Grand jury indicts man for murder, woman charged in plea deal
By Brandon Davis
Published in News on January 23, 2017 10:26 AM
Wall
A Goldsboro man has been indicted by the Wayne County grand jury on a charge of first-degree murder.
Billy Renaldo Hamm, 44, of 912 N. John St., was arrested in April in Silver Spring, Maryland, for the Jan. 9, 2016, murder of Carlos Cesar Vasquez Luna.
According to the indictment, Hamm shot and killed Luna, 47, at 159 Sleepy Creek Road in Dudley, and he wounded a second man, Alfredo Garcias, 25, of the same address. Garcias recovered from his wounds.
Hamm fled to Maryland after the killing of Luna, investigators said. Wayne County Sheriff's Office Det. Sgt. Larry Mitchell, the detective on the case, said Hamm was arrested after getting into a fight at a coffee shop.
Mitchell said Hamm gave Maryland officers false information regarding his birth date, but they were able to use a portable thumbprinting device to identify him.
Maj. Tom Effler with the sheriff's office said the reason Hamm drove to Maryland isn't known.
"He got away from here," Effler said. "I'm sure he probably knew someone up there for him to go that way."
Hamm was indicted also on charges for assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, inflicting serious injury, first-degree burglary and attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon.
"We don't want to release the motive right now, but we feel like we know what the motive is," Effler said.
He said Hamm is currently being held in the Wayne County jail without bond.
Four other suspects were arrested and charged for their alleged involvement in Luna's murder with one of the four already being sentenced after pleading guilty to second-degree murder.
Jennele Lea Howard Wall, 36, Room 8, Carolina Motel, 2316 N. William St., was initially charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, attempted armed robbery and first-degree burglary.
Last week, Wall pleaded guilty in Wayne County Superior Court to second-degree murder and other related charges for her part in the January 2016 killing of Luna.
Wall also pleaded guilty to attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or seriously injure and first-degree burglary.
She was sentenced to a minimum of 27 years in prison. Wall will be given credit for her time served of 369 days toward her sentence.
Jerry Aundrey Parks, 41, 912 John St., is charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, first-degree burglary and two counts of attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon in the slaying of Luna.
Darius Lamar Chestnut, 35, 907 N. Carolina St., and Montrell Demontrin Allen, 41, 104 Jessica Place, are both charged with first-degree burglary and two counts of attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon.
For a full list of the remaining indictments handed up this month by the grand jury, see the Jan. 24, issue of the Goldsboro News-Argus.
---- Staff writer Ethan Smith contributed to this report.