Charges have been dismissed for a man on trial for a first-degree murder charge in New Hanover County.

Maleec Myers was arrested in January 2022 in connection with a shooting that left one dead. Myers was on trial and charged with first-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, and conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon, according to a news release from District Attorney Ben David.

The victim of the shooting, 21-year-old Elijah Windham, was located by officers at the Harbor Ridge Apartments on Dec. 29, 2021, according to the release. Windham died as a result of his injuries on Jan. 5, 2022.

Previous coverage: Wilmington teen arrested, charged with murder in connection with December shooting

Previous coverage: Wilmington man dead following Dec. 29 shooting

On Tuesday, a jury was selected for Myers’ trial with presentation of evidence beginning Wednesday, according to the release. An essential witness had refused to testify after being ordered to do so by the court.

The witness “had earlier given a full statement to police identifying Myers as one of the perpetrators of this crime,” David wrote in the release.

The witness has been the sole person to identify Myers as a participant in the crime and “would not come out of his holding cell to testify for the State,” according to the dismissal.

Insufficiency of remaining admissible evidence has led to the state dismissing charges against Myers.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Charges dismissed for man on trial for murder in Wilmington, NC