Family, Police Can't Explain Grissettown Murder-Suicide
(Continued From Page 1-A)
There were two spent .380 cartridge eases found on
the floor and one live round lying at the feet of the mur
dered woman. Hunter said. The television was still on,
tuned to a public broadcasting station, when the deputies
found the bodies.
"It looks like he shot her and the gun jammed. The
live round fell on the floor when he jacked the slide to
clear it." the detective said. "When we found the gun in
his hand, there was another sneii jammed in ii."
Originally from Wisconsin, Love movtd to Bruns
wick County about 15 years ago and was an employee at
the Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point for about 12
years.
Wright's mother was a native of Brunswick County.
Wright had been living in Baltimore, Md., until she re
turned to this area about six months ago. She had one
daughter and four grandchildren.
"Hie murder-suicide came as a shock to Wright's
friends and family, who live mostly in the Grissettown
and LongwcMxl areas. According to Thelma Hill of
Grissettown. Wright and Love had known each other for
about 18 months when the two moved into the trailer
owned by her uncle.
Wright had been attending several churches in the
area and was working part-time at local hotels this sum
mer while looking for a steady job. Hill said. She was
aware of no major domestic problems between Wright
and l>ove.
"It was a surprise to everybody. It's really shaken up
the community." Hill said. "We all thought things were
going so well. Nobody expected anything like this."
Seeking some insight into the motive for the killing,
detectives on Tuesday listened to an answering machine
tape found in the trailer. There were several requests for
return calls from a woman identifying herself as Love's
sister, but nothing that seemed out of the ordinary.
Wright's recorded message on the tape was clear and
polite, delivered in a cheerful voice with careful atten
tion to pronunciation. She advised callers to leave a
message and closed with the following advice:
"Remember, this is the day that the Lord has made."
NICHOLAS SMITH (left) answers questions about his plea bar
gain with prosecutors in the murder case of Charles Wayne Davis
Thursday morning. With Smith is court-appointed attorney
Benedict Del Re.
Funds Ruling To Be
Appealed By Board
(Continued From Page 1-A)
County allocated $9.2 million as its
share of the board of education's
$43 million budget. Most of the
school system's expenses are funded
by the state and federal government.
The board of education took the
county to court, saying it needed an
other $5 million to run the school''
Comfortable
Weather Ahead
A rainy late week led into a
sunny Labor Day holiday across
the South Brunswick Islands, and
more pleasant weather is in the
offing.
Weather watcher Jackson Can
ady said the outlook calls for
near-normal temperatures, aver
aging from the upper 60s at night
into the mid-80s during the day
time, with about three-quarters of
AM nfr II ... ? ? |m i - _ J
MM jlUV?I V* laUMOtl I/A^CCICU.
For the period Aug. 30 through
Sept. 5, he recorded a high tem
perature of 91 degrees on Aug.
30 and Sept. 1, and a low of 56
degrees on Sept. 5.
A daily average high of 84 de
grees combined with an average
nightly low of 69 degrees for a
daily average temperature of 76
degrees, about 2 degrees below
the long-term average.
Canady measured 233 inches
of rainfall at his home near
Shallotte Point
and to make needed improvements.
After a three-day trial that ended
July 28, a jury awarded the hoard of
education S14 million.
Commissioners say the county
will have to add a supplemental 10
cent tax to this year's tax bills to pay
for the award. The additional money
must be on hand to pay the schools
immediately if the county's appeal
fails. The board plans to refund the
money if county wins the legal bat
tle.
After the unanimous vote to ap
peal Friday, Commissioner Jerry
Jones praised the other board mem
bers saying, "It's good that we're all
in this together." Jones said he felt
the board's action reflects the wishes
of a majority of citizens and if not,
the voters could let them know in
November.
"I feel people elected us to man
age county government and that's
what we've tried to do," Jones said.
"I feel we allocated enough money
to the school system. We tried to
g?vc them more (during prc-ti lal ne
gotiations) but they wouldn't take it.
"The people who served on that
jury are fine people, but they're net
the ones who have to listen when
people call to complain about their
taxes going up," Jones said. "We
have to make hard decisions some
times. If we don't try to address this
issue now, I don't know when we
can.
"There's an election coming up. If
people don't feel we've funded the
schools properly, they have an op
portunity to make a change," Jones
said.
;
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L ? ? /Ir ^ -M M sTAf - rMOTO BY ftfC CABISON
MOURNERS GATHER at the Old Shallotte Road home where police believe 48-year-old Ernest Love
murdered J ulene Hill Wright, 47, before committing suicide.
Smith Joins 5 Others In Bargain, Probation
(Continued From Page 1-A)
District Attorney Lee Bollinger told
Superior Court Judge Jack
Thompson Thursday morning.
