Stancil's appearance, crime a shock to grandparents

Danny and Joyce Edwards, grandparents of the man charged with Monday's murder of a Wayne Community College employee, say the belligerent, tattooed shooting suspect is not the grandson they know.

Posted 1:07 a.m. Apr 18, 2015 — Updated 2:43 a.m. Apr 18, 2015

Danny and Joyce Edwards, grandparents of the man charged with Monday's murder of a Wayne Community College employee, say the belligerent, tattooed shooting suspect is not the grandson they know.

"The grandson that I know is a sweet boy," Joyce Edwards said on Friday night. "He is very sweet, and we love him to death. He is so smart and he is a good person."

The Edwardses said they last saw Kenneth Morgan Stancil III at Christmas, and he did not have the face and neck tattoos they've heard described in media reports.

Joyce Edwards said the couple has refused to watch any news reports about the case because she can't reconcile them with her grandson.

"I have not looked at any news. I have cut my radio in my car off," she said. "I don't want to hear it. What people have told me, that is not my grandson."

Stancil is charged with first-degree murder, which carries a maximum penalty of death, for shooting Ron Lane.

Stancil worked for Lane as a work-study student until March, when he was dismissed for too many absences. On Monday, investigators say, Stancil walked into the college print shop and shot Lane with a 12-gauge pump shotgun. He fled on a motorcycle and was captured the next morning when officers found him asleep on a beach in Volusia County, Fla.

Stancil's grandparents said they have grieved his actions and wish they could change the outcome.

"It has really been horrible," Joyce Edwards said. "I have cried and I pray every night. We're just sorry that all this has happened."

The Edwardses said they plan to visit Stancil as soon as they get the chance.

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