ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Three people have pleaded guilty in connection with the 2021 shooting death of an Asheville man, according to the North Carolina Department of Justice.
Attorney General Jeff Jackson announced that his office secured convictions against Willie Byrd, Carmen Gillespie and Cross Beaver in the killing of Boyce Shane Plemmons.
Plemmons was found shot to death at a home in Asheville in September 2021. Investigators with the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office determined Byrd and Gillespie broke into the home, threatened Plemmons with a gun, stole his cellphone and shot him, according to the Department of Justice.
Beaver was identified as the driver for Byrd and Gillespie, officials said.
The case was investigated by the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by the North Carolina Department of Justice after a referral from the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office.
Byrd pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 141 to 182 months in prison.
Gillespie pleaded guilty to soliciting first-degree murder, felony breaking and entering, possession of a firearm by a felon, attempted trafficking in heroin and attempted trafficking in methamphetamine. She was sentenced to 84 to 113 months in prison.
Beaver pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 59 to 83 months in prison.
“Thanks to law enforcement and my criminal prosecutors, these dangerous defendants are off our streets,” Jackson said in a statement. “As attorney general, I’m committed to keeping the people of North Carolina safe, and I will continue working with our partners to deliver justice.”
The convictions close the criminal proceedings against the three defendants in connection with Plemmons’ death.