North Carolina former Duke University football player Brandon Braxton confess to Charlotte murder of Whitney Hurd

A former Duke football player allegedly stabbed his old high school friend to death after he started to appear and terrorize her outside of her home in an upscale North Carolina community.

Brandon Braxton admitted to the brutal July 2024 killing of real estate agent Whitney Hurd as investigators had questioned him for months over the murder.

“I killed Whitney Hurd,” Braxton allegedly wrote in a message to the Mecklenburg Sheriff’s Office on March 3, according to an arrest affidavit signed March 20 and viewed by The Post.

Braxton – a four-year player for the Blue Devils between 2010 and 2013 – made the confession while being held by the sheriff’s county for an unrelated crime.

The 33-year-old had been viewed as a person of interest in the murder after his fingerprints were found at both the murder scene and in Hurd’s stolen car, but police never arrested him until March 20.

Hurd, 32, was reported missing by her family on July 11. A private investigator discovered Hurd’s body inside her SouthPark townhome three days later, Queen City News reported.

She suffered multiple stab wounds and her death was ruled a homicide, according to the affidavit.

Her body was found wrapped in bedding, WBTV reported.

Braxton and Hurd were friends at Providence High School in Charlotte, NC before the two lost touch for several years.

In 2009, Braxton committed to play collegiate football at Duke University.

He played in 43 games, scored 3 touchdowns as a receiver and totaled 38 tackles as a safety his junior year in 2012.

Years after graduating from Duke in 2014, Braxton began appearing outside Hurd’s home, police said in the affidavit but didn’t provide a timeline.

One night, Braxton allegedly fell asleep on Hurd’s driveway when she wouldn’t let him in her Werburgh Street townhouse in south Charlotte, the affidavit states.

Hurd had also called the cops when Braxton allegedly broke into her home.

When her body was found, police discovered Hurd’s phone and prized white 2014 BMW X3 were missing from her house.

Neighbors said they saw an unidentified male driving from the house in the car on July 4.

Officials tracked Hurd’s phone to its last known location and discovered the BMW, but no phone.

Braxton’s fingerprints were found inside both Hurd’s home and her car and officials tracked him to an area he was known to “frequent,” police said.

He was arrested on July 24 for an unrelated larceny of a motor vehicle.

Two weeks later, detectives interviewed Braxton and he confirmed he was friends with Hurd in high school, he had been inside her house and “nodded in the affirmative” of knowing about the murder of his friend.

Braxton claimed Hurd “looked petrified” the last time he saw her.

He was ultimately released on Aug. 14, 2024.

Hurd was remembered for her infectious smile and laugh, according to her online obituary.

She graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2014, where she was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority.

She was interned at a private cemetery on Aug. 17.

Braxton was arrested for trespassing on Jan. 23, where he remained in jail until March 18.

During his stay, Braxton gained access to a kiosk at the jail on March 3 at around 8:54 a.m., the same time the message he signed was sent to the Mecklenburg Sheriff’s admin sergeants, the affidavit stated.

Officials obtained jail surveillance video to confirm Braxton’s use of the kiosk and obtained an arrest warrant on March 20.

He was charged with first-degree felony murder and felony robbery with a dangerous weapon.

He was ordered held without bail during a court appearance on March 21.

Braxton is the defendant in several open cases including two separate crimes that occurred on Oct. 27 2024.

The Mecklenburg County frequent flier is accused of assaulting a female when he attempted to grab the top of a woman’s shoulders on Oct. 27, 2024.

He was also charged with indecent exposure on the same day when he allegedly exposed his “private parts in a public place,” court records viewed by The Post detailed.