Pender County man gets life for fatal stabbing of stepfather, assault on mother
A Pender County jury found Michael Thomas Rich guilty of killing Paul Busovne and attacking Debra Busovne, then Judge Tiffany Powers gave him life without parole.
Michael Thomas Rich will spend the rest of his life in prison for the killing of his stepfather and the brutal attack on his mother, closing a Pender County family-violence case that began with a deadly confrontation at a farmhouse on Shiloh Road.
A Pender County jury convicted Rich on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, of first-degree murder in the death of Paul Busovne. Jurors also found him guilty of attempted murder and three felony assault charges tied to the attack on Debra Busovne. Judge Tiffany Powers then sentenced Rich to life in prison without the possibility of parole, with an additional 175 to 222 months on the attempted murder count to run concurrently. Powers also arrested judgment on the felony assault convictions.
The violence erupted on November 13, 2021, at the 8100 block of Shiloh Road in Willard, where deputies with the Pender County Sheriff's Office were sent at about 10:15 a.m. They found Paul Busovne dead from apparent stab wounds, Debra Busovne assaulted and taken to the hospital, and Michael Thomas Rich still at the scene. Rich was transported to the hospital for minor injuries and then arrested without bond as investigators began piecing together what happened inside the home.
Testimony at trial showed the confrontation started after Paul Busovne and Debra Busovne tried to talk to Rich about taking his medication. Prosecutors said the argument escalated fast, and Rich stabbed Paul Busovne 19 times before chasing and attacking his mother. Debra Busovne suffered severe injuries, including broken ribs and a clavicle, injuries that underscored how close the family came to losing two people that morning instead of one.
The case carried its own painful family record. A fundraiser organized after the killing said Paul Busovne and Debra Busovne had been married for eight years and had built a home together. It described Paul Busovne as sweet and giving, a portrait now set against the finality of a life sentence and a courtroom finding that leaves no doubt about accountability for the attack that shattered the household.
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