“My brother was murdered about a month ago on Shelton Laurel,” choking up he continued, “I cannot hate the man that killed my brother.”
Freddie Patterson had his eyes closed as he attempted to compose himself on the steps of the Madison County Courthouse last Thursday, May 7th. He was a last-minute addition to Marshall’s midday program to commemorate our National Day of Prayer, which no one expected.
Madison County Gathers
Earlier in the event, speakers such as County Commissioner Mike Garrison, Mayor Aaron Haynie, and local pastors shared their thoughts and prayers for the county.
Commissioner Garrison was tasked with praying for small businesses and local commerce. He held up a dollar bill and reminded the community that our currency states, “In God We Trust” on it. He then prayed:
“I lift up the business of this county for truck drivers, for small business owners, for those in retail. God that you’ve given us financial stability, that allows us to have a refrigerator and a car and a little extra money for the gifts of life… and Lord, how that you’re bringing business and commerce back to our county once again in these post-Helene days.”
A Stranger in the Song
Following Garrison’s prayer, Mickey Moore graced the gathering by leading the group in singing Amazing Grace as he played his guitar. Collective voices rose over the rhythmic clang of the nearby train crossing signals.
I had noticed a new man had joined the others singing on the steps of the historic courthouse, but I did not know who he was.
In his concluding remarks, Pastor Dennis Anderson, the event’s leader, asked if anyone else had anything to say.
That is when Freddie Patterson, the man who had joined in song, came to the microphone. Though some had turned to leave, they stopped as they heard Patterson’s tone through the amp.
Continuing from his earlier statement of being unable to hate the man who is accused of murdering his brother, he said, “I feel like I need to tell people who keep thinking that I’m going to do something crazy. I’m not. I said to them, ‘No, I don’t feel that in my heart. I’ve actually been praying for the man.’”
The Man He Was Praying For
Patterson was referencing Douglas Rex Conner of Greenville, TN, who is currently being held in Madison County, accused of killing Keeneth Larry Patterson on March 31, 2026.
In an April 22nd news release, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office said the shooting was the result of an apparent “domestic-related, jealous rage.”
Patterson was referencing Douglas Rex Conner of Greenville, TN, who is currently being held in Madison County, accused of killing Keeneth Larry Patterson on March 31, 2026.
In an April 22nd news release, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office said the shooting was the result of an apparent “domestic-related, jealous rage.”
And it stated, “The incident occurred on Franklin Mountain Road, with officers responding at 1:20 AM to find him deceased.”
There have not been many other details released at this time, but the land where this happened has heard such cries before.
The Land Where This Happened
“Bloody Madison” is a term many locals grew up hearing while sitting on their respective porches with their parents and grandparents. It is no secret that Madison County, NC, has a violent past, from the Civil War era to the present.
Heavy, then, that once again a murder has happened in an area known for such bloodshed. It brings back to mind the infamous Shelton Laurel Massacre, which happened during the bitter years of the Civil War.
In January of 1863, after a raid of salt had been taken from the county seat of Marshall, Col. James A. Keith went into Shelton Laurel and took 13 men and boys, accused them of the crime of Unionism, dragged them from their homes, and forced them to kneel. Keith then ordered their execution. He even had the women severely whipped and ropes tied about their necks.
Upon learning of the killings, then-Governor Zebulon B. Vance called it “shocking and outrageous in the extreme” and immediately opened an investigation.
What Forgiveness Sounds Like
Yet, on a spring day in 2026, one man from the same ground where the land already cries out from the blood of violence decided to offer forgiveness:
“Now I spent a few nights down in there in that jail, not only that one, but Greene County, TN, and some others, but one night, the Lord touched me. I was lost as they could be. I mean, I was rough as a cob. The Lord saved me from all that had been 30 years now, when I was a big-time drunk man. I love drinking, and all that bar scene, but Lord took you all away from me…I’m alleging in prayer for this man. We’re gonna pray for him, Heavenly Father. We’ve come on behalf of the man who cut my brother’s life short. Lord, I pray. Lord, he’ll find grace that you’ll touch him. Lord, he can start a prison ministry. He can do anything. Lord, I know through you. Lord, give me the strength. Lord, I can say these things. Lord, we love you. Jesus. I know you. I know you hear our prayers. Lord, I know you touch us. Lord, thank you for all you do. Lord, Jesus, Name I pray and Amen. Thank you, Jesus.”
Tears streamed down Freddie’s cheeks as he also asked the crowd to remember his mother, who he said is 88 years old, crying out for “her baby, even if he was 66 years old.”
Arms reached out from all around to support him and thank him for sharing his story.
What started out as a service dedicated to prayer for our Nation and Madison County ended with those in attendance bearing witness to an unimaginable act of courage and forgiveness.
The mountains that have held every sorrow this county has ever known bore witness to something else that morning. One man. Thirty days of grief. And a prayer for the man who caused it.
