Rocky Mount Police Renew Efforts for Leads in Double Homicide

Rocky Mount — Rocky Mount police are offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in a double homicide involving a secretary at the police department.

Investigators were out at the intersection of Compass Creek Drive and Goldrock Road passing out fliers and operating a checkpoint Friday morning in an effort to get new information about the shooting deaths of Leona Johnson, 50, and her roommate, Deborah Scriven, 44.

Rocky Mount police found their bodies at Johnson's home at 1247 Compass Creek Drive on Dec. 21 when they were checking on Johnson, who failed to show up for her shift. She had worked for three years in the department's Uniform Operations Division

Police said the door to the home had been smashed in and that the victims, as well as Scriven's son, Devin Scriven, 21, were in three separate bedrooms. Devin Scriven was also shot, but survived.

Investigators said they do not believe the attacks were random, but that they had not been able to determine a motive. They have questioned three people, two whom they describe as persons of interest.

Police urge anyone with information or who might have been in the area between the hours of 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Dec. 21 to contact the police department at 252-972-1412 or Crime Stoppers at 252-977-1111. All calls and information are confidential.

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Latest Comments

It's no wonder the decent people of Rocky Mount are trying to move outside of the city limits, into local communities like Red Oak, Nashville and such. The town is being overun by a "culture".

twinsmother
January 5, 2008 8:04 p.m.

I think the RMPD is more overwhelmed by the low pay and long hours.

Notinitforthemoney
January 4, 2008 4:02 p.m.

It isn't any safer in the new year either! The local news rag is reporting the RM has had it's first murder of the year.

GM

Glenn Miller
January 4, 2008 3:30 p.m.

"Rocky Mount a city with major gang and drug problems, yet no active drug or gang task force. WHY?" "Notinitforthemoney" says "It takes manpower to put tasks force together" Our country was founded and overcame opression by a few good men with the WILLPOWER to over come evil. That will to be free can overtake evil when people with wisdom and discernment take action. It does not take a majority to change our society, just a few good men and women willing to lay one MORAL brick at a time.Trouble is we have no one handing out the MORAL bricks. We've allowed the ACLU,liberal professors,teachers, judges,lawmakers,smalltown cops on the take,etc. To tear down our foundations and hide our BRICKS. Greed for power,money,sex or whatever is controling a majority of our society today.I believe there are enough BRICKLAYERS out there to rebuild our country. Won't you lay yours?

Its me again
January 4, 2008 3:24 p.m.

The problem with fighting gangs is what do you do with them when they get out of jail. You send them to non gang areas that in turn become gang problem areas like Rocky Mount has become. Most of those "gangs" in Rocky Mount are made up of people who are not local. They are people who moved from bad areas to supposedly get away from it. But then turn around and start the problem there. I grew up in Rocky Mount on the "wrong side of tracks" as some would call it. It wasn't as bad as it has become. To change some of it yes you need a gang task force, but you also need to get the ones who are prison and try to "reform" them. Let the parole boards know that they are doing nothing but creating a bigger problem just spreading the gang culture out.