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Death row verdict sought in murders
by Johnny Whitfield, Wake Weekly Associate Editor
Lawyers for the state said last week they will seek the death penalty in two cases with Wake Forest ties.
Ezavia Allen, 18, of 416 N. Allen Road, was charged with murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, attempted murder and attempted robbery following an early-morning crime spree in April that ended with the shooting death of a retired Raleigh teacher. The death penalty will also be sought for Bernard Eugene Sanford, 60, of 3733 Sun Catcher Lane. Sanford was charged with murder in the April shooting death of Nathaniel "Zane" Winters. According to Raleigh police, Sanford had moved in with Winters' sister-in-law, Karen Winters, following the 2004 murder of her husband in Franklin County. The decision to try both cases as death-penalty cases came last week during a pre-trial conference with Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Donald Stephens. According to Assistant District Attorney Vince Rozier, who will prosecute the Allen case with Jeff Cruden, the conference was a routine meeting between prosecutors and Stephens. "We get together four or five times a year to look at all the capital cases we have pending," Rozier said. During that meeting, which took place last Thursday, lawyers for the state said they did not intend to pursue capital punishment against the other two people charged in the killing of 63-year-old teacher Shirley Newkirk. Cameron Morris, who lived with Allen at 416 N. Allen Road and Marvin Johnson, of Raleigh, were both 17 when the murder took place. Rozier also said evidence points to Allen as the person who actually fired the shot that killed Newkirk. Rozier said the decision to pursue capital charges in this case rested on a lot of variables. "We looked at the circumstances surrounding the murder. It appears there were other crimes that took place before this one, and we also have to consider the age of the defendants at the time," Rozier said. As with the case against Allen, there also appear to be additional aggravating circumstances in the Sanford case. Assistant District Attorney Melanie Shekita is prosecuting the case against Sanford. Police think Zane Winters was trying to help his sister-in-law evict Sanford from the home she was sharing with him. Sanford allegedly shot Karen Winters in the face before confronting Zane Winters. Police found both victims outside Karen Winters' mobile home off Ligon Mill Road. Sanford remained inside the trailer when police arrived and set the home on fire. He was burned in the blaze and spent time at the N.C. Jaycee Burn Center in Chapel Hill before charges were formally filed against him. Rozier said no dates have been set for trials in either case, but he said it would likely be this fall before either case would make it into a courtroom. "Right now, we are in the middle of discovery and making sure everyone has all the information they are supposed to have," Rozier said.
Last Updated On: July 21, 2005
Copyright 2005 The Wake Weekly