Camp Lejeune Marine dies after Wilmington stabbing, man charged with murder

A small memorial of flags now stands at Front and Princess streets in downtown Wilmington after 21-year-old Daniel Montano, a Marine assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines Regiment at Camp Lejeune, died from stab wounds in the 100 block of North Front Street. Police have charged 47-year-old Wilmington resident Davy Spencer with second-degree murder and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, but investigators have not publicly said what, if anything, connected the two men before the attack.

Wilmington police said officers responded around 2 a.m. Sunday, April 5, after reports of multiple fights in the area. WHQR reported the violence came just after last call, and that two stabbing incidents unfolded minutes apart and a block apart along North Front Street. In one of the attacks, a man was stabbed in the neck and later died at the hospital. The clustering of the violence has sharpened concern about late-night safety in the downtown entertainment district, especially in the hours when Marines and other service members may be moving through the city after leaving bars and clubs.

Police initially released images of a person of interest and asked anyone in the downtown area between midnight and 3 a.m. on April 5 to come forward with cell phone photos, videos, dash-cam footage or surveillance video. That appeal points to how crowded the district can be in the overnight hours, and how quickly a disturbance can spill across a few blocks before officers can contain it.

The 2nd Marine Division confirmed on April 6 that a Marine had been injured in an altercation in Wilmington around 2 a.m. on April 5 and later died from those injuries. The division extended condolences to Montano’s family, friends and loved ones. For Camp Lejeune, the death adds another painful loss tied to an off-base night in a civilian district that many young Marines know well. For Wilmington, it leaves a violent early-morning scene, a growing memorial on a downtown corner and a murder case that is now moving through the courts.