John McNeill was sentenced to death by the State of North Carolina for the robbery and murder of Donna Lipscomb. According to court documents John McNeill relationship with Donna Lipscomb ended badly. John McNeill would break into the woman’s home where she would be stabbed repeatedly causing her death. John McNeill would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
On November 8, 1995, a North Carolina state jury convicted McNeill of first-degree burglary and of the first-degree murder of Donna Lipscomb. The evidence presented at trial tended to show that McNeill had been dating Lipscomb periodically prior to her death. On November 17, 1992, after McNeill and Lipscomb’s relationship encountered difficulty, McNeill went to Lipscomb’s apartment armed with a knife. After cutting the apartment’s telephone lines, McNeill forced his way into the apartment, where he began arguing with Lipscomb. The two then began shoving each other, and McNeill stabbed Lipscomb repeatedly in the upper torso, fatally wounding her.
Stacey Tyler was sentenced to death by the State of North Carolina for the murder of Mary Jennings Fleetwood. According to court documents Stacey Tyler would physically abuse Mary Jennings Fleetwood for several months before her murder. On the night that she died Stacey Tyler would douse Mary Jennings Fleetwood with gasoline and set her on fire causing her death. Stacey Tyler would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
he State’s evidence presented at trial tended to show the following facts and circumstances. On numerous occasions, prior to and on 5 November 1993, defendant physically and emotionally abused and battered his girlfriend, Mary Jennings Fleetwood (Fleetwood). Several witnesses testified that this abuse included defendant’s holding Fleetwood by the hair and hitting her in the face with his fist, throwing the full weight of his body on her, kicking her, yelling at her, calling her names, and threatening to kill her. Approximately six months prior to Fleetwood’s death-causing injuries, Fleetwood threatened to call the police and have defendant removed from her home. Defendant told Fleetwood that when she got ready “to go to work in the morning that she better take her clothes and take her children and that they better take their clothes, that he was going to burn the trailer down and said if they are in the trailer, he was going to burn their m—– f a-up in the trailer too.” On 5 November 1993, defendant carried out his threat when he poured gasoline on Fleetwood, set her on fire with a match, and watched her burn. Seventy-five percent of Fleetwood’s skin was burned off her body. She was transported to a burn-trauma center at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia, where she died fifteen days later.
Defendant did not testify and did not present any evidence at trial.
The trial court denied defendant’s motion to dismiss made at the close of the State’s evidence. The jury returned a verdict of guilty of first-degree murder.
Russell Tucker was sentenced to death by the State of North Carolina for the murder of Maurice Travone Williams. According to court documents Russell Tucker would murder Maurice Travone Williams and attempted to murder two others following a robbery at a store. Russell Tucker would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
The evidence presented at trial tended to show that at approximately 10:00 p.m. on 8 December 1994, defendant walked out of the Super K-Mart Center on University Parkway in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, wearing a coat and a pair of boots for which he had not paid. He was followed by Assistant Loss Control Manager William Maki. Travis Church, a K-Mart employee, and Maurice Travone Williams, a security guard, followed shortly behind Maki. Maki asked defendant for a receipt, and according to Maki, defendant responded, “Come on, I’ve got something for you.”
Defendant then removed a Lorcin .380-caliber semiautomatic pistol from his knapsack with his right hand and fired at Maki’s face from a distance of approximately six feet. Maki was not struck by the shot but received gunpowder burns on his face. Williams and Church began running back toward the store, and defendant switched the gun from his right to his left hand. Defendant then shot and killed Williams with one shot that penetrated his aorta and both lungs. Five to ten seconds elapsed between defendant’s attempt to shoot Maki and the second shot at Williams.
Defendant had run approximately four hundred feet to an area in the parking lot of the Super K-Mart Center when he was approached by a police vehicle. Winston-Salem Police Officer S.E. Spencer was operating the marked police vehicle, and Winston-Salem Police Officer H.M. Bryant was a passenger. As defendant slowed to a walk, he turned and fired five shots into the vehicle, striking both Spencer and Bryant. The time between the shooting of Williams and the shooting of Spencer and Bryant was described as being between forty-five seconds and a couple of minutes.
Defendant then fled up an embankment and into some woods. He was apprehended by police officers forty-five minutes to one hour later.
