Prosecutors said Wednesday they will pursue the death penalty for a former Marine accused of carrying out a mass shooting last year that killed three people and injured several others.
Brunswick County District Attorney Jon David acknowledged the circumstances surrounding defendant Nigel Max Edge, including his service in Iraq, a traumatic brain injury and a history of severe mental illness. “We are not blind to who this defendant is,” David said, adding that those factors were considered but must be weighed against the alleged crime.
Investigators say Edge drove a small motorboat to a waterfront cocktail bar in Southport on Sept. 27, 2025, before firing a short-barreled semiautomatic rifle. He has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder, along with several counts of attempted murder and weapons offenses.
In April, Superior Court Judge Jason Disbrow ordered Edge to receive psychiatric care after finding that he did not currently understand his court proceedings well enough to assist his defense team.
Defense lawyer Matthew Geoffrion asked Wednesday to postpone the hearing, saying Edge’s brain injury may ultimately prevent him from being competent to stand trial. Edge was wounded several times during combat in Iraq, including a gunshot to the head.
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“The chances of capacity restoration in this case appear low,” Geoffrion wrote in the motion.
David disputed that assessment, saying medical experts at the state hospital treating Edge have determined that he is likely to regain competency. The prosecutor stressed, however, that the capital-punishment decision could still be revisited.
David said labeling the case as capital ensures Edge receives the greatest procedural safeguards available, including the appointment of a second qualified defense attorney and the most extensive review by the courts.
“If evidence emerges bearing on Mr. Edge’s sanity at the time of the offense, we will reassess,” David said. “If he is never restored to capacity, the death penalty would not be a lawful sentence and would be removed from consideration.”
Edge is due back in court for his next hearing on Dec. 7.
