Knightdale man convicted in 2009 slaying

A Wake County jury found a Knightdale man guilty Wednesday of killing a man whose body was found last year on the side of Massey Farm Road in Knightdale.

Jason Randall Sledge, 32, of 3305 Leonard Road, was convicted of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Sledge and Charles Cameron Wheless, 52, of 920 Massey Farm Road, were charged with killing James Raymond Strazisar, 49, on Feb. 8, 2009.

A passer-by found Strazisar's body near the Country Hearth Inn in Knightdale.

Charles Wheless pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and misdemeanor larceny in the case. He was sentenced to 24 months on probation.

Sledge's wife, Melissa Warren Sledge, and Wheless' brother, Gregory Collins Wheless, were charged as accessories in the case. Those charges were dismissed after Jason Sledge's conviction.