On Thursday July 5th, 2018, Nancy Cherie Hogan was convicted by a Madison County jury of First Degree Murder, Conspiracy to Commit Murder, Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon, and Conspiracy to Commit Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon after a two week trial.
In the early morning hours of July 7th, 2015 Nancy Hogan traveled to the Sandy Mush community of Madison County from the state of Georgia. At some point before dawn Ms. Hogan robbed and murdered Edward Praytor in the driveway of his home. Her son Brandon Hogan and Brandon’s girlfriend Diane Chapman traveled with Ms. Hogan from Georgia and were later named as co-conspirators.
After initially fleeing the scene, Ms. Hogan, Mr. Hogan, and Ms. Chapman later returned to the crime scene in an apparent attempt to cover up the evidence of their crimes. After being identified by a friend of the victim, Ms. Hogan and her co-conspirators fled for a second time. Ms. Hogan had previously been in a domestic relationship with the victim.
The Honorable R. Gregory Horne sentenced Ms. Hogan to serve the rest of her life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“By holding Nancy Hogan accountable for her actions, the verdict in this case has brought a measure of closure for the Praytor family,” District Attorney Seth Banks said in a statement. “I would like to thank the jury for their efforts over the last two weeks. I would also like to thank the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations, and Assistant District Attorney John Honeycutt for their work in assuring that this case was successfully brought to trial.”
