CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ A Charlotte man was convicted of murder this week after investigators pointed out his electronic ankle monitor placed him at the scene of the shooting.
Carico Rodriquez Hayward, 29, was sentenced Thursday to spend the rest of his life in prison after a jury found him guilty of murdering Ellis Bradham, 27, in 2016. He was denied the possibility of parole.
Haywood was out on probation at the time of the killing.
"Hayward was wearing an electronic monitor at the time of the murder, and police discovered that his monitor showed he was in the same woods the day Mr. Bradham disappeared," said a statement from District Attorney Spencer Merriweather. "When confronted with this information, Hayward confessed to the murder."
Bradham was reported missing by his sister on Dec. 19, 2016. He had not been seen or heard from since visiting friends � including Hayward � at an apartment the day before, she said.
Four days later, Bradham's body was discovered in the woods of Shuffletown Park along Bellhaven Boulevard in northwest Charlotte. He had been fatally shot, police said.
Hayward was already in police custody on an unrelated warrant when he was charged with the killing. Hayward also was charged with a probation violation.
