Fayetteville man accused of killing girlfriend extradited from Virginia to face charges

A man arrested in Virginia in the September killing of his girlfriend in Fayetteville was booked into the Cumberland County jail Wednesday, jail records show. 

Travis Edward Jefferson, 27, was arrested Sept. 30 in Newport News, Virginia, on Cumberland County warrants charging him with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a felon in the Sept. 19 slaying of 21-year-old Nicoda Melvin.

According to an affidavit in support of Jefferson's arrest, Fayetteville police were called to the couple's home at 1115 Southern Ave. at 4:25 p.m., Sept. 19, on a reported shooting. 

Upon arrival, officers and medical personnel found Melvin with a gunshot wound to the head. She was taken to the Cape Fear Valley Medical Center where she died from her injuries, the Cumberland County court record states.

Previous coverage:Man charged in homicide of Nicoda Melvin arrested in Virginia

More:Three from the same family killed in Fayetteville and Cumberland County

Interview with witnesses and evidence found at the scene led investigators to believe Jefferson was standing next to Melvin when he shot her, the document states. Jefferson reportedly drove away from the scene before police arrived. 

Other witnesses at a nearby convenience store reported the couple had been observed arguing earlier that day. Additionally, interviews revealed the two had a tumultuous relationship and during a phone call some five hours before Melvin was killed, Jefferson could be heard in arguing in the background, the document states. 

Police also learned that Jefferson had previously threatened to shoot Melvin, the affidavit states. 

Jefferson was being held at the Cumberland County jail without bail Thursday morning.

In an unrelated incident, three days after Melvin was slain, her brother Marquez Melvin, 19, and their cousin, Konye Melvin, 16, were killed about 5 a.m. Sept. 22 after a gunman burst into a home on Charlie Drive in Cumberland County and began shooting. 

Two other people were also injured, including another Melvin sibling, Maurice Melvin, 19. His condition is stable, Lt. Patrice Bogertey of the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office said Thursday. 

No arrest has been made in the Charlie Drive homicides.

Crime Reporter Jack Boden can be reached at jboden@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jackboden5.

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