ALBEMARLE — On Saturday evening, a traffic stop in Albemarle resulted in the arrest of two people wanted in connection with a murder that occurred earlier that night.
Shortly after 5 p.m., Stanly County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to a home at 21615 Singlewood Rd. after receiving a report of a shooting. Upon arriving at the scene of the crime, responding officers located David Edward Perry, 42, who had been shot and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Detectives took out murder warrants for 53-year-old Watson Deondra Brooks, of Albemarle; and 51-year-old Sabrina Lavette Wallace, of Kannapolis, after obtaining evidence during the investigation process. Both Brooks and Wallace were soon taken into custody during a traffic stop and then transported to the Stanly County Ralph McSwain Detention Center.
Brooks has been charged with first degree murder and is set to appear in court on Feb. 21. He is being held without bond.
In 2004, he was previously found guilty of two counts of robbery with a dangerous weapon after robbing a restaurant employee who was attempting to leave work following a shift.
On Monday afternoon, Capt. Chris Huneycutt of the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to SCJ that his staff met with the District Attorney’s Office to decide how to move forward with Wallace’s case. While she was initially given the same murder charge as Brooks, her charge has now been modified to an accessory-after-the-fact felony charge.
Now facing a $100,000 bond, Wallace had her first court appearance on Monday.
North Carolina state law dictates that an accessory-after-the-fact felony charge is applicable when a person knows that a felony was committed and acts specifically to aid or assist the felon. The charge also applies to those who give aid or assistance for the purpose of helping the felon avoid conviction or apprehension.
According to Huneycutt, the shooting on Saturday night stemmed from a verbal dispute between cousins Brooks and Perry until their argument escalated to an act of fatal violence. After the incident, it didn’t take long for officers to find Brooks and Wallace on the road.
“It was pretty cut and dry,” Huneycutt told SCJ. “We were able to locate the vehicle, and we conducted a vehicle stop. They were both taken into custody without incident.”
Anyone with any further details pertaining to this incident is advised to contact the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office at 704-986-3714.