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Willard Gary Black, 85, co-owner of Old Hickory Tannery in North Carolina, has been charged with second-degree murder after allegedly shooting and killing his business partner Robert Roger Arguelles, 59, on Wednesday — hours after a judge ordered Black to pay Arguelles $310,882.74 in a contract dispute.
Arguelles was shot in the chest and back during an argument at the tannery. Police officers responding to the scene were unable to save him.
A Business Partnership, a $280,000 Loan, and a Court Battle The underlying dispute traces to 2018, when Black sold Arguelles a 49.9% stake in the Old Hickory Tannery business.
Following that transaction, Arguelles claimed he had loaned Black $280,000, of which only $23,876.19 was ever repaid. The unrecovered balance formed the basis of the lawsuit between the two men.
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