Woman implicated in Goldsboro murder to be sentenced
By Lee Williams
Published in News on October 6, 2006 1:51 PM
The woman who drove the getaway car for two men who killed a Goldsboro couple will be sentenced this month for her role in the crime.
Alonza Sonye Bedell, 22, of Hunters Creek, pleaded guilty to two counts of being an accessory to the crime after the fact on Jan. 19 in connection with the murders of Michael Shawn Maynard, 30, and Christie Nicole Jones, 25. In 12 days, Bedell will learn her fate, officials said.
"Alonza Bedell's case will be on the calendar for sentencing, Monday, Oct. 16," Wayne County Assistant District Attorney Claud Ferguson said. "That will be the next term of court. Judge Lanier will be holding court. I wanted her to be sentenced in front of Judge Lanier who had heard the Telly Cox case."
Judge Russell Lanier Jr. is expected to begin court at 9:30 a.m., officials said.
Miss Bedell's boyfriend, Christopher Lee Brown, 22, of Forest Knolls Road, and Brown's accomplice Telly T. Cox, 24, were convicted of fatally shooting the couple in Maynard's home on New Year's Day in 2004.
Brown and Cox allegedly committed the murders after placing Maynard's then 7-year-old daughter, Bailey, in the closet. After the murders, the men bolted with two .22-caliber rifles, ammunition and a crossbow.
Miss Bedell, who was waiting outside in her car, drove the men around after the murders.
Miss Bedell, who had previous drug conviction, was given a plea deal under the condition she provided truthful testimony during the Cox double murder trial, which wrapped up Sept. 22.
During the trial, Miss Bedell told the court she was forced to drive the men around at gunpoint. She also told the court the men told her they shot someone at Maynard's home, but she did not know anyone had been killed.
Miss Bedell also told the court that she initially lied to authorities because the men were at-large at the time and she feared for her and her family's safety.
Miss Bedell could face up to 17 1/2 years in prison based on her criminal history for her role in the crimes, officials said.