Stephen Eric Buchanan, 40, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and related charges in the 2024 killing of his 72-year-old uncle, Charles Knight, and was sentenced to 51 to 63 years in prison. Authorities discovered Knight's partially buried remains, some in a backyard burn pit, during a welfare check. Buchanan's brother alerted police after finding human remains.
On August 4, 2024, Cleveland Police Department officers conducted a welfare check at Charles Knight's residence on Johnstone Road in Cleveland, North Carolina, a town about 45 miles north of Charlotte. They found the 72-year-old's remains partially buried in the backyard, with some in a burn pit, as reported by local outlets WCNC and the Salisbury Post. A warrant for Stephen Eric Buchanan's arrest was issued four days later, and he was taken into custody on August 12 in South Carolina before extradition to North Carolina on outstanding warrants. Rowan County court records detail the events leading to his plea on Thursday, where the 40-year-old admitted to one count each of second-degree murder, concealment of death, and possession of a firearm by a felon, plus four counts of obtaining property by false pretense. Judge Michael S. Adkins imposed the 51-to-63-year sentence. Buchanan's brother prompted the welfare check after noticing his sibling using Knight's car and selling his belongings. 'I asked Stephen where our uncle was, and he told me he was in Louisiana,' the brother told the Daily Express. A neighbor reported a three-day fire with a dead animal smell, leading the brother to discover remains in the pit: 'I went to my uncle's garden to check out the fire and I found human remains in the pit.' The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation led the probe post-arrest, stating, 'The SBI is proud of the great work by the men and women of the SBI, the Cleveland Police Department, and the Rowan County Sheriff's Office for thoroughly investigating this case and bringing closure to the family of the victim.' Motive and cause of death remain undisclosed.