In the quiet town of Garner, North Carolina, a somber cloud has settled over the community following the devastating loss of 58-year-old Anthony Lee White. On the afternoon of Wednesday, August 13, 2025, the Sleep Inn on Commerce Parkway—a place where Anthony both lived and worked—became the scene of an unthinkable tragedy. A fellow employee discovered Anthony’s lifeless body in one of the hotel’s rooms, a single gunshot wound stealing away a life filled with purpose and presence.
The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office responded swiftly to the harrowing 911 call placed just before 4:00 p.m. Deputies arrived at the hotel, nestled in the 100 block of Commerce Parkway, to confirm the grim reality: Anthony Lee White, a man known to many as a dedicated worker and resident of the hotel, had been fatally shot. The discovery sent shockwaves through the tight-knit community, leaving family, friends, and coworkers reeling from the sudden loss.
As the sun set on that fateful Wednesday, the investigation took a startling turn. Authorities zeroed in on a suspect—20-year-old David Lamont White, Anthony’s own son. In a chilling development, deputies located David just hours later, around 11:30 p.m., in the parking lot of the Alcove Garner Apartments on Blue Peak Drive, less than a mile from the scene of the crime. Without incident, David was taken into custody and charged with the murder of his father. Now held without bond at the Johnston County Detention Center, he faces the weight of a crime that has left a community in disbelief.
The motive behind this heartbreaking act remains shrouded in mystery. The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, led by Chief Deputy Jeff Caldwell, continues its meticulous investigation, but no details have been released about what drove a son to allegedly take his father’s life. The silence surrounding the motive only deepens the sorrow, as those who knew Anthony grapple with questions that may never find answers.
Anthony Lee White was more than a name in the headlines. To those who knew him, he was a familiar face at the Sleep Inn, a man who called the hotel both his workplace and his home. His presence was a constant in the daily rhythm of Garner, and his absence now leaves a void that echoes through the community. Friends and family are left to mourn a life cut short, their grief compounded by the shocking circumstances of his death.
As the investigation presses forward, the people of Garner hold tight to memories of Anthony, a man whose life touched many. The Sleep Inn, once a place of routine and familiarity, now stands as a somber reminder of a tragedy that has forever altered the lives of those connected to it. The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office remains steadfast in its pursuit of justice, but for now, the community mourns, united in their shared loss and the hope for healing in the days to come.