GASTONIA, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – A 57-year-old has been charged with first-degree murder after police said he fatally struck a Gastonia man in the head with a toilet tank lid.
The crime occurred just before 5:30 p.m. Thursday, June 1, at a home in the 2900 block of Fraley Church Road, police said.
James Thomas Robinson, 57, has been charged with the murder of 26-year-old Brandon Patty. As officers arrived at the home on Thursday, they found Patty unconscious bleeding from the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene, Gastonia Police said.
Detectives determined that Robinson and Patty lived in the same home and for reasons that are still under investigation, they believe Robinson struck Patty in the head with a toilet tank lid.
Robinson was transported to the Gaston County Jail where he is being held without bond.
