Woman charged with murdering Raleigh man previously convicted of assaulting her
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- Sandra Hunter, 66, is charged with murder in the death of Arthur Upchurch, 72, in Raleigh.
- Court records show Upchurch had previously been convicted of assaulting Hunter.
- Upchurch was allegedly killed Friday and found dead Saturday.
A woman was arrested Sunday after police say she killed a man court records show at least twice previously assaulted her.
Raleigh police were called to a report of a dead body at 1021 Bassett Trail, an apartment in East Raleigh, shortly after 11 a.m. Saturday, according to a news release. Officers discovered Arthur William Upchurch, 72, dead, the release said.
Sandra Elaine Hunter, 66, was arrested on a charge of murder in Upchurch’s death, court records show. Hunter lives in that same apartment complex, her arrest warrant states, but court documents don’t indicate where Upchurch lived or which apartment his body was found in.
Police haven’t indicated a potential motive in the killing, which Hunter’s arrest warrant alleges occurred Friday. But court records show Upchurch had more than 30 convictions in the state of North Carolina since 1982, including multiple convictions on charges of assaulting women and police officers.
At least two of those convictions involved assaults against Hunter, who Upchurch had twice been ordered to avoid contacting, according to court documents.
As recently as Dec. 11, Upchurch pleaded guilty to assault on a female in a February 2024 incident where he hit Hunter in the face, causing swelling, court records show. He was sentenced to time served and was ordered to have no contact with Hunter.
Upchurch had previously pleaded guilty Oct. 5, 2023, to habitual misdemeanor assault stemming from a 2021 incident where he caused a laceration to Hunter’s lip, court documents state. In that instance, he was sentenced to a minimum of 15 months and a maximum of 27 months in prison with 543 days’ credit. Upchurch was also ordered to undergo substance abuse treatment and domestic violence abuser treatment, but it’s not clear if he complied.
Hunter remained in the Wake County jail without bail as of Sunday morning. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Raleigh Police Department at 919-996-3335 or submit a tip to Crimestoppers at www.raleighcrimestoppers.org.
This story was originally published March 1, 2026 at 9:21 AM with the headline "Woman charged with murdering Raleigh man previously convicted of assaulting her."
