Man will spend rest of life in prison for 2015 Capital Blvd. crime spree that included rape, murder

A man convicted of murder, robbery and rape, who once declared himself the antichrist, will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole after being found guilty Tuesday on all charges.

09/2015: Grand jury indicts man on 10 charges linked to crime spree in east Raleigh

Investigators say Gregory shot and robbed a 27-year-old man at a hotel, killed 64-year-old Thomas Melvin Durand, owner of the Mr. Pawn check cashing shop on Capital Boulevard, then grabbed a 15-year-old girl from her yard and raped her on Aug. 31, 2015, before fleeing to New York City.

He was arrested in Brooklyn two days later in an SUV that had been reported stolen in Manhattan. Police said he had a .45-caliber handgun in his pocket and another gun under the driver's seat at the time.

Jurors and the judge heard first from Durand's daughter, Stephanie Thomas, who said, "The world is a horribly sad place, Dad. And it's even more horrible without you here. I'm still waiting to wake up from this nightmare."

Thomas, who was 20 weeks pregnant at the time of her father's death, said she thinks about her father when she holds her son.

"I didn't just lose my father on Aug. 31, 2015. I lost and continue to mourn his presence several times a year," she said.

While the state admits he suffers from mental illness, they said he knew what he was doing. His trial began in July.

His attorneys argued that he suffers from schizoaffective disorder.

"It was essentially saying he did this, but where was his frame of mind when everything was going o" said defense attorney Deonte Thomas.

At the sentencing hearing, Assistant District Attorney Matthew Lively said, "This was a day that rocked the community.

"Because of the jury's verdict," he said, "I'd ask that you sentence him to life without parole as the law requires for first-degree murder."

Gregory declined a chance to speak before Superior Court Judge Thomas Lock handed down his sentence. Noting that the sentence for first-degree murder is mandatory, he sent Gregory to prison for life without any chance at parole. Penalties for the other crimes would be served subsequently, meaning Gregory, who is 26, faces a minimum of an additional 52 years behind bars.