WATCH ABOVE: A North Carolina man accused of fatally shooting a 25-year-old was seen taunting the victim’s family by sticking out his tongue and smiling. Janae Frazier reports.
A Wilmington, North Carolina man accused of first-degree murder was caught sticking out his tongue to the victim’s family Tuesday morning.
Antonio Beatty, 21, was seen taunting the family of Carlton Whitley, the man Beatty is accused of fatally shooting in July, by sticking out his tongue and smiling at them.
“He doesn’t care obviously. He showed that his self in court that he don’t care, that he don’t have no remorse for what he did, and he needs to be charged,” said Whitley’s fiancée Octavia Bryant told WECT News.
“This is not right. He took my daughter’s father from her. She don’t deserve that and then you’re going to stick your tongue out at a five-month-old? She is a baby,” she added.
Beatty was making his first court appearance when the incident occurred. His family told WECT Beatty is a good guy but his taunting was upsetting.
“We know they are grieving and the person who stuck his tongue out to them in the courtroom, we do not know that guy,” Beatty’s uncle said, “We deeply apologize for that.”
Beatty’s family doesn’t believe he’s responsible for the murder of 25-year-old Whitley.
“They can be upset for me, I mean, I’m upset myself,” said Beatty in a jailhouse interview with WECT.
He claims he stuck his tongue out at the family because they were taunting him first.
“They [don’t have any right] to stick no middle finger up at me…They [are] lucky I didn’t do more than that,” Beatty continued.
Beatty is planning on pleading not guilty. If convicted, however, he could face the death penalty.
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