Man arrested on murder charge for April stabbing near American Tobacco Trail
Durham police arrested a man Thursday in connection with a fatal stabbing near the American Tobacco Trail last month.
Christopher Cornelius Caldwell, 64, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Howard Morris Reade Jr., 44, court records show, who was stabbed in the 3000 block of Fayetteville Street on April 27. Reade was taken to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
The April stabbing occurred in the same area as a fatal stabbing in March. LaRue Barbee, 46, was charged with first-degree murder in the killing of 51-year-old Chesleigh Lyons in that case, which police said was not believed to be random.
Caldwell has been convicted more than 10 times in North Carolina since 1985, on charges including assault on a female and an “escape prison” offense in Granville County in 1992, according to court records. He most recently was on parole for a charge of assault on a female in 2013.
Caldwell appeared virtually in Durham County court on Thursday, where prosecutors said he stabbed Reade on the American Tobacco Trail after a fight over “panhandling spots.” The altercation was recorded on surveillance video, a prosecutor said.
A public defender asked Judge Doretta Walker to set bail for Caldwell, as he has no history of failing to appear for hearings.
But citing Caldwell’s 12 prior convictions — six of which were violent offenses — Walker did not authorize his release. Walker set Caldwell’s next court date for June 4 and assigned him a court-appointed attorney.
“I don’t see what good that will do,” Caldwell told the judge.
This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 9:11 AM with the headline "Man arrested on murder charge for April stabbing near American Tobacco Trail."
