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Two teens charged in murder
by Kristina Leighton, Wake Weekly Staff Writer
May 5, 2005
A crime spree that ended last Thursday with the murder of a retired school teacher may have begun with an armed robbery in Wake Forest more than a week earlier, police say.
Wake Forest police are investigating possible links between two local teens charged with murder last week and an armed robbery committed on Gross Avenue in Wake Forest on April 20. Ezavia Allen, 18, and Cameron Morris, 17, both of 416 N. Allen St., Wake Forest, along with Marvin Johnson, 17, of Raleigh, were charged with one count each of murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, attempted murder and attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon after a series of attacks last Thursday morning. After robbing one man and attempting to rob another, Raleigh police say the three teens shot and killed 63-year-old retired teacher Shirley Newkirk last Thursday morning following another robbery gone bad. Wake Forest Sgt. Jeremy Morris said a robbery committed in Wake Forest the week before shared several similarities to the robberies the three teens may have committed in Raleigh last Thursday. Warren Savage told police he'd been robbed in his home on Gross Avenue in Wake Forest on April 20. According to reports, the suspects, armed with a handgun, stole $50 from Warren. No one was injured. "We can't say yet if they are related, but we are investigating," Morris said. Jim Sughrue, spokesman for the Raleigh Police Department, said officers are looking at the trio in connection with a number of other robberies in Raleigh, as well. If related, the crimes appear to have escalated in intensity as the victims either refused to or could not comply. Around 3:15 a.m. last Thursday, police said Johnson, Allen and Morris attempted to rob a man parked on East Lane Street, a few blocks away from Newkirk's home. Roger Rick told police he saw the teens, at least one of them armed, approaching his vehicle and attempted to flee. The three teens fired shots into his vehicle as he sped away. Just minutes afterward, the two attempted to rob another man, Michael Lamar Haynes, just down the street on Dacian Road, according to reports. This time they succeeded. Police have not specified how much money they got away with. Then, less than an hour after they fired the first shots at Rick's car, the three teens shot Newkirk in a parked car outside her home on Dacian Road near. Bleeding, Newkirk managed to stumble back into her home before collapsing, police said. Her husband called 911, but Newkirk died shortly after. Raleigh police said Newkirk was sitting in her blue Jeep Cherokee, preparing to join friends for an early morning walk, when the three teens shot her. Jim Sughrue said investigators believe the shooting stemmed from yet another attempted robbery. Criminal past Weapons, drugs and thievery are not unfamiliar to the three teens. Last February Johnson was convicted of larceny and possession of a stolen motor vehicle. Last year, Morris was charged with possession of a marijuana with intent to sell and distribute. In January, Wake Forest police charged him with possession of a firearm by a felon. Morris isn't the first in his family to face the charge of murder. Four years ago, Morris' brother, Cedric, was involved in an eerily similar incident. Police arrested him, along with two other Wake Forest teens, in March 2001 in connection with the murder of 39-year-old Marvin Wyche. Cedric Morris was 19. Wyche's mother told police at the time that she believed her son was giving the three a ride when they decided to rob him. Since that incident, Wake Forest police say the home at 416 N. Allen St., has remained a hub for illegal activity. Sandra Morris, the mother of Cedric and Cameron Morris, has a record of drug abuse dating back to the 1990s. She was last convicted of possessing a controlled substance in December of 2003. Wake Forest Police Lt. Trent Coleman said his department has had a number of problems with Cameron Morris, the teen involved in last week's shooting. Smaller offenses have escalated to more violent crimes over the past two years, he said. Coleman said he believed Cameron Morris' run-ins with the law began with his problems at home. "It all starts with the home life," he said. "Obviously, there was trouble at home for quite a while before this happened. "You can't blame everything on that -- he made his own decisions when he committed these crimes -- but it's clearly where this pattern started," he said. Now, Coleman said, it's time for all three teens to take responsibility for their actions. "If they did this, they belong in prison," he said. "Obviously, past punishments haven't been enough. For the safety of the community, they need to be put behind bars."Last Updated On: May 5, 2005
Copyright 2005 The Wake Weekly