A North Carolina man who won $10 million on an Ultimate Millions scratch-off lottery ticket in 2017 has been arrested and charged with murder after a 23-year-old woman was found dead at the Sure Stay Hotel in Southport. Now, 52-year-old Michael Todd Hill will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars.
- The body of Keonna Graham was found at the hotel. A housekeeper discovered Graham when she entered the room to clean it on Monday, July 27. Hill had checked in solo on Sunday, but no members of staff recall seeing him or anyone else entering or leaving the room throughout his stay.
- There was no blood or any signs of foul play in the room. After the hotel’s check-out time of 11 a.m. passed, hotel manager Vee Patel told WECT-TV that a housekeeper knocked on the door’s room several times before entering. Graham was found unconscious and 911 was called but she was pronounced dead by paramedics upon their arrival. The housekeeper who discovered Graham’s body is now taking time off.
- Graham was a wonderful woman with many people who loved her. Graham worked as a correctional officer at a local prison and previously worked with mentally disabled people at a rehab center. In her spare time, she was into hiking and bike riding. “She did all of this like it was second nature to her,” said Graham’s cousin Antionette Lee. “We are hurting. We are in pain. Our family is devastated.”
- It’s unclear how Graham and Hill knew one another. There was no further information available about the murder or even about Graham and Hill’s relationship to one another. It’s uncertain whether further info will be made available as the investigation continues. “I think it’s horrible. I mean, he just won the lottery. I heard he just got married and you go and kill a young girl? A beautiful girl? I don’t understand,” said family friend Tiffany Wilson.
- Hill is being held without bond. He’s being held at Brunswick County Detention Center and was given a court-appointed attorney following his first appearance in court after filling out an affidavit of indigency.
