A suspect in two homicides in Vance and Warren counties pleaded guilty to both crimes Monday to avoid a possible death sentence.
Kevin Munn, 30, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Nancy Alford and Tommy Ellington. A plea agreement calls for him to be sentenced to consecutive life terms in prison.
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Members of Alford's and Ellington's families were in court Monday after signing off on the plea deal, Warren County District Attorney Mike Waters said.
"On behalf of the family, I am certainly am glad for them," Waters said after the court hearing. "These types of proceedings are horrific, and for some of them, they say it is like being victimized all over again. Certainly, we would like to get them closure. Nothing we ever do in this court system is ever going to make this right."
Ellington was found shot to death at his rural home east of Henderson on Oct. 2. Munn had been charged with stealing his wallet, keys and about $75 during the crime.
"While today's events will not replace the void we all feel with Tommy's loss, our prayer is that it will aid the healing process for family and friends, as well as bring more peace of mind to the community," Ellington's family said in a statement.
Alford was killed in a fire at her Lake Gaston home on March 9, following a home invasion in which her husband was beaten and tied up and she was driven to Roanoke Rapids and forced to cash a check at a credit union.
Munn has agreed to testify against Lester Kearney in Alford's case.
Rev. John Alford last week identified Kearney, 34, as the knife-wielding man who broke into his home on Mulberry Court in Littleton, beat him and kidnapped his wife.
John Alford said he later heard a loud noise and his wife screaming and discovered a fast-moving fire in the house. He said he tried several times to reach his wife but couldn't get to her through the flames and smoke.
Firefighters later found Nancy Alford's body in the rubble of the burned-out house.
John Alford told investigators that he never saw Munn that day, but he said Munn worked with a contractor doing work on Nancy Alford’s psychology office in Roanoke Rapids and had previously visited the home to talk with his wife.
Waters said Munn also had done some repair work at the Alfords' home.
Investigators say that, after the attack, Munn took the Alfords’ stolen Mercedes to Haywood County and burned it.
Evidence from the car led investigators to Munn, and authorities said he implicated Kearney in the crime.
"The events of March 9, 2018, changed our family forever," the Alford family said in a statement. "We know that [law enforcement officers and prosecutors] have put us on the path to justice and pray daily for their continued resolve to bring safety to the communities they serve."
As part of the plea deal, prosecutors won't pursue cases against Munn's family members in Nancy Alford's death, Waters said.
"We also declined to charge his sister and his mother for their role in concealing evidence of these crimes," he said.
Munn's sister, Kristina Saferite, 35, was {{a href=-"story-1"}}charged April 3 with being an accessory after the fact{{/a}} in the case, according to court records.