Darius Sessoms gets life sentence in Cannon Hinnant murder

Darius Sessoms agreed to an Alford plea on Thursday in the first-degree murder of 5-year-old Cannon Hinnant.
Posted 12/29/2022, 5:09:00 PM Updated 12/29/2022, 11:22:32 PM

WHAT'S BEING DONE TO PREVENT

A REPEAT?

>> NEW TODAY A JUDGE SENTENCED

A MAN TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR

KILLING A 5 YEAR-OLD LITTLE

BOY. THANKS FOR JOINING US

TONIGHT. I'M MICHELLE

MACKONOCHIE NUMB CHRIS

LOVINGOOD DARRIUS SESSOMS IS

NOW CONVICTED OF KILLING 5

YEAR-OLD CANNON HINNANT WHILE

THE BOY WAS RIDING HIS BIKE IN

HIS FRONT YARD. WRAL'S MATT

TALHELM SPOKE WITH TENANTS

MOTHER AFTER THE PLEA DEAL WAS

ANNOUNCED

DARIUS SESSOMS ENTERED AN

ALFORD PLEA INSIDE THE

COURTROOM HERE IN WILSON

COUNTY. THAT MEANS HE

ACKNOWLEDGES PROSECUTORS HAVE

ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO CONVICT HIM,

BUT HE DOES NOT ADMIT GUILT IN

THE KILLING OF CANNON HINNANT

BRINGS US A LITTLE BIT OF

>> NO ON THAT. WE'RE WALKING

OUT HERE DYING. WE DON'T HAVE

TO COME BACK.

>> THIS IS NOT THE ENDING.

BONNIE PARKER HAD HOPED FOR

HER SON'S KILLER. I TOOK THE

CLOSEST THING TO ME. MY BABY

MINUTES BEFORE INSIDE THIS

COURTROOM, SHE FACED A MAN

WHO'S NOW GOING TO PRISON FOR

THE REST OF HIS LIFE FOR THE

MURDER OF HER 5 YEAR-OLD SON

CANNON HINNANT. THE JUDGE ONLY

ALLOWED US TO TAKE THE STILL

PHOTOS. THE LITTLE BOY'S FAMILY

FILLED THE FRONT ROW ACROSS

FROM DARRIUS SESSOMS. THE 28

YEAR-OLD STOOD BETWEEN HIS

CAPITAL DEFENDERS TO ACCEPT THE

PLEA DEAL THAT ALLOWS HIM TO

AVOID A TRIAL WITH THE

POSSIBILITY OF THE DEATH

PENALTY. THAT'S SOMETHING

PARKER HAD WANTED. IT'S NOT

NEARLY ENOUGH WHAT HE DESERVES.

I'M HITTING IT JUSTICE TODAY

WITHIN THE CLOSURE. TODAY,

PARKER SAYS SHE AGREED TO THE

PLEA DEAL SO HER DAUGHTERS

WON'T HAVE TO TESTIFY IN A

TRIAL. THEY WERE 78 YEARS OLD

WHEN THEY WITNESSED THEIR

BROTHER SHOOTING. PROSECUTORS

SAY SESSOMS WALKED UP TO CAN

HIM AS HE RODE HIS BIKE IN THE

YARD OUTSIDE HIS FATHER'S HOME

AND SHOT HIM. THE FAMILIES WERE

NEIGHBORS HERE ON ARCHERS ROAD.

THAT WAS AUGUST 2020, EVERY

DAY SINCE PARKER SAYS SHE'S

ASKED ONE QUESTION EVERY I.

I ALWAYS ASK. EVERY DAY RIGHT?

WHY CAN PARKER DIDN'T GET THAT

ANSWER IN COURT AS SHE READ A

STATEMENT TELLING SESSOMS HE

QUOTE, MADE US SUFFER FOR THE

REST OF OUR LIVES EVERY ALSO.

>> ONE A CONE IS UNKNOWN

BECAUSE TO BE WITH HIM.

OUR OTHER KIDS THAT WE HAVE

THEY KEEP ME GOING EVERY DAY.

>> THIS IS ALSO AFFECTING

SESSOMS FAMILY. HE DIDN'T SPEAK

INSIDE THE COURTROOM HERE

EXCEPT TO ANSWER THE JUDGE'S

QUESTIONS. BUT HE WAS ALLOWED

SOME TIME TO TALK WITH HIS

PARENTS. I SAW HIM CHOKE BACK

TEARS DURING THAT CONVERSATION.

MATT TALHELM WRAL NEWS WILSON.

SO A RESULT IN THIS CASE BUT NO

CLOSURE FOR THAT FAMILY SESSOMS

GIRLFRIEND AT THE TIME ALSO

ACCEPTED A PLEA DEAL TODAY.

TWENTY-THREE-YEAR-OLD A LOT OF

THE PET. IT PLEADED GUILTY TO

ONE CHARGE. PROSECUTORS SAY

SHE DROVE SESSOMS TO

GOLDSBOROUGH AFTER THE KILLING,