BEAR CREEK — Two Chapel Hill men are suspected to have been involved in the murder of a 20-year-old Bear Creek man, according to the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office.
The department has obtained second-degree murder arrest warrants for Kenneth Joseph Bass Jr., 18, and Shyquaule Javon Fisher, 25, in connection with the killing of Emerson Batsche. Batsche died as the result of a gunshot wound to the chest while at his residence off Pittsboro-Goldston Road in Bear Creek early in the morning on May 20.
Though the Sheriff’s Office is still withholding details of the circumstances of the murder, the warrants indicate Batsche’s shooting may have been connected to a robbery.
Bass, who was arrested by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday, was charged with second-degree murder, aiding and abetting armed robbery and obstruction of justice. Bass is being held under a $200,000 secured bond and is scheduled to make a first appearance in Pittsboro on July 20.
Fisher, who is still at large, is facing charges of second-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon and obstruction of justice.
“I’m proud of our investigators and everyone who responded to the scene for working so hard to try to solve this crime,” Chatham County Sheriff Mike Roberson said.
Batsche’s mother Andrea said she was surprised by how quickly the Sheriff’s Office was able to find out what had happened to her son that night, saying she was “super grateful that they stayed on it.”
“With partnership with the community, we were able to come to a resolution,” Roberson said. “We wouldn’t be where we are at now if it wasn’t for the community’s help and friends of those involved.”
Andrea reiterated that same gratitude for the community’s support and assistance.
“I’m grateful that they chose to have integrity and courage over their own fear,” Andrea said. “It doesn’t bring Emerson back, but it does help honor him some way — that his life was worth more than we can ever measure.”
The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office is requesting anyone with information on the whereabouts of Fisher to call 9-1-1. The investigation is still ongoing.
Casey Mann can be reached at CaseyMann@Chathamnr.com.