Angry, anguished father wants answers in Christmas Eve killings

Kenneth Privette is angry and anguished over the Christmas Eve shooting death of his daughter, Dominique (Nikki) Nicole Privette, 23.

She died along with her boyfriend, Paul Shane Pearce, 28, and his mother Tammy Lynette Pearce, 54, and her boyfriend Selby Gene Outland, 47, in a shooting that police have yet to solve.

"Somebody's taken my baby from me especially right at Christmas? They just can't have a heart," Kenneth Privette said.

"She was always a real quiet kid, real shy," he said. "She was just so innocent."

The quartet was found Saturday afternoon in the home they shared in the 2200 block of Banks Lane. Investigators have said they believe it is an isolated incident, but they haven't released a description, identified a suspect or named a motive for the crime.

Nikki Privette was a graduate of a Bunn High School and an active member of Wake Forest Church of God, her father said. Now, they will never celebrate another Christmas together.

He consoles himself with a final conversation, held with his daughter before her death.

"The last thing she told me was she loved me," he said. "We've always told each other we love each other after we talk to each other. The family's always been like that. We all love each other. We don't have much but we do have love."

Members of the Pearce family declined to speak to a reporter, saying they were afraid with a killer on the loose.

They said Paul Pearce, who went by Shane, was planning to marry Nikki Privette, and they recalled how Tammy Pearce adored animals and was especially devoted to her dog, Pipsqueak. She and Outland had just returned home from a beach vacation.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office at 252-237-2118.