House guest dies in Hoke County home invasion

Three men entered the home at 206 Somerset Drive at about 4 p.m., unaware that someone was inside, Peterkin said. After they discovered a man inside the home, the suspects opened fire.

Nicholas Bekiris, 31, a guest of the homeowners, was fatally wounded. In the fray, one of the intruders shot another one. The wounded man, whose name hasn't been released, was taken to a hospital and is expected to recover, Peterkin said.

The two other suspects – Richard David Perez, 20, of 3920 Nikita Drive in Hope Mills, and Justin Ryan Vasquez, 17, of 116 Cranbrook Court in Raeford – were in custody Monday night. Perez and Vasquez are charged with first-degree murder, felony breaking and entering and felony conspiracy.

Peterkin said he does not think the attack was random or that Bekiris knew his attackers. He said the intruders likely were familiar with the home and what was inside.

"There was probably something in the house that they wanted," he said. "It wasn't just picking anybody's home. I think they were familiar with these people, and they took advantage of an opportunity maybe to do something."

The homeowners were not home at the time of the crime.

Bekiris lived on Tahoe Court in Raeford and was employed by Tekton, a maintenance company at Fort Bragg.