Prosecutors said Wednesday that they plan to seek the death penalty in a home invasion and fatal fire in the Lake Gaston area in March.

Lester Kearney, 34, is charged with murder in the death of Nancy Alford.

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Alford was killed in a fire at her 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.

During a court hearing last month, Rev. John Alford identified Kearney as the knife-wielding man who broke into his home on Mulberry Court in Littleton, attacked him and kidnapped his wife.

Nancy Alford, John Alford, Littleton home invasion, house fire
Nancy and John Alford

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.

Kevin Munn in court
Kevin Munn pleads guilty on April 30, 2018, to two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Tommy Ellington and Nancy Alford. The killings came five months apart in neighboring counties.

Co-defendant Kevin Munn, 30, pleaded guilty two weeks ago to a first-degree murder charge in the case to avoid a possible death sentence. He also agreed to testify against Kearney.