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State can seek death penalty against suspect in Cannon Hinnant's murder

A Wilson County court will decide on Thursday whether a man will face the death penalty for killing a 5-year-old child, his neighbor, in August 2020.

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WILSON, N.C. — A Wilson County court decided Thursday that the state can seek death penalty against the suspect in the murder of a 5-year-old child in August 2020.

Cannon Hinnant was riding his bike in front of his father's home on Archers Road on Aug. 9, 2020, when Darius Sessoms, his neighbor, allegedly shot him in the head.

Hinnant's family appeared to have relief on their faces when the judgment was called down. They've been calling for Sessoms to face the death penalty for years.

Sessoms, 25, made his first appearance in court in May, where his lawyer asked for more time to review all the evidence in the case. The state will seek the death penalty against Sessoms, who was indicted by a grand jury for charges of first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by felon.
Darius N. Sessoms

Family members said Cannon's two sisters, ages 8 and 7, saw their brother get shot, according to Hinnant's mother.

In court on Wednesday, a neighbor said she saw Sessoms run from his home into the Hinnants' yard and place a handgun to Cannon's head. She described "a burst of flame" and then seeing the boy collapse. She said she ran to call 911.

Video was not allowed in the courtroom, where body camera video and photos of the aftermath of the shooting were on display.

"I pray he gets the death penalty. We will fight for that till the end. That’s what we’re hoping for," said Bonny Parker, Cannon Hinnant's mother. "It would mean the closest we can get to justice for Cannon.​" ​​

Cannon Hinnant's father, Austin Hinnant, said there was no "bad blood" between him and his neighbor before the shooting, and it is still unclear why Sessoms shot the boy.

Death penalty rare in North Carolina

According to WRAL reporter Amanda Lamb, every first-degree murder case has the potential to be a death penalty case, but the state has to ask the judge to classify it as such.

Usually, the death penalty is considered for cases involving especially cruel or heinous crimes. Death penalty cases take longer and are more expensive, since the jurors who decide a defendant's fate need to be death penalty-qualified.

"During jury selection, they must agree that they can and will give the death penalty if the facts point in that direction. The fear is that if a juror does not say this, they will allow their concern about the death penalty to affect whether or not the person is found guilty or innocent," Lamb explained.

North Carolina has not executed anyone since 2006. Currently, there are 135 people on death row in North Carolina, 133 men and two women. The most recent person sent to death row was 35-year-old Tillman Freeman, convicted in April of stabbing his young daughters to death.

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