Three get time in 2007 shooting death in city
By Staff Reports
Published in News on April 22, 2009 1:46 PM
Veronica D. Steele of Clayton Ridge Road, Tyruss Lawrence of Sanborn Place and Darian Sutton of Randall Drive pleaded guilty Monday morning and were sentenced to 12-15 years in prison in connection with the Nov. 21, 2007, murder of Ernesto Delgado of Goldsboro.
The trial before Superior Court Judge Arnold Jones had gotten under way Monday when the three entered guilty pleas to charges of second-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon and conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon.
All were felony charges and the three received the same sentences.
Each will spend 141 to 179 months in prison on the murder charge, 58-79 months on the robbery charge and 22-36 months on the conspiracy charge.
Ms. Steele was ordered to pay court costs of $2,81.50 on the murder charge. Lawrence was ordered to pay $2,811.50 and Sutton to pay $2,806.50
At the time of the arrest in December 2007, Goldsboro Police Department detectives said robbery was the motive for the murder.
The case was investigated by Goldsboro police officers and the State Bureau of Investigation.
According to reports at the time of the shooting, a friend and co-worker of Delgado said the week of Delgado's death that checks were distributed early because the banks would be closed over Thanksgiving.
Delgado's green 1999 Plymouth Voyager van was found by police in a ditch around 11:30 p.m. the day before Thanksgiving.
Delgado's body was found in a ditch off Randall Lane.
He had suffered a gunshot wound to the torso and was pronounced dead on the scene.