A Catawba County jury found a Hickory man guilty of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury at the end of a trial covering parts of four days on Thursday, November 21, 2024, in Catawba County Superior Court.
James Gray McAllister, 63, was sentenced to an active prison term of 44 to 65 months by the Honorable Matthew Osman, Superior Court Judge from Mecklenburg County, following the jury’s verdict after a little more than an hour of deliberation.
The defendant will serve his period of incarceration in custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections.
The trial began on November 18. Following evidence presentation by the state and defense, including testimony from the defendant, both sides presented closing arguments on Thursday afternoon to get the case to the jury for a verdict.
The offense occurred on October 21, 2023, and started over an altercation regarding the posting of a no trespassing sign on a piece of property.
The short verbal dispute quickly turned physical when McAllister took a claw hammer and struck the male victim in the back of the head and across the face.
Brittany Weaver investigated the case for the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant District Attorneys Jonathan Greer and Taylor Rockett prosecuted the matter for the State with aid from Legal Assistant Stacey London.