Stancil disrupts hearing
By John Joyce
Published in News on April 17, 2015 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Kenneth Stancil III stands before Wayne County Superior Court Judge Arnold Jones during a first hearing in Wayne County Superior Court on Thursday afternoon.
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Video from confrontation during Thursday's hearing on NewsArgus.com
It took a second attempt at a first appearance Thursday for Kenneth M. Stancil III, 20, to acknowledge the charges against him and to request a court-appointed attorney.
The first attempt to arraign the confessed killer on felony murder charges resulted in the defendant being forcibly removed from the courtroom.
Four days after Stancil walked up two flights of stairs to the print shop of the library on the campus of Wayne Community College and shot his former print shop supervisor Ron Lane with a shotgun, Stancil was placed in the custody of the Wayne County Sheriff's Office.
He was returned to Wayne County via a N.C. Department of Justice jet a day after waiving extradition from a Florida jail.
Stancil caused a scene during his first appearance in Wayne County Superior Court Thursday, telling the court he would kill again.
"If you fall in my top eight, I will kill you," Stancil said. "If you're a (expletive) rapist ... if you're a (expletive) child molester ..."
Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Arnold O. Jones ordered Stancil removed from the courtroom after Stancil continued to use profanity, prompting an outburst from Stancil.
"(Expletive) you," the shooter said.
With his hands cuffed in front of him, Stancil attempted to flip over the defense table and was immediately seized by several deputies and dragged from the courtroom.
Members of the audience were taken aback, and the court clerk shot back in her chair to escape the melee.
District Attorney Matt Delbridge sat perfectly still during the scuffle, as did Jones.
"I'm not going to flinch," the judge said after the proceeding.
Sheriff Larry Pierce said none of his deputies were injured during the incident and neither was Stancil.
"He was just physically restrained," Pierce said.
A more docile Stancil returned 15 minutes later, this time with hands cuffed behind his back, and said he understood the charges against him. In the end, he requested a court-appointed attorney.
Pierce said the difference in Stancil's demeanor the second time around was a credit to his lawyers.
"His attorneys spoke with him and explained to him that he needed to remain calm," Pierce said.
Attorney Worth T. Haithcock II appeared on Stancil's behalf. Unless Haithcock is otherwise retained, however, a court-appointed attorney will take over representing Stancil now that he has been arraigned and has requested an attorney from Indigent Defense Services -- the service that provides lawyers to defendants who cannot afford to hire their own.
Haithcock's law partner, Walter Webster, also spent time at the defense table and helped calm Stancil after the outburst.
"Mr. Haithcock was contacted by (Stancil's) family to lend some preliminary counsel. I offered my assistance as well," he said.
Stancil is charged with first-degree murder. If convicted, the maximum penalty he could potentially face is death. A Rule 24 hearing will have to be held to determine whether the state wants to pursue the matter as a capital offense, but that will not take place until an attorney has been appointed and other protocols are satisfied.
Stancil is next due to appear in Wayne County District Court April 29.