UNION COUNTY, N.C. — A Monroe man has been charged with murder after a man was found dead inside a Union County residence Sunday night.
Authorities have charged 52-year-old Ricky Darren Aldridge with the murder of 44-year-old Patrick Charles Mooney.
Ricky Darren Aldridge
According to the Union County Sheriff’s Office, deputies went to Mooney’s home on Trull-Hinson Road, in Wingate, North Carolina, for a welfare check after a concerned friend called 911 around 9:21 p.m. Sunday night and said that Mooney was not answering his phone and would not come to the door.
Responding officers found Mooney’s vehicles at his residence and his home locked, but they were not able to make contact with him.
Deputies forced entry into the home and found Mooney stabbed to death. Authorities say there were signs of struggle in multiple areas around throughout the home.
Investigators say Aldridge visited Mooney’s residence briefly in the early morning hours of Saturday, July 13th. 2019.
Authorities believe Aldridge then returned later that morning and attacked Mooney during a robbery attempt.
The case is still under investigation and authorities will release the official cause of death following an autopsy.
