Would your county be a good choice?
Which city do you favor for the trial?
Wilmington?
I've served on 2 juries, 1 civil and 1 criminal, in the past, in Salisbury, NC (the county seat), and both times the DA and the judge were fair. I had mixed feelings about the skill of the defense attorneys at those times.
Wilmington is liberal. Fayetteville is called Fayette-nam for a good reason... also run by Dems.