Hamlet man convicted of manslaughter in death behind Dobbins Heights Community Center

ROCKINGHAM —A Hamlet man has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for the 2019 death of Malachi Jaheim “Slim” Hailey.

Edward McNair Sloan, 27, was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the death and robbery of the 17-year-old Malachi, who was found dead behind the Dobbins Heights Community Center on the afternoon of Aug. 6, 2019.

Sloan was convicted on March 20 in Richmond County Superior Court, and accepted a plea deal. For the manslaughter charges, he will serve between 120 and 153 months. He’s already served 1,309 days in jail pre-trial. Sloan was also convicted of possession of a stolen firearm and altering the serial number.

“My baby did get some type of justice,” said Malachi’s mother, Annette Leak, to the Daily Journal last week. The day of the interview would have been her son’s 21st birthday. “We’re trying to heal now and get some type of closure,” she said, adding that she hoped that Sloan would be sentenced to life in prison.

In August of 2021, Leak hosted a vigil for her son that marked the two-year anniversary of her son’s death.

“They say that times heals but it doesn’t,” Leak read at the event. “So much joy and happiness was centered around you. All the happy memories will help to keep you here.”

According to court documents, Sloan was also charged with attempted murder in Oct. 2018 and charged with assault on a child under the age of 12 in Nov. 2016, but was not convicted of either of those charges.

According to records with the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Sloan has previous convictions for felony larceny.