assist the MPD in reviewing the "statements that have been taken from people interviewed" and any facts "pertaining to the crime," Robbins said.

Nobody has been ruled out as a suspect and a variety of potential situations are being dissected as the investigation enters its second month, he said.

"It would be in our best interest if it wasn't random," the chief said of the Stewart incident. "But we have to entertain every possible motive. We haven't singled out or discounted any motive in this."

Mentioning possibilities such as mistaken identity or a long-standing gripe with the victim, Robbins said investigators "have to look at everything" as they await that one piece of information that leads to an arrest.

Since Matthew Stewart's murder, several safety concerns have emerged among not just the Mooresville community, but within Gabriel Estates. Robbins said Tuesday that he "understands where they're coming from" and urges neighbors and others to "not be complacent" and use common sense when it comes to personal and home safety.

Because a suspect has yet to be identified and the potential that this was a random act of violence remains, Robbins said neighborhood canvasses were made in north Mooresville and officers have increased their patrols of that part of town.

"Believe me, I understand people being concerned," he said. "We are trying. We are doing everything we possibly can."

The home, at 158 Shephard Hill Drive, has been turned back over to the Stewart family, said Robbins, following "a very thorough search" of the residence.

Angela Stewart has said she and her husband were in bed when a gunman entered their room and began shooting on June 9. She was able to escape to a neighbor's house with one of their children. The other children were not harmed.

Early in the investigation, Angela Stewart had not been able to provide a thorough description of the assailant, other than to say he was "a tall male." Robbins said Tuesday that those details have not changed and have not been expounded in the last month. He added that the MPD also has no description of the assailant's vehicle.

"Our appeal is that anybody with information – somebody with a car description, anything unusual – let the police department (or) the SBI follow up on it and see if there's anything to it," he said, noting that this investigation "really comes down to" the community and the information they provide.

"Obviously, it's easiest if you can solve something quickly while it's still fresh in people's minds," Robbins said.

"It may take a while, but we aren't going to give up on it. The family, I know they want justice and we do, too."