1 jailed on murder charge in Halloween killing in Robeson County; brother wanted

ROBESON COUNTY, N.C. (WBTW) — One person has been charged and his brother is sought by the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office in connection with a Halloween 2023 homicide, authorities said on Friday.

Richard Alexander Hardin, 32, of Red Springs, was charged Thursday with first-degree murder, felony conspiracy and discharging a weapon within an enclosure to incite fear. At the time of his arrest, he was in the Robeson County Detention Center on unrelated charges. He was denied bond on his current charges.

His brother, 29-year-old Gatlin Ray Hardin, of St. Pauls, is wanted on charges including first-degree murder.

Deputies responded just before 2 p.m. last Halloween to the 600 block of Back Swamp Road outside of Lumberton for an unresponsive individual, the sheriff’s office said. When they arrived, they found Stephen Locklear, 38, dead inside his residence.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 910-671-3170.

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Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here .

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