"Nicholas was in the car up until
right after the shot was fired and Mr
Davis fell to the ground," Bollinger
said. "Someone in the car told him
to go get his cousin. He got out.
came over and said, 'Let's get out of
here,' or words to that effect. Then
he nudged the body with his ft>ot to
see what condition it was in and
heard a moan."
Smith's more active role in the
killing earned him a two-year sus
pended prison sentence instead of
the 12-month term given to the other
five "peripheral players" who also
agreed to a plea bargain with prose
cutors Aug. 22. Smith was ordered
to perform 1(X) hours of community
service. The co-defendants who
pleaded guilty earlier were required
to perform 50 hours.
Entering pleas two weeks ago
were Kevin Kenyatta Mitchell. 18,
Victor Conway Randolph. 22; An
thony Alex Smith. 19. and Archie
Ix'e Williams Jr.. 17. all of Bolivia
and Jessica Lucillc Stancil. 17. of
Ocean Isle Beach.
All six defendants were placed on
supervised probation and ordered
not to associate with each other
They were ordered to testify truth
fully in the upcoming trials of four
co-defendants.
The first to appear in court on a
first -degree murder charge will t>c
Frank toenail Ford. 22. of Oakey
Trail. Bolivia. Mis trial is scheduled
to be heard in a three-week superior
court session beginning Sept. I1'
Investigators say Ford led the gang
to Davis's home, helped dragged
him from the car and shot him in the
back with a .3K<) calibcr pistol
Also facing murder charges arc
Byron Henry knowles. 25. of
Wilmington and Terrance I -lOuinn
Jones. 19. of Randolphvillc Road.
Bolivia. They are accused of helping
to remove Davis from the vehicle and
with kicking and heating him as he
lav on the ground fatally wounded.
Knowles. who allegedly hit Davis
in the head with a machete, has not
been apprehended and is believed to
he in the Bahamas Police arc still
not sure if he can he returned to the
United States for trail
A tenth suspect in the case.
Jeremy Javon Smith. 1 7, of lobes
Koad. Bolivia, remains under indict
ment on charges of conspiracy to
commit assault with a deadly
weapon with intent to kill inflicting
serious injury, accessory after the
fact to the felony of robbery with a
dangerous weapon, aiding and abet
ting an assault with a dcadl) weapon
with intent to kill inflicting serious
injury, first-degree kidnapping and
conspiracy to commit kidnapping
Besides accompanying the group
to the murder scenc. Jcrcrm Smith
is also accuscd of helping Jones
avoid arrest by advising him "con
cerning the disposal of the wallet"
that Jones is alleged to have taken
from the victim
Investigators have said the ten
acted with a "gang mentality" when
they piled into two cars and drove to
Davis's home with the intention of
exacting revenge for a dispute that
occurred earlier that evening
Attorneys for defendants who
plead guilty last week claim their
clicfrts "thought they were going to
sec a fight" and were unaware that a
murder was about to be committed
liollinger said the state's evidence
w ill show that vimc ? if not all ? the
defendants knew that one of the as
sailants brought a gun to Davis's
home At least some of them heard
talk o. getting another gun on the
way.
All of the defendants who agreed
to accept a plea bargain in the case
have cooperated with the investiga
tion sine* their arrest, liollinger
said However, none of the 10 told
authorities about the murder until
thc> were interv iewed by police.
Sunset Islanders Discussing Secession
(Continued From Page 1-A)
non-resident property owners with
out voting privileges, Zetts acknowl
edged, but with government leaders
"who live on the island and are "more
attuned to the needs and interests of
island property owners."
His committee calculated a new
island town could provide all current
services, including start-up costs,
and have a budget surplus at the
1994-95 tax rate.
Suggestions for flexing property
owners' influence to achieve the
change ranged from legal action to
force secession, Knapp's idea of a
"taxpayers' revolt" and withholding
payment of town taxes, to a proposal
by Ted Hayne of Columbia, S C., of
a coordinated effort to not rent
homes over a specified period.
The committee's "Proposal for
Independent Government" identifies
Sunset Beach as the only barrier is
land on the North Carolina coast
with a significant area of mainland
wiinin its mirders and asserts the
two areas were joined in 1963 in an
"unnatural union" in order to have
sufficient population (o justify incor
poration of the town.
While providing most town in
come, islands have had "a minority
voice" on council, a continuing
source of friction, disputes and law
suits because of the area's differing
interests.
The island has less than 125 year
round residents; approximately KO of
the town's 4(X)-plus voters are is
landers.
,^,vy v. . vim.
