A Sampson County man has been sentenced to at least six and a half years in prison for shooting his half brother, killed during an argument between the two in July 2008.

Dwayne Terell Hines, 26, pleaded guilty in Sampson County Superior Court to voluntary manslaughter Thursday and was sentenced to a minimum of 77 months and a maximum of 102 months in the N.C. Department of Corrections.

District Attorney Dewey Hudson announced the guilty plea in a press release Friday, outlining the facts of the case and why he chose to accept Hines’ plea in the shooting death of his half brother Arthur Lee Warren, 33.

According to evidence compiled by local authorities and state prosecutors, the two brothers were arguing on July 3, 2008, about money that had been stolen from Hines. The argument became heated and Warren threatened to kill Hines. However, it was Hines who then shot Warren several times.

Shortly after midnight on July 4, officers and emergency personnel responded to 635 Boone St., Roseboro, and found Warren. He was transported to Sampson Regional Medical Center, where he died of multiple gunshot wounds.

According to the District Attorney’s Office, friends and family members told prosecutors that the two brothers argued frequently, with Hines often injured as a result. In those cases, they said, he would leave the Roseboro home and go to a relative’s house.

“Several witnesses state that Warren may have pulled a gun on Hines at least twice in the months before July 3, 2008, and that Hines had been looking for a different place to live in the week before the shooting,” Hudson noted in the press release.

The district attorney painted the picture of an abused little brother, even illustrating Hines height of 5 feet 6 inches and weight of 130 pounds as compared to the 6 foot-6 inch, 204-pound frame of Warren.

Hines, he noted, has just one prior conviction of assault on a female.

“I have reviewed the evidence and the law in this case and believe that a plea of guilty to voluntary manslaughter is appropriate,” stated Hudson.

Chris Berendt can be reached at 910-592-8137, ext. 121, or by email at sicrime@myclintonnc.com.