Last updated: October 8, 2026. This case is currently on trial. David Wesley Prevatte is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Who Was Paitin Fields?

Paitin Fields was five years old in November 2017. On the morning of November 13, she was brought to Pender Memorial Hospital without vital signs and was later transferred to New Hanover Regional Medical Center. She died on November 16, 2017.

According to the North Carolina medical examiner’s findings reported by WECT, Paitin’s cause of death was ligature strangulation. Medical examinations also documented evidence of acute sexual trauma.

The Charges

David Wesley Prevatte faces three principal charges in Pender County Superior Court:

• First-degree murder
• First-degree statutory rape of a child by an adult
• First-degree statutory sex offense with a child by an adult

North Carolina court calendars list the case as 22CRS050143. Prevatte was indicted on the listed offenses in March 2022.

Timeline

• November 13, 2017: Paitin is brought to Pender Memorial Hospital unresponsive and later transferred to New Hanover Regional Medical Center.
• November 16, 2017: Paitin dies three days after she was hospitalized.
• May 2018: The final autopsy is signed. The medical examiner concludes that Paitin died from ligature strangulation and documents acute sexual trauma.
• June 2018: Authorities publicly identify Prevatte as a suspect after he is accused of threatening the lead investigator while jailed on unrelated charges.
• December 2018: Previously sealed search-warrant records are released, providing additional detail about the early investigation.
• February 4, 2022: Prevatte is arrested in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, after Pender County authorities obtain warrants charging him in Paitin’s death.
• March 28, 2022: Court records list indictments for first-degree murder, statutory rape of a child by an adult and statutory sex offense with a child by an adult.
• September 28, 2026: Jury selection begins in Pender County.
• September 29-30, 2026: A 12-person jury of six men and six women is seated and alternate selection continues.
• October 1, 2026: Opening statements and testimony begin.

What the State Says Happened

In opening statements on October 1, prosecutors alleged that Prevatte assaulted and strangled Paitin inside the family home. The State told jurors that its case will include medical testimony, a sexual-assault evidence kit, swabs, physical evidence and testimony from Paitin’s older sister Savannah, who was seven years old in 2017.

According to WECT’s courtroom reporting, prosecutors told jurors that Savannah awoke at approximately 3 a.m. on November 13 and saw Prevatte next to Paitin before noticing that something was wrong with her sister’s eyes. The State said it expects to call roughly 30 witnesses, including medical personnel, friends and family members.

What the Defense Says

The defense denies that Prevatte killed or sexually assaulted Paitin and argues that investigators focused on him too quickly. Defense counsel told jurors that Prevatte awoke to screams, found Paitin unresponsive and helped rush her to the hospital rather than waiting for an ambulance.

The defense also offered an explanation for biological material found on Prevatte’s clothing: counsel said he performed lifesaving measures while transporting Paitin and that she urinated and defecated on his lap in the vehicle. Defense attorneys further highlighted unidentified non-male DNA reportedly recovered during the investigation and challenged whether red earbuds collected by investigators could have produced the ligature marks documented at autopsy.

Day 4: First Medical Testimony

Medical testimony began October 1. Registered nurse Krystal Beck testified that two men arrived at the ambulance bay carrying an unresponsive child and that hospital staff immediately began efforts to stabilize her. Surveillance footage showing Prevatte carrying Paitin toward the emergency department was admitted into evidence.

Emergency physician Dr. Brian McGrath testified that Paitin was actively seizing and showed signs of severe brain injury and non-accidental trauma. Photographs documenting redness, petechial bruising and marks to her face and neck were introduced. McGrath testified that, in his medical opinion, Paitin had been strangled.

Pediatric critical-care physician Dr. Michael Stoiko testified that Paitin arrived at the pediatric intensive-care unit unresponsive, with discoloration and a sharply demarcated line around her neck. He also testified about injuries observed during catheter placement that he said were not consistent with routine catheterization or rectal temperature measurement.

Day 5: Testimony Continues

October 2: The State continued presenting testimony in Pender County Superior Court. WECT reported that Day 5 of testimony proceeded Friday as prosecutors continued their case against Prevatte. Jaded Evidence will add witness-by-witness details as the court record and reliable courtroom reporting develop.

The Evidence to Watch

• Medical evidence: the strangulation findings, brain injury and documented sexual trauma.
• DNA and biological evidence: what was recovered, where it was found and whether either side can reliably explain its presence.
• Paitin’s sister’s account: what Savannah reported in 2017, how her account has developed over time and how the jury evaluates testimony about events she witnessed as a seven-year-old.
• The alleged ligature: whether the physical evidence can identify what was used to strangle Paitin.
• The investigation: why Prevatte became the focus, what evidence emerged during the four-plus years before his arrest and whether investigators adequately explored alternative explanations or suspects.

Why Did It Take More Than Four Years to Charge Him?

Prevatte was publicly identified as a suspect in 2018, but he was not charged in Paitin’s death until February 2022. At the time of the arrest, Pender County Sheriff Alan Cutler described the case as an ongoing investigation and said the arrest was the result of years of work. The public record does not establish that a single event or piece of evidence alone caused prosecutors to file the homicide and sex-offense charges in 2022.

