Murder trial for man accused of stabbing Wilmington woman to death in 2019 underway

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - The murder trial for Andrew Boynton, the man accused of stabbing Kimberly Bland to death in 2019, began Monday in New Hanover County.

Investigators found Bland dead in the apartment she shared with Boynton along Randall Parkway. Officers had originally checked her apartment after receiving a missing person’s report.

Once inside, officers said they noticed a rug pushed behind a couch that seemed suspicious. They later came back with a search warrant and found Bland’s body wrapped in trash bags, rolled inside a rug and hidden behind a couch. An autopsy later determined Bland had 28 stab wounds.

Just days later, police arrested Boynton in Virginia, saying he had fled North Carolina in Bland’s car. Boynton has been held at the New Hanover County jail since his return to North Carolina.

In the nearly-three years since her death, Bland’s friends and family have tried to make sure her memory lives on.

Now, Boynton will face a jury. He is charged with first-degree murder and felony larceny for allegedly killing Bland and stealing her car.

The trial began Monday after a judge denied a motion to continue the trial and move it to another venue.

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