The Orange County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina has identified a suspect for the shooting deaths of two teens who were previously reported missing.
On Tuesday, Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwoodannouncedthat authorities were looking to charge a 17-year-old with two counts of first-degree murder, a Class A felony, for the deaths of Devin Clark, 18, and Lyric Woods, 14.
“Through the hard work of my investigators, along with the assistance of personnel from many other law enforcement agencies, we have identified a suspect in this case,” Blackwood said in a release. “We will now work with local, state, and federal authorities to apprehend and present the suspect to the court system.”
The suspect, who has not been publicly identified, will not be charged as an adult due to state law that went into effect on Dec. 1, 2019, and says “16- and 17-year-old individuals who commit crimes in North Carolina are no longer charged automatically in the adult criminal justice system.”
Instead, the case will be transferred from a district court to a superior court.
Blackwood went on to thank the victims' families “for trusting us and the investigative process during this excruciatingly painful time. I hope the apprehension of this subject will bring them some comfort as they mourn their loved ones.”
The sheriff’s announcement came hours afterlocal authorities recoveredthe bodies of Woods and Clark, who were found shot to death along a hiking trail in Orange County over the weekend, according to a statement from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Lyric Woods, Devin Clark.Orange County Sheriff’s Office; Facebook
“Family members reported Lyric missing Saturday afternoon to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office,” a previous statement from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office reads. “Devin Clark’s family contacted the Mebane Police Department on Sunday with concerns about his whereabouts.”
Lyric was a ninth grader at Cedar Ridge High School in Hillsborough and Devin was a senior at Eastern Alamance High School in Mebane.
The teens were described as acquaintances.
Lyric’s parents left flowers and a cross while Devin’s mother, Tiffany Concepcion, spoke to the station, saying she needed to know why her son was killed.
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“He never hurt anybody, so for him to get done like this is — I have to have answers,” Concepcion said. “I want to get justice and I don’t care where I have to go, what I have to do, who I’ve got to talk to, I’m going to keep going and keep doing it.”
A GoFundMe pageseeking donations for Devin’s funeral described the teen as a student-athlete who “loved his family and friends.”
The investigation is ongoing and those with any information are encouraged to call Investigator Keith Goodwin at (919) 245-2918.
source: people.com
