Sanford man charged in double homicide refuses extradition to NC

Billy Jo McLean, 54, remains in custody in Oldham County, Texas, which is along Interstate 40 between Amarillo, Texas, and the New Mexico state line.

Firefighters found the bodies of Calandra McLean and her 13-year-old daughter, Tashonna Cameron, inside the family's 916 Clark Circle home last Monday after extinguishing a blaze in the home.

A nationwide search ensued for McLean, who was arrested at a motel in Windorado, Texas. His 17-year-old stepson, Tobias McLean, who had walked to a nearby diner while Billy Jo McLean slept, learned from Facebook about the deaths of his mother and sister and the manhunt for his stepfather and asked diner employees to call 911.

Because Billy Jo McLean won't waive extradition, Sanford police said, Lee County District Attorney Susan Doyle will draw up a governor's warrant for Gov. Pat McCrory to sign. The warrant would then be sent to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, petitioning him to send McLean back to North Carolina without an extradition hearing.

The governor's warrant process could take up to 90 days to complete, police said.

Carla Hooker, a family friend and Tashonna's dance instructor, said the delay doesn't bother her.

"I know eventually he will have his day in court," Hooker said, adding that she wants the focus now on Tobias McLean and not his stepfather.

The teen returned to Sanford this weekend and was able to attend the Sunday funerals for his mother and sister.

"When Tobias came in, he came in by himself, and he was pumping his fist through the crowd," Hooker said. "He definitely showed the strength of a grown man two or three times his age."