Jamie Smith was sentenced to death by the State of North Carolina for the sexual assault and murder of Kelli Froemke. According to court documents Jamie Smith would ask Kelli Froemke to use her phone and once inside of her apartments she was sexually assaulted and stabbed multiple times causing her death. Jamie Smith was also convicted in the fatal arson that would kill David Cotton and severely injure two women. Jamie Smith would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
The offenses for which defendant was sentenced in this case were committed on 16 January 1995. The victim, Kelli Froemke, a nineteen-year-old college student, lived with her brother and his girlfriend in their apartment in Asheville. In a statement later given to law enforcement officers, defendant said he gained entry to the apartment by asking Kelli, who was alone at the time, if he could use the telephone. Once in the apartment, defendant demanded money at knifepoint, then forced Kelli into her bedroom and raped her. He then stabbed her more than sixty times. Before leaving, defendant set a fire in the bedroom closet to cover up what he had done. He walked away from the apartment, carrying the cordless phone and Kelli’s car keys with him. Kelli’s brother and his girlfriend returned to the apartment shortly after 10:00 p.m. and found it full of smoke. After alerting a neighbor to call 911, Kelli’s brother made his way through the smoke to Kelli’s bedroom where he found her body. He pulled her onto a landing where he administered CPR until the fire department arrived.
Defendant was identified by a neighbor as having been seen around the apartment complex where Kelli lived on the night of the crime. He ultimately gave more than one statement to the police, first implicating a friend, then confessing it was his own intention to rob Kelli, whom he saw getting out of her car, for money for cocaine.
When asked about other recent crimes, defendant told officers he had pled guilty to larceny at the Mountain Trace apartment complex. He also implicated himself in a fire at the Grace Apartments. In subsequent statements defendant elaborated: on 11 December 1994 he and a friend went to the Grace Apartments, knocking on doors to see which apartments were occupied, intending to break in. They eventually stole the mail from the apartment mailboxes. Later that night they broke into a Mountain Trace apartment, stole a computer and other items, and attempted to cover up that theft by starting a fire. About a week later they returned to the Grace Apartments and started a second fire with kerosene to cover up their mail theft. This fire resulted in serious injuries and one death: Phillip Cotton, an eighteen-year-old, died of carbon monoxide poisoning. Another resident of the apartments hung out her window until her hands burned, then fell three stories, breaking her neck. A third resident suffered burns so severe her legs had to be amputated. Defendant was subsequently convicted of the crimes committed in these incidents and sentenced to death for the murder of Phillip Cotton.
Robbie Locklear was sentenced to death by the State of North Carolina for the murder of Jay Charles Taylor. According to court documents Robbie Locklear would murder his stepfather Jay Charles Taylor following a physical altercation. Robbie Locklear would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
The State’s evidence presented at trial tended to show the following facts and circumstances. On 27 January 1994, defendant and the victim, James Charles “Jay” Taylor, were living in the same mobile home in Robeson County. Also living in the home were defendant’s mother, Angelina Locklear Taylor, who was the victim’s wife; defendant’s stepbrother, James Reed “J.R.” Taylor, who was the victim’s son; and defendant’s uncle, James B. Locklear, Jr. That evening, defendant and his stepbrother were inside the bedroom they shared in the home. According to defendant’s statement, Jay Taylor came into the room and began “raising hell” with defendant. Taylor invited defendant outside, and a fight ensued. Defendant was “getting the best of him,” and Taylor stopped. Taylor moved toward an outside storage shed, telling defendant, “I will be right back you son of a bitch.”
Defendant reentered the mobile home, got a twelve-gauge shotgun and shells, and returned outside. Taylor was standing in front of the storage shed, and defendant shot him in the back from a distance of approximately three to eight feet. Defendant reloaded the shotgun and shot Taylor in the neck as he was lying on the ground, then reloaded and fired a third time, missing the victim. Taylor died as a result of the two gunshot wounds inflicted by defendant.
Defendant had been drinking beer and liquor during the day of the shooting. An autopsy showed that the victim had a blood-alcohol level of .02, the equivalent of approximately half a beer.
After the shooting, defendant again entered the mobile home and told his uncle, “You better go check on your brother-in-law.” Defendant told his uncle that he had shot Taylor because Taylor “said he was an S.O.B. and his mother was, too.” Defendant then went across the street and told his aunt, Vera Lindsey, what he had done. Defendant ran down the road, where he was found by his cousin, James Belton Locklear, about a mile away. Locklear drove defendant back to the scene and summoned police. After being advised of his rights and waiving them, defendant voluntarily gave a statement to Detective Randal Patterson of the Robeson County Sheriff’s Department in which he admitted shooting Taylor. Defendant’s statement was published to the jury.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
