A man charged in the deaths of two young children got an earful from the judge, but not because of what he was charged with.

Police say Matthew Deans caused the crash near Wilmington that killed 2-year-old Dobbs Eddings and his newborn brother, Reed.
        
Deans appeared briefly in court Thursday.

The judge chastised Deans for wearing casual clothes, including a fishing-type shirt and shorts, WSOC-TV reported.

"Why are you going to show up to court dressed like that based on these charges?" the judge said.

A GoFundMe account set up for the children's parents, Gentry and Hadley Eddings, has raised more than $200,000.

The family has seen an outpouring of support from the community.

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Mathew Palmer, a former Delta Air Lines employee, at his home in Atlanta on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025.  Palmer was fired less than two weeks after writing a post on social media about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. (Natrice Miller/AJC)