Two arrested in Lake Gaston home invasion, fatal fire
Two men were arrested Wednesday in connection with a home invasion and fatal fire last week on Lake Gaston, Warren County District Attorney Mike Waters said.
Kevin Munn and Lester Kearney have been charged with first-degree murder in the case, and more charges are pending, Waters said. Both men are being held without bond.
Authorities said two masked intruders burst into a home on Mulberry Court in Littleton Friday morning and kidnapped 76-year-old Nancy Alford.
One of the intruders drove her to a State Employees' Credit Union branch in Roanoke Rapids and forced her to withdraw money from an ATM, while the second intruder stayed in the home with her husband, John Alford, Warren County Sheriff Johnnie Williams said.
Nancy Alford was driven back to the house on Lake Gaston, where the intruders beat up her husband before setting the home ablaze with the couple tied up inside, Williams said.
John Alford, a minister at Sanford Memorial Baptist Church in Brodnax, Va., was able to escape and was airlifted to Duke University Hospital for treatment. His wife, a noted psychologist, didn't make it out of the burning house, however.
"I believe the Alfords were targeted for a robbery," Waters said. "It's a tragedy for this community. The Alfords were big parts of this community.
"It's shaken people up here a lot," he added. "Things like this just don't happen up here."
Community members said they had been on edge since the fatal fire, and were once again able to breathe easy when they learned of the arrests.
"I've had customers tell me they are on lockdown, they don't want to go home," said Lake Caston Pizza employee Pete Richardson, who watched the news of the arrests on TV Wednesday afternoon. "Literally everybody just started clapping."
The couple's silver 2011 Mercedes C-300, which had been stolen during the incident, was found Tuesday in Haywood County.
Waters said the car had been involved in a chase with State Highway Patrol troopers and Haywood County deputies, and information collected during the chase and evidence found in the car, which was later found burned and abandoned, led to the two arrests.
Munn was apprehended Tuesday night in a traffic stop in Warren County by the Highway Patrol. Kearney was arrested Wednesday morning in Roanoke Rapids.
Kearney has a criminal record dating to 2002, including convictions for kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon and larceny, according to state Department of Public Safety records.
Munn's criminal record dates to 2004 and is filled with convictions for larceny and tampering with phone or communications equipment. He was placed on probation in October for misdemeanor breaking and entering and larceny, DPS records show.
Waters said that many officers lost sleep working on the case, which became personal for some.
"These were good people. They were very good people and they contributed to this community and their loss is going to be felt for a long time to come," Waters.
Members of the Alford family thanked Waters and law enforcement officials after hearing of the arrests.
