Willard Gary Black Charged in Partner's Killing After $310,882 Contract Ruling

Q: When a court forced an 85-year-old founder to sell his company for $1, was his partner's murder about money or legacy?

It appears to have been about both, with legacy likely inseparable from the money. The immediate trigger was financial and legal. Hours before the shooting, a judge ordered Willard Gary Black to comply with a settlement requiring him to give up his 50.1% controlling stake in Old Hickory Tannery for $1, resign from leadership, and turn over company records. That order followed a broader dispute in which Robert Roger Arguelles had won a $310,882.74 judgment tied to a loan and stock deal, and had sought dissolution of the company. But the terms of that ruling went beyond a cash loss. Black was not just being told to pay; he was being forced to surrender control of the company he founded in 1972 and led for decades. For an 85-year-old founder, that is also a legacy blow: loss of ownership, authority, and identity tied to the business. The known facts support that the killing came at the intersection of those pressures. Authorities say the two men argued at the tannery roughly four hours after the court ruling, in front of employees, before Black allegedly shot Arguelles with a .38-caliber revolver. Police say Black admitted at the scene, saying, “I shot that guy.” No public evidence shows a single declared motive beyond the business conflict. But the record suggests the dispute was not simply about $310,882.74. It was about money, control, and the forced end of a founder’s hold over his company.

Q: Could an 85-year-old killer's advanced age and health help him avoid a life sentence for second-degree murder?

Probably not at sentencing, though it could matter later. This case is in North Carolina, not Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling cited in the background does not control a North Carolina murder prosecution. In North Carolina, second-degree murder is generally punished as a very serious felony, and an elderly defendant does not automatically avoid a life sentence because of age or poor health. Age and medical condition can still be raised by the defense as mitigating factors. A judge may consider them in decisions such as bond conditions, competency issues, ability to stand trial, and, if there is a conviction or plea, where the sentence falls within the lawful range. But those factors do not erase the charge, and they usually do not outweigh the gravity of an intentional shooting death, especially where police say the defendant admitted, “I shot that guy.” The stronger practical effect of advanced age and illness usually comes after sentencing, not before it. If Black were convicted and later became severely ill or incapacitated, his lawyers could seek some form of medical or compassionate release if state law allows it. Those requests are typically narrow, fact-specific, and far from guaranteed, particularly in homicide cases. So the short answer is that being 85 and in poor health may help shape how the court handles the case, but it is unlikely by itself to spare him from a potential life-equivalent punishment if prosecutors prove second-degree murder.

2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 19

85-year-old North Carolina furniture manufacturer Willard Gary Black was charged with second-degree murder after authorities said he fatally shot business partner Robert Roger Arguelles at Old Hickory Tannery on Wednesday.
Hours earlier, a judge had denied Black's bid to withdraw from a settlement and ordered him to pay Arguelles $310,882.74 in their contract dispute; police said the men later argued at the business before the shooting.
Arguelles, 59, was shot in the chest and back, and officers who responded were unable to save him at the scene.
The dispute stemmed from a 2018 deal in which Black sold Arguelles 49.9% of the company; Arguelles had said he also loaned Black $280,000, with only $23,876.19 repaid.
Arguelles had served on the Alexander County Schools board since 2022, and Superintendent Bill Griffin called him an "amazing father, husband, and board member" while asking for privacy for his family.