HENDERSON, Nev. (WAVY) — A native of the Outer Banks region was shot to death earlier this month along with his mother, and the man’s stepfather faces murder charges in the killings.
Evan Scoggins, 20, and his mother Anastasia, 44, were shot and killed the night of Oct. 11 at her home in this Las Vegas suburb. Police have charged her husband Karl Groschen with two counts of murder.
Scoggins’ father, Andrew Scoggins, spoke with 10 On your Side Tuesday afternoon about his memories of Evan growing up in Poplar Branch and attending Kitty Hawk Elementary School — winning spelling bees and football games.
“Evan was just the easiest little boy to have around,” Andrew Scoggins said. “He was just lovable. And there were so many of us on the beach that loved Evan. He loved to read, and I helped coach his football team in third grade and we were undefeated and won the championship.”
Scoggins and Anastasia divorced, and she then married Karl Groschen. That’s when Scoggins says Evan’s life was in upheaval — moving from the Outer Banks to Charlotte, then Missouri, Nebraska and ultimately Nevada.
But Evan Scoggins never forgot North Carolina.
“He remembers his family life on the beach very well,” Andrew Scoggins said. “He remembered his cat Midnight and missed those things that made him feel like he was part of some small group that engaged in some real continuity of community.”
Andrew Scoggins said Evan might have foreseen trouble coming, and 10 On Your Side asked if he ever mentioned that he might be in danger.
“Yes, he did,” Andrew Scoggins said, “on his Instagram, and [he] was very explicit on that.”
Scoggins said he plans to sue Groschen for wrongful death. Groschen is in jail with no bond and has a court date next month on the two murder charges.
Andrew Scoggins said he will bring Evan Scoggins back home to Poplar Branch to be buried, and has set up a GoFundMe account to pay for funeral expenses.