Post by Anja Nieser on Sept 6, 2006 13:19:41 GMT -5
Man charged in Moreland death
The District Attorney's Office says it will seek the death penalty if Chance is convicted
Thomasi McDonald, Staff Writer
RALEIGH - Police have not said how Cynthia Moreland of Wendell died or when and where they think she was killed.
But on Tuesday, police said they think they know who killed her. Antonio Davon Chance, an unemployed convicted sex offender, was charged with murder. The charges come 12 days after Chance, 29, was accused of kidnapping Moreland, whose body was found in Harnett County on Friday.
The Wake County District Attorney's Office said Tuesday that it intends to seek the death penalty if Chance is convicted. Wake County Assistant District Attorney Susan Spurlin said she could not reveal details about the case but said the circumstances of Moreland's death warrant the death penalty.
Moreland, 48, a quiet, longtime employee of Progress Energy, was reported missing after she failed to show up for work Aug. 22. Police say she was abducted from a city-owned parking garage across from her office.
According to an arrest warrant filed Tuesday, police think Chance killed Moreland the same day he has been charged with abducting her. Police say their investigation so far indicates that Chance acted alone.
Moreland's younger sister, Lisa Wilkerson, did not support the death penalty before her sister's death.
"But it's totally different now," Wilkerson, 46, of Zebulon said Tuesday. "Oh my God, oh my God. He didn't have to kill my sister. Our family is just destroyed, and I do want justice."
Police are awaiting a final autopsy report from the N.C. Medical Examiner's Office before disclosing how Moreland died. They would not say if a weapon has been recovered during the investigation or if Moreland was slain in Wake or Harnett county.
Chance was first arrested Aug. 24 on charges of using Moreland's debit card to purchase toiletries. Early Tuesday afternoon, a haggard-looking Chance appeared before a Wake County magistrate to be formally charged with murder. He responded the way he did to the kidnapping charge last month.
"Thank you," Chance said in a barely audible whisper.
Chance's father, Lenzie Leach, a Garner truck driver, described his son as a mannerly, easygoing person who fell in with "the wrong crowd" at an early age. Chance was unemployed at the time of his arrest last month and has been in and out of prison since he was a teenager.
Chance briefly attended Garner High School, the last time as a ninth-grader in 1994, Wake County Public Schools spokesman Chip Sudderth said. On March 5 of that year, Chance and two others were charged with robbing and sexually assaulting a 32-year-old man in an alley in Fuquay-Varina. According to Fuquay-Varina Police Department records, the victim suffered internal injuries, severe lacerations and other injuries.
Chance was convicted of common-law robbery and second-degree sexual offense. He spent four years in prison and was required to register as a sex offender, according to state Department of Correction records.
On Aug. 21, 2000, about two years after his release from prison, Chance was convicted in Wake County for failing to register as a sex offender and sentenced to probation. One year later, he violated that probation and served nearly two more years in prison. He was released in July 2003. Less than a year later, Chance was convicted of felony possession of drugs and served almost five months in prison. Last year, a misdemeanor drug possession conviction brought a sentence of 12 months probation and community service, court records show.
Wilkerson said the days that Moreland was missing were "a living hell" for her family. "When she was found, it allowed us to have closure," she said.
Funeral services for Moreland have been scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at the Mount Calvary Word of Faith Church on Sanderford Road, where noted gospel singer Shirley Caesar serves as pastor. A visitation will take place the night before from 5 to 7 p.m. at Mount Peace Baptist Church at 1601 Martin Luther King Blvd.
© Copyright 2006, The News & Observer Publishing Company
The District Attorney's Office says it will seek the death penalty if Chance is convicted
Thomasi McDonald, Staff Writer
RALEIGH - Police have not said how Cynthia Moreland of Wendell died or when and where they think she was killed.
But on Tuesday, police said they think they know who killed her. Antonio Davon Chance, an unemployed convicted sex offender, was charged with murder. The charges come 12 days after Chance, 29, was accused of kidnapping Moreland, whose body was found in Harnett County on Friday.
The Wake County District Attorney's Office said Tuesday that it intends to seek the death penalty if Chance is convicted. Wake County Assistant District Attorney Susan Spurlin said she could not reveal details about the case but said the circumstances of Moreland's death warrant the death penalty.
Moreland, 48, a quiet, longtime employee of Progress Energy, was reported missing after she failed to show up for work Aug. 22. Police say she was abducted from a city-owned parking garage across from her office.
According to an arrest warrant filed Tuesday, police think Chance killed Moreland the same day he has been charged with abducting her. Police say their investigation so far indicates that Chance acted alone.
Moreland's younger sister, Lisa Wilkerson, did not support the death penalty before her sister's death.
"But it's totally different now," Wilkerson, 46, of Zebulon said Tuesday. "Oh my God, oh my God. He didn't have to kill my sister. Our family is just destroyed, and I do want justice."
Police are awaiting a final autopsy report from the N.C. Medical Examiner's Office before disclosing how Moreland died. They would not say if a weapon has been recovered during the investigation or if Moreland was slain in Wake or Harnett county.
Chance was first arrested Aug. 24 on charges of using Moreland's debit card to purchase toiletries. Early Tuesday afternoon, a haggard-looking Chance appeared before a Wake County magistrate to be formally charged with murder. He responded the way he did to the kidnapping charge last month.
"Thank you," Chance said in a barely audible whisper.
Chance's father, Lenzie Leach, a Garner truck driver, described his son as a mannerly, easygoing person who fell in with "the wrong crowd" at an early age. Chance was unemployed at the time of his arrest last month and has been in and out of prison since he was a teenager.
Chance briefly attended Garner High School, the last time as a ninth-grader in 1994, Wake County Public Schools spokesman Chip Sudderth said. On March 5 of that year, Chance and two others were charged with robbing and sexually assaulting a 32-year-old man in an alley in Fuquay-Varina. According to Fuquay-Varina Police Department records, the victim suffered internal injuries, severe lacerations and other injuries.
Chance was convicted of common-law robbery and second-degree sexual offense. He spent four years in prison and was required to register as a sex offender, according to state Department of Correction records.
On Aug. 21, 2000, about two years after his release from prison, Chance was convicted in Wake County for failing to register as a sex offender and sentenced to probation. One year later, he violated that probation and served nearly two more years in prison. He was released in July 2003. Less than a year later, Chance was convicted of felony possession of drugs and served almost five months in prison. Last year, a misdemeanor drug possession conviction brought a sentence of 12 months probation and community service, court records show.
Wilkerson said the days that Moreland was missing were "a living hell" for her family. "When she was found, it allowed us to have closure," she said.
Funeral services for Moreland have been scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at the Mount Calvary Word of Faith Church on Sanderford Road, where noted gospel singer Shirley Caesar serves as pastor. A visitation will take place the night before from 5 to 7 p.m. at Mount Peace Baptist Church at 1601 Martin Luther King Blvd.
© Copyright 2006, The News & Observer Publishing Company