RAY ZETTS (left), who led the committee proposing an independent island government, chats with
properly owners Buddy Putnam and fenny Hayne after Saturday's meeting of the Sunset Reach
T A ? - ?
Taxpayers Association.
Barber said the committee's claim
that the island has not had adequate
representation on the tovn council is
"without merit".
He estimated that while a majori
ty of the town's income is derived
from the island, an even larger per
centage (he estimated 75 percent) is
spent on the island because of needs
related (o the long tourist season,
such as twice-weckly trash pick-up
and bccfcd-up policing
"1 guarantee it's better garbage
pick-up and that they sec the police
more often than in the towns they
live in."
"If there's a need we try to meet
it. We don't ever sii down and say
we need to do (his for the mainland
and this lor the island
"I don't know how they could get
a better deal." he said. "I don't think
they have looked to far ahead in
terms of developing a town hall
complex on the island or that anyone
has sat down and really figured the
entire cost. ITicy'ie siar-ga/ing."
Wreck Involving Shallotte Ambulance Injures 5
| Five persons were injured Sunday
| afternoon in a two-vehicle accident
| involving a Shallotte Volunteer
I Rescue Squad ambulance.
Responding to an emergency call
? at Ocean Isle Beach with siren and
, lights going, ambulance driver
| Regina Gore had begun to pass a se
ries of vehicles on N.C. 179 near
Maple Hill Road when one of the
cars, operated by Christy Warren,
25, of Shallotte, attempted to make a
left turn onto Maple Hill.
The ambulance struck the Warren
vehicle in the driver's side, reported
Trooper R.E. King of the N.C.
Highway Patrol. Both vehicles ran
into the ditch, and the Warren vehi
cle overturned, coming to rest on its
top.
Following the 2:55 p.m. accident
Warren was transferred to New
Hanover Regional Medical Hospital
with a broken leg, a compound frac
ture, said King. One of her four pas
sengers, a child, was also taken to
New Hanover with serious injuries.
Rescue squad member Adam
Stanley, 16, of Shallotte, and two
other children in the Warren vehicle
were treated in The Brunswick
Hospital emergency rnom for minor
injuries.
King was still investigating the
J accident Tuesday evening. No
charges had been filed.
Two similar accidents happened
jusl hours apart Monday al the inter
section of U.S. 17 and N.C. 9<>4 at
Grissettown. Both involved colli
sions between a northbound vehicle
on U.S. 17 and an eastbound vehicle
attempting lo cross all four lanes of
U.S. 17, with charges filed against
the drivers of the crossing vehicles.
In the 10:20 a.m. collision.
William Martin Marshburn, 31, of
Jacksonville, N.C., was traveling
north on U.S. 17 in a 1995
Chevrolet.
Betty Stephens lienson, 55, of
Ash, was traveling cast on N.C. 904
in a 1985 Mercury. She crossed the
southbound lanes of U.S. 17 and
stopped at the median. As she pulled
out across the northbound lanes she
struck Marshburn 's Chevrolet in the
left front fender, reported Trooper
C.E. Ward. The sides of the two ve
hicles swung together, with the
Chevrolet traveling east into a north
bound land and the Mercury aiming
to rest in a northbound lane also.
Marshburn and Henson's son,
Rockwell Henson, were treated for
minor injuries at The Brunswick
Hor.pita! and released.
Ms. Henson was charged with a
safe movement violation, for failing
to see a safe movement before enter
ing a line of traffic. "She said she
slopped at the median but just didn't
see the car," said Ward.
lioth vehicles were total losses,
with damages to the Chevrolet csti
mated at $12,(K)() to $14,(KX) and to
the Mercury, S 1
New Hanover County Sheriff Joe
McQueen, his wife and two children
were seen at llie Brunswick
Hospital for minor injuries received
in the second accident at the inter
section, which happened about 2:3(1
p.m.
McQueen, 49, was traveling north
on U.S. 17 in a Dodge van when a
front comer of the vehicle was
struck by a 1981 Chevrolet Citation
as it attempted to cross the north
hound lanes.
Roberto Drakeo, 23, of Ash,
pulled out of N.C. 904, crossed the
two southbound lanes of U.S. 17,
then crossed the median without
stopping, reported Trooper H.R.
Smith. When his Chevrolet struck
the van, the van spun out of control,
struck the median and overturned
twice, coming to rest in the median.
Smith charged Drakeo with fail
ing to yield and driving without a li
cense.
"Sheriff McQueen said he had
been vacationing with his family
and had allowed plenty of time for
the trip hack He was driving 50 to
55 miles per hour and he and his
wife had their seat belts on. yet
somebody still hit his van and
threatened the lives of his family. It
makes you stop and think," said
Smith
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Shallotte, N.C. 28459
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