'I will never forgive them': Ned Byrd's sister speaks Only on WRAL
Family, friends and community members are still grieving the shooting death of Wake County deputy Ned Byrd.
WRAL News spoke with Byrd’s sister, Mignon Perkins, and his uncle, Walter Penney.
Perkins spared no mercy for the two brothers charged with murder in Byrd’s shooting death.
“They don't need to breathe air,” she said. “They don't deserve to breathe air.
“I just want them to know what they took away from me,” she said. “Other than that, I don't want to hear their explanations because they don't mean diddly to me.”
Brothers Arturo Marin-Sotelo and Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo face first-degree murder charges in Byrd’s shooting death. On Wednesday, Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo waived a preliminary hearing and a detention hearing on a charge of possessing a gun illegally while not being a resident of the U.S. The July 2021 incident is not related to Byrd's murder.
Perkins didn’t mince her words. She said it will be hard considering she’ll never hear from her brother again.
“I will never forgive them for what they've done to me, what they've taken from me,” Perkins said.
Penney expressed the gratitude the family felt during the Aug. 19 funeral service and procession for Byrd, who was a 13-year veteran of the Wake County Sheriff’s Office.
“We were all in awe,” Penney said. “It was pride that so many people came out.”
Perkins shared Penney’s sentiments about the services for Byrd.
“I'd never seen anything like it,” Perkins said. “It's stuff you see on TV.”
Penney mentioned how the Wake County Sheriff’s Office is also mourning.
“We weren't the only ones losing a family member,” Penney said. “They were also losing a family member.”
