VANCE COUNTY, N.C. — An investigation is underway after a man was found dead beneath a tree with a rope around his neck.
Javion Magee, 21, from Illinois, was found Sept. 11 outside a business on Vanco Mill Road, near Henderson.
Magee was located near the base of a medium-sized tree in a seated position with a rope wrapped around his neck, according to the sheriff's office. The other end of the rope was attached to the tree.
Candice Matthews, who identified herself as a spokesperson for the family, told WRAL News Magee worked as delivery truck driver and graduated from Longview High School in Texas.
Matthews said the family believes Magee's death to be a hate crime.
"In my opinion, it's a hate crime because this young man had no indication of suicidal ideation," Matthews said.
During a Friday news conference, Vance County sheriff Curtis R. Brame said evidence shows Magee purchased a rope from a Walmart, where he had stopped for a delivery before his death. The sheriff's office is working to develop a timeline of what led up to Magee's death using GPS from his delivery truck.
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