ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — A Tennessee judge on Monday denied bond for a North Carolina man charged in connection with the deaths of three Buncombe County family members after he appeared in court on a fugitive from justice warrant tied to the case.
During a first appearance hearing in Sevier County, authorities told 28-year-old Devan Loving he is wanted in North Carolina on charges including three counts of first-degree murder and kidnapping.
“You are wanted over in North Carolina for kidnapping and then three counts of first-degree murder,” the judge told Loving during the hearing. “You understand that they are holding you for those?”
The judge advised Loving that the Tennessee fugitive charge does not carry a penalty, but concerns his extradition back to North Carolina. Loving was informed he has the right to consult with an attorney before deciding whether to waive extradition.
Loving requested to speak with an attorney before making a decision, and the court appointed a public defender. The judge denied bond and scheduled a review hearing for May 28.
Authorities have not publicly detailed the kidnapping allegation referenced during the hearing.
Triple homicide investigation
The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday that Loving and 16-year-old Star Grant were each charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony conspiracy to commit murder.
Because of the severity of the allegations, authorities said Grant will be prosecuted as an adult.
Sheriff Quentin Miller said investigators worked through the night following the discovery of the victims’ bodies.
“Most of them have not slept because they are focused on nothing but arriving to this outcome,” Miller said during a Friday press conference.
Authorities identified the victims as 41-year-old Travis Eugene Grant, 42-year-old Kimberly Michelle Grant and 66-year-old Sharon Harwood Grant. Travis and Kimberly Grant were married, and Sharon Grant was Travis Grant’s mother.
Deputies responded around 7:15 p.m. Thursday, May 7, for a welfare check at a home on Ashworth Drive in Fairview. When deputies entered the residence, they found the three victims dead from gunshot wounds, Miller said.
Investigators later determined that Star Grant, the daughter of Travis and Kimberly Grant and granddaughter of Sharon Grant, was missing from the home.
Authorities said investigators received information that Grant may have been in Gatlinburg with Loving. With assistance from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and Gatlinburg Police Department, the pair was located at a Gatlinburg hotel shortly before 6 a.m. Friday, authorities said.
Investigators from Buncombe County traveled to Tennessee to interview the suspects. Miller said information gathered during those interviews led detectives to file the murder and conspiracy charges.
Officials said both suspects are Buncombe County residents. Authorities have not disclosed the nature of the relationship between Grant and Loving, saying it remains part of the ongoing investigation.
Sheriff’s officials also said deputies had conducted two welfare checks at the property earlier in the week but did not have enough information at the time to force entry into the home legally.
“It would have been the third welfare check,” Capt. Dustan Auldredger said. “There was a lot of facts that became clear at the time of the third welfare check painted a picture of exigency to enter the residence.”
Investigators believe the victims had been dead for “more than just a few days,” though the exact timeline remains under investigation pending autopsies by the medical examiner.
Authorities have not released a motive in the killings and have not said who investigators believe fired the fatal shots. Officials also declined to comment on social media reports alleging prior restraining order issues or previous law enforcement contact involving Loving and the family.
The investigation remains active and ongoing.