Outrage is exploding across the country after a career criminal with a rap sheet longer than most people’s lifetimes brutally stabbed and killed 21-year-old U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Daniel Montano in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina.
The deadly attack happened around 2 a.m. on Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026, in the 100 block of North Front Street during a chaotic street brawl involving multiple fights. Montano — a lance corporal with the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines Regiment at Camp Lejeune, originally from San Bernardino, California, and a Sultana High School graduate — was stabbed in the neck. He died from his injuries despite life-saving efforts.
The suspect, 47-year-old Davy Spencer of Wilmington, was arrested on April 11 and charged with **second-degree murder** and **two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill**. He is being held without bond, with his first court appearance set for Monday, April 13.
But here’s what has the nation furious: Spencer is a **known violent repeat offender** with **over 60 charges** on his record, including multiple felonies and violent offenses. He was previously sentenced as a habitual felon in 2016 to 117 months in prison for selling cocaine and heroin. Judges and the system knew exactly who he was — and kept putting him back on the streets anyway.
**LOCK UP THE JUDGES.**
The viral video breaking the story is making it impossible to ignore: a young Marine hero — who put his life on the line for this country — is gone because the justice system failed to protect the public from a predator they had every reason to keep locked up.
**Video:**
This isn’t just a tragedy — it’s a damning indictment of soft-on-crime policies that prioritize criminals over victims and over our nation’s heroes. While the Marine Corps mourns one of its own, families across America are left asking how many more innocent lives have to be lost before repeat offenders are finally taken off the board for good.
We’ll be following the case closely as Spencer faces justice and as calls grow louder to hold the judges and officials who repeatedly released him fully accountable. Rest in peace, Lance Cpl. Daniel Montano. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten — and neither will the systemic failure that led to this.
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