Opinion ID: 1386655
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: day of the homicide

Text: On the morning of Monday, 10 April 2000, the day of her murder, Shirley McNeill drove to the residence of Carolyn McLeod, her best friend for over forty years. Both McLeod and Shirley were employed by Burlington Industries Raeford Plant for over twenty-six years and they often carpooled to work. Shirley arrived at McLeod's residence at about 7:20 a.m. As McLeod walked out to Shirley's vehicle, defendant drove up next to Shirley. Defendant told Shirley he was going to kill her that afternoon. Shirley and McLeod then drove to Burlington Industries. On the way, McLeod recommended Shirley take defendant's threat seriously and suggested she not drive McLeod home that afternoon alone. Shirley indicated she did not take defendant's threat seriously. Vernon Bun McDougald, Shirley's paramour and supervisor, testified Shirley told him about defendant's threat while she was at work that day. While Shirley and McLeod were at Burlington Industries, defendant spent the morning consuming alcohol and napping. According to defendant's testimony, he awoke around noon and went to an acquaintance's residence to try to obtain some crack cocaine. Because his acquaintance did not have any crack cocaine, defendant traveled to another friend's house and consumed more alcohol. Later, defendant went to Massey's Grocery and purchased a pint of Lightning Creek wine. Danny Monroe, a friend of defendant's for fifteen to twenty years, testified he went to defendant's house at approximately 4:00 p.m. to ask if he could either rent or purchase a lawnmower trailer defendant owned. Defendant kind of smiled, and he told [Monroe] that if he do [sic] what he's thinking about doing that [Monroe] could have it. Defendant then left his residence and drove towards Massey's Grocery. By his own admission, defendant parked his truck under the tree at Massey's Grocery knowing Shirley would pass by when she took McLeod home. Shirley and McLeod left Burlington Industries at approximately 4:00 p.m., returning to McLeod's residence. While en route, they observed defendant's truck parked at Massey's, and Shirley stopped her vehicle next to where defendant was standing. Defendant walked up to the driver's side of Shirley's car and asked, Are you going to do what I told you to do? Shirley asked, What's that? Defendant responded, Are you going to come back home? Shirley said, No, and defendant said, Well, that's all I wanted to know. Shirley replied, Well, you said you were going to kill me this afternoon anyway. Shirley continued traveling to McLeod's residence and parked her vehicle in the driveway. Almost immediately, defendant arrived and parked his truck behind Shirley's vehicle. Approximately six or seven neighborhood children were playing in the area as these events unfolded. While McLeod exited the vehicle, defendant walked toward the driver's side of Shirley's vehicle with a rifle in his hand. He told McLeod to go in the house and he wouldn't bother [her]. Without warning, Defendant shot Shirley in the chest through the driver's side window. Shirley pleaded with him not to shoot her again. McLeod testified she heard five or six more shots as she ran behind a nearby shed. All of the eyewitnesses observed defendant pursuing Shirley around the yard, shooting her multiple times. McLeod testified Shirley was begging, Please, Jimmy, don't kill me. Please don't kill me. Defendant continued firing his rifle and began calling Shirley, her mother, and her sister vulgar names. At some point, Shirley collapsed face down on the ground near the driver's side of her car. Defendant shot her approximately eight more times, still calling her and her family expletives. Veronica Blue, Shirley's cousin and one of McLeod's neighbors, observed Shirley attempting to escape by crawling on her arms even as defendant continued shooting her in the back. Both McLeod and Blue shouted at defendant to stop shooting, but defendant continued to fire until expending all sixteen of the cartridges his rifle held. As a final insult, defendant kicked Shirley and left her to die. Before the arrival of first responders to the scene, Shirley's wounds rendered her unconscious. While witnesses sought help for Shirley, defendant left the scene in his pickup truck. Defendant drove his truck to the home of Eula Mae Rogers, the mother of defendant's friend, Will Rogers. Defendant asked to use the telephone, but apparently was not able to complete the call. When Eula Mae inquired as to whom he was trying to call, defendant responded, I was trying to call the police. I just shot Shirley. Eula Mae noted there was no emotion in Defendant's voice as he relayed this information. Defendant then told her he was going to return a lawnmower part which belonged to Will and which he had borrowed earlier. Eula Mae testified she saw him leave toward Will's house, but because Will was not home defendant departed. Law enforcement personnel responded to the crime scene, and immediately enlisted other officers to aid in searching for and apprehending defendant. Soon thereafter, Officer Corey Jones of the Wagram Police Department and Detective Randy Jacobs of the Scotland County Sheriff's Department stopped defendant's vehicle near the police station in downtown Wagram. The officers ordered defendant out of his vehicle at gunpoint and handcuffed him. Law Enforcement Officers recovered the murder weapon in defendant's truck incident to his arrest. At one point during defendant's transport, Deputy Eric Pate smelled alcohol, and he asked defendant how much he had drunk, to which defendant responded, I think it's best I keep my mouth shut. At approximately 6:30 p.m., Agent Janie Pinkston of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) interviewed defendant at the Scotland County Sheriff's Department. She solicited defendant's consent to search his pickup truck, which he declined. Therefore, Agent Pinkston applied for a search warrant for the vehicle, which was granted by the magistrate. Defendant made no statements to Agent Pinkston or any other law enforcement official about the circumstances of his wife's shooting. At approximately 8:45 p.m., Agent Pinkston informed defendant his wife had died. Agent Pinkston testified defendant did not react. What I noted was no change in his physical appearance, and no change in his demeanor. North Carolina Chief Medical Examiner John D. Butts, M.D. testified concerning the autopsy performed on Shirley's body by Michael Ross, M.D., which Dr. Butts supervised. The autopsy revealed sixteen gunshot wounds, including wounds to Shirley's shoulder, chest, back, hip, buttocks, thigh, foot, and forearm. Additionally, the autopsy report showed defendant shot Shirley's ring finger of her left hand at the very spot where her wedding ring would have been had she been wearing it at the time of her murder. As to the cause of death, Dr. Butts testified that Shirley died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds. Her lungs, heart, liver, spleen, and both kidneys were damaged. Several of the gunshot wounds would have been irreversibly fatal, even if medical personnel had been at the scene when the shooting began. Due to the nature of Shirley's injuries, Dr. Butts was unable to determine the sequence of the gunshot wounds, but he did indicate the location and trajectory of the wounds comported with the eyewitness testimony. Through microscopic examination, an S.B.I. expert conclusively matched fifteen of the sixteen spent shell casings found at the crime scene to defendant's Marlin Model 60.22 caliber semiautomatic rifle. Of the eleven projectile fragments recovered from Shirley's body during the autopsy, one fragment was also conclusively matched to defendant's firearm. Based upon the above evidence, the jury convicted defendant of first-degree murder under both the felony murder rule and a theory of malice, premeditation, and deliberation, as well as a separate offense of discharging a firearm into occupied property.