A
former Duke University football player, Brandon Braxton, has allegedly confessed to killing his high school friend and Charlotte real estate agent Whitney Hurd. According to a police affidavit, Braxton, 33, submitted a written grievance to Mecklenburg County jail officials on March 3 stating "I killed Whitney Hurd."

    Hurd's body was found with multiple stab wounds in her upscale townhome in the South Park neighborhood of Charlotte on July 14 last year. Her vehicle and phone were missing at the time, but police later discovered her phone case inside her car. Fingerprints from Hurd's vehicle placed Braxton inside her residence.

    Hurd and Braxton had been friends at Providence High School, but they lost touch for many years. Recently, Braxton began showing up at Hurd's residence, according to her friends and family. In one incident, he fell asleep in her driveway after she refused to let him inside.

    Braxton was a wide receiver for Duke between 2010 and 2013. He was arrested multiple times last year, including on charges of larceny of a motor vehicle in Pineville, a town neighboring Charlotte. In July 2024, detectives interviewed Braxton after he was released from jail, but he refused to provide details about Hurd's disappearance.

    Following his confession on March 3, detectives reviewed video surveillance that showed Braxton using the kiosk in the jail at the time when the grievance was filed. Charlotte officials have since charged Braxton with first-degree murder and robbery.