Two suspects in Enfield quadruple homicide also charged in other killings

Two of the three men charged in the August deaths of four people in an Enfield home also are charged in other killings.

Posted 5:33 p.m. Jan 9, 2018 — Updated 6:06 p.m. Jul 13, 2018

ENFIELD, N.C. — Two of the three men charged in the August deaths of four people in an Enfield home also are charged in other killings.

Keyon Quarice West, 23, and James Edward Powell, 25, both of Roanoke Rapids, were charged Monday with four counts of first-degree murder in the Aug. 21 deaths of Janice Harris, James Harris, Peggy Whitley and James Whitley.

Keyon Quarice West, left, James Edward Powell

Matthew Lewis Simms, 25, of Enfield, was arrested on four counts of first-degree murder in October.

Powell was charged Saturday with murder, attempted murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon in connection with a weekend shooting in Roanoke Rapids that left one man dead and another seriously wounded.

Simms was arrested in Rocky Mount in November 2015 in connection with a fatal June 22, 2015, shooting in Enfield. He was released after posting bond and failed to show up for a June 12, 2017, court date, and deputies weren't able to apprehend him until Sept. 7.

The Harrises and the Whitleys were shot while sitting at the Harrises' kitchen table playing cards, authorities said.

Authorities said a family member went to check on the residents of the home at 980 Fishing Creek Road, in the Glenview community west of Enfield, and found the bodies. Some items were missing from the home, but there were no apparent signs of a struggle, authorities said at the time.

Halifax County Sheriff Wes Tripp said last fall that the home might have been targeted and the killings might have been gang-related. He declined to elaborate on that statement, but Jim Harris, 88, was a gunsmith and had a federally licensed firearm business that he ran out of his home.

James Whitley, 76, was a farmer and his 67-year-old wife a former hairstylist. Janice Harris, 72, was an administrative assistant for a local builder.

Powell and West both asked for court-appointed lawyers at brief hearings Tuesday morning – Powell was in a wheelchair, but authorities didn't say why. Both men were ordered held without bond in the Halifax County jail, and their next court dates were set for Jan. 17.

All three suspects have lengthy criminal records, according to state Department of Public Safety records.

West was released from prison in May 2016 after serving a sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He also has previous convictions for breaking and entering, but almost two dozen felony charges against him have been dropped since 2011, including multiple assaults, weapons and burglary charges, sometimes because victims didn't show up in court, records show.

Powell was released from prison in January 2015 after serving a sentence for assault inflicting serious bodily injury. Attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon charges were dismissed in the case, records show. He also has several burglary and larceny convictions dating to 2009.

Simms is currently serving a prison sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm and drug possession. He was convicted on the charges in July 2016 but was placed on probation, which was revoked when he was arrested last fall. He also has been convicted over the past decade of numerous break-ins, as well as weapon and drug charges, according to state records.

Tripp said Monday that the shootings remain under investigation.

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