Name: NC father charged with murder of 4 children had prior accusation of neglect or abuse of child
Uploaded: 2025-10-28T21:51:42+00:00
Duration: 5 min 50 s
Description: Public documents show that in 2016, Wellington Dickens III and his wife refused critical medical care for a newborn and later refused to let social workers see the child.

Public documents show that in 2016, Wellington Dickens III and his wife refused critical medical care for a newborn and later refused to let social workers see the child.

A Johnston County father is charged with murdering four of his five children.

Wellington Dickens III, 38, is charged with four counts of murder. He is accused of killing three of his biological children and a stepchild:

WakeMed reported family to Division of Social Services

Court records show Dickens married his wife Stephanie in 2015. A year later, they gave birth to a baby girl.

WakeMed reported the family to the North Carolina Division of Social Services in 2016, claiming that Dickens and his wife refused medical care for their newborn baby girl against doctors’ orders and left the hospital. The couple and the baby girl did not return for a follow-up appointment, the documents show.

According to the documents, WakeMed said the baby girl suffered from jaundice, a condition that could cause brain damage in newborns.

When social workers showed up to Dickens’ home on Aug. 23, 2016, he refused to let them see the child. He refused to let social workers see the child on subsequent visits.

Authorities eventually arrested Dickens, and he was jailed until he complied with a judge’s order. He told his wife to take their daughter to a clinic.

Dickens later sued WakeMed and Wake County in May 2018, claiming the hospital, social workers, police officers and the judge had violated his rights, including under Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act [HIPAA] laws.

The lawsuit was later dismissed.

Dickens' wife died in April 2024 due to pregnancy complications.

Uncle: Dickens was Iraq war veteran

On Tuesday, WRAL News spoke with Charles Moore, who is Dickens' great uncle.

Moore said he last saw Dickens about a year ago and "he seemed fine."

Dickens is an Iraq War veteran, according to Moore. WRAL News is working to find out what branch of the military Dickens was in and his rank.

"We know he had a little problem," Moore said of Dickens.

WRAL News asked Moore specifically what kind of problem.

"He was in the service, and he had a problem ever since he came back, I think," Moore said.

Moore shared how he felt learning of the news on Tuesday.

"Like anybody else I was just shocked," Moore said. "You hear it, talk about it happening to other people. You just wouldn’t think it would happen to one of your own."