Prior Threat Allegation

While jailed on unrelated charges in 2018, Prevatte was accused of threatening the lead investigator in Paitin’s case during a recorded telephone call. That allegation was one of the events that brought renewed public attention to him as a suspect. A threat allegation is not proof that he committed Paitin’s murder, and the jury must decide the current charges based on evidence admitted at trial.

Where the Case Stands

As of October 5, 2026, the State is continuing to present its case. No verdict has been reached. Jaded Evidence will update this page as testimony develops, including forensic evidence, witness testimony, defense cross-examination, motions, jury instructions and ultimately the verdict.

October 3 trial update

Day 5 testimony concluded Friday with the prosecution continuing its case. Testimony is scheduled to resume Monday, October 5, 2026. WECT and Court TV reported additional testimony concerning the events surrounding Paitin’s hospitalization and the investigation. No verdict has been reached; the trial remains ongoing, and Prevatte is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

WECT: Day 5 testimony · Court TV: daily trial highlights

October 5: Day 6 trial update

On Monday, October 5, jurors heard testimony from retired Pender County Sheriff’s Office deputy John Leatherwood and listened to recorded hospital interviews conducted with Lisa and Dale Hunt after Paitin was transferred to New Hanover Regional Medical Center. The jury was also shown photographs as prosecutors continued reconstructing the hours surrounding Paitin’s collapse and hospitalization.

The evidentiary significance is cumulative: the State is combining medical findings, family accounts, contemporaneous interviews and later forensic evidence. The defense continues to argue that investigators focused on Prevatte and interpreted ambiguous evidence through that lens. Prevatte has pleaded not guilty and remains presumed innocent.

WECT — October 5 Day 6 testimony

October 7 Trial Update: Scene Evidence & Autopsy Testimony

Day 7 testimony focused on the crime-scene searches, evidence handling and the autopsy. WECT reports investigators searched the family home on November 13 and November 17, 2017, with testimony that some items had moved between searches. Cross-examination raised evidence-packaging and possible cross-contamination questions. The child’s underwear was unavailable because hospital staff had disposed of it.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Karen Kelly testified that Paitin died from oxygen deprivation caused by ligature strangulation. She described widespread petechial/ruptured-vessel findings and testified that pneumonia did not explain those findings. Kelly also testified that a U-shaped neck mark was consistent with the red earbud cord shown in court, while acknowledging other cords were possible ligatures. These are expert opinions presented to the jury—not a verdict or final judicial finding.

October 7 testimony, reviewed October 8: Court TV reports that Julie Ozier testified about three forensic interviews with Paitin’s sister, identified here as S.F., and the jury viewed interview recordings. On cross-examination, Ozier said the child made no abuse disclosure in the 2017 or 2018 interviews and never reported seeing Prevatte physically harm Paitin. The reported 2022 account concerned seeing him walk away from the couch. These are testimony summaries, not findings about guilt or credibility. Court TV: October 7 trial highlights.

October 6–7: Crime-scene, forensic and autopsy testimony

Day 7 testimony focused on the 2017 searches of the home, evidence collection and autopsy findings. Investigators testified that the residence was searched on November 13 and again on November 17, and that some items had been moved between searches. Courtroom reporting identified collected items including Christmas lights, children’s clothing, a rope bracelet, bedding, a hot-glue gun and biological swabs. As of the reported testimony, no particular seized household item had been established as the ligature used in Paitin’s strangulation.

A significant evidence-preservation issue also emerged: testimony indicated that underwear Paitin had been wearing was discarded by the hospital and therefore was unavailable for later forensic testing. Investigators also collected penile swabs from Prevatte; the evidentiary meaning of those swabs is for the jury to assess in the context of laboratory testimony and the defense explanation presented at trial.

Trial status: the prosecution is still presenting evidence. These are allegations and trial evidence, not findings of guilt. Prevatte is presumed innocent unless and until the jury returns a guilty verdict.

October 7: Savannah Fields’ Recorded Forensic Interviews

Jurors were shown recorded forensic interviews conducted with Paitin’s sister Savannah, who was seven years old in 2017. In the interviews, Savannah described finding Paitin on the couch, said Paitin appeared purple, and described her back as hot while her abdomen felt cold. She said she believed Paitin was having a seizure and alerted adults in the home. The recordings are important because jurors can compare Savannah’s contemporaneous childhood account with her live trial testimony, including her more recent recollection that she saw Prevatte near the couch before noticing something was wrong with Paitin.

Evidence note: differences between a child’s recorded statements and later testimony are matters for the jury to evaluate; they do not by themselves establish that either account is true or false. The prosecution is still presenting its case, and Prevatte is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Sources & Records

• WECT — October 1, 2026 trial testimony and opening statements
• WECT — trial background and September 2026 trial setting
• WECT — 2018 autopsy findings and suspect announcement
• WECT — unsealed 2018 search-warrant reporting
• WHQR — February 2022 arrest and Pender County Sheriff’s announcement
• North Carolina Judicial Branch — court calendars and case records

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Jaded Evidence standard: Allegations are identified as allegations. Charges are not convictions. This page distinguishes reported evidence, courtroom testimony and advocacy by the prosecution or defense from facts established by a verdict.