A former Duke University football player, who reportedly admitted to the murder of his former high school friend and Charlotte real estate agent, Whitney Hurd, was arrested and released four different times between July 2024, when Hurd passed away, and his eventual arrest for murder in March.

Authorities discovered Hurd, aged 32, deceased from multiple stab wounds at her townhome located in the upscale South Park area of Charlotte on July 14 last year, following a call for medical assistance. Her death was determined to be a homicide.

According to court documents, Brandon Braxton, 33, was apprehended and freed on separate charges four times. These charges included injury to real property, simple assault, larceny, trespassing, resisting an officer, indecent exposure, and assaulting a female, before he was finally accused of murder and armed robbery on March 20.

Just months after Hurd’s death, Braxton allegedly exposed himself to a victim in a public Charlotte park and attempted to grab a woman’s shorts, according to court records. He spent 31 minutes in jail for the incident exposure charge, records show.

Duke Blue Devils running back Josh Snead (9) celebrates his touchdown with wide receiver Brandon Braxton (5) during the first quarter against the Texas A&M Aggies in the 2013 Chick-fil-A Bowl at the Georgia Dome.  (Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports)

The Mecklenburg District Attorney’s Office did not respond to an inquiry from Fox News Digital.

Braxton’s attorney said he will not be commenting publicly on the matter at this time.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said the case is still an active and ongoing investigation, and the department is unable to provide further comment at this time.

Mecklenburg County’s current bail policy, in general, is to allow suspects accused of minor crimes to be released from custody.

McFadden directed Fox News Digital to a recent study from MDRC’s Center for Criminal Justice Research showing the county’s bail policies led to increased release rates but no significant increase in defendants’ failures to appear in court or in new criminal charges filed against the same defendants.