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A Durham man was sentenced to up to 29 years in prison Tuesday after apologizing to the family of a young artist who agreed to sell marijuana to his killer in Hillsborough three years ago.
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Terrance Bright, 20, was facing life in prison plus 24 years for the murder of Cailee Azariah Parker, 20, of Durham.
On Tuesday, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, and assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury as part of a plea deal.
Superior Court Judge Allen Baddour sentenced him to between 22 and 29 years in prison.
“This did not need to happen, and I’m frankly tired of saying that,” Baddour said during sentencing.
Bright’s cousin Coreiaja Woodard, 22, also pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, and assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury.
She will serve between 13 and 18 years in prison if she testifies in March against the remaining two defendants, who were juveniles at the time of the shooting, Assistant District Attorney Anna Orr said.
Bright was 17 years old when he arranged through Instagram after several tries to buy $330 worth of marijuana from Parker, Orr said. They met on West Orange Street, near downtown Hillsborough, around 10 p.m. Sept. 13, 2023.
Parker’s 17-year-old girlfriend, Torry Jackson, told police that the man later identified as Bright was the front passenger in a Kia Soul that pulled up. A white man with a mask on his face and a Black man were in the back seat, Orr said.
The masked man handed Parker an envelope containing three $100 bills, and Parker gave the marijuana to Bright, she said. The men offered to pay the $30 using Cashapp, but said it wasn’t working, she said.
When Parker gave them his phone to use, the car pulled away, Orr said. When Parker ran after it to get his phone, the Black man in the back seat pulled out a pistol and Bright pointed a rifle at him, she said.
Jackson backed away from the car as the men shot Parker and ran home, Orr said. She was shot in the arm.
Neither Parker nor Jackson was armed that night, Orr said.
Hillsborough police found Parker lying in the street with gunshot wounds. He died later at Duke University Hospital.
Police tracked Parker’s cell phone through the Life360 app, aided by a Chapel Hill K9 unit, to Sports Endeavors in Hillsborough, Orr said. The phone was found with a mapping application open, giving directions to Hinson Drive in Durham, she said. The address was linked to Bright through previous police reports, she said.
A Raleigh police detective later shared a message from a female caller who had details about the shooting, Woodard, Bright and the Kia, which was stolen from Mebane, Orr said. Police arrested Bright at a Durham home, where they also found an AR-style rifle that matched the one used in the shooting, she said.
The other men — Jesse Baldwin and Dante Biwagou, both of Raleigh — said Bright arranged the deal and shot Parker, she said.
Biwagou is charged with first-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury, court records show.
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Baldwin, 20, is charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon, aid and abet first-degree murder, and aid and abet assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, records show.
Parker’s and Jackson’s relatives spoke Tuesday and read multiple letters from family and friends.
Her daughter’s life was shattered by the shooting, and she deserves justice, Dorica Jackson said. She struggles with relationships and sleep, concentrating, and just “feeling normal.”
“She wakes up from nightmares, reliving this moment. She carries anxiety that follows her everywhere. Loud noises make her jump. She avoids crowds … afraid that something will happen again,” Dorica Jackson said.
“Mental and physical therapy has become a regular part of her life, and even with support, the healing is slow and painful,” she said.
The family heard the gunshots that night, she continued, reading a letter from her husband. His daughter “used to be carefree, full of energy, full of plans for the future,” he said in the letter. “As her father, it breaks me to see her this way.”
“I can’t protect her from the memories. I can’t take away the images she saw. I can’t erase the moments she watched someone she loved be killed right in front of her. All I can do is stand beside her as she tries to rebuild her life piece by piece,” he said.
Parker’s family recalled a talented artist who was a nephew, brother, son and friend. Parker was generous and “a person whose life had value,” his mother Toshauna Parker said.
“He deserved to grow, to make memories, to experience more life, and to spend more time with the people who loved him,” she said. His murals — created in the Durham Mural Crew summer program — cover streets, utility boxes and walls around Durham.
The 2021 Durham School of the Arts graduate worked six days a week, sometimes taking on double shifts, at Chick-fil-A while preparing to enroll in Durham Technical Community College, his mother said. Torry Jackson met him at work roughly a year earlier.
He loved working with his hands, and he “was the life of the party,” family said. He stayed busy to avoid the “street life,” Toshauna Parker said, and she knew something was wrong when he didn’t call her that night.
His son’s death was the worst night of his life, Calinto Parker added, and nothing will bring him back.
“I really wanted to hate [Bright], but I can’t,” he said. “I can’t do what I raised my son not to do. … I just want him to be held accountable.”
Public defender Woodrena Baker-Harrell initially spoke for Bright, saying, “this tragic outcome was never the intention,” before Bright asked to speak.
“I really didn’t know what to say,” Bright said, glancing over at the families. “But hearing y’all talk … I’m genuinely sorry. I know sorry does not mean anything … I know y’all might not be able to forgive me, and I understand that, but I want y’all to know I am not a bad person.”
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This story was originally published October 14, 2026 at 8:03 AM.