A Durham man was shot 23 times. One of 6 men charged in the killing just took a plea.
One of six men charged with killing a 22-year-old Durham man over two years ago in rural Orange County pleaded guilty in the case Wednesday.
Jermauciyae Rysuan Abram of Durham pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to second-degree murder in Orange County Superior Court.
Abram was charged in the murder of Tevin Kendrick, who was found shot 23 times in the Efland-Cheeks Community Center parking lot Jan. 18, 2016, after a 911 call reporting gunshots.
Superior Court Judge Carl Fox sentenced Abram to a prison sentence between 4 years and 10 months and 6 years and 10 months.
Abram’s attorney, Kellie Mennette, said Abram was on the phone when the shooting happened and abandoned the call abruptly. She argued he was only guilty of cleaning the victim’s car after the murder.
Abram, now 22, was a senior in high school when he was arrested in the case..
His mother, Lakita Pipkin, and cousin Aria Ward were in court to support him. Efforts to reach them for comment after Wednesday’s hearing were unsuccessful.
Other men serving time in the case are:
▪ Andre Lamar Dixon was found guilty of first-degree murder by a jury in November 2018 and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
▪ Devon Antonio Harris of Durham pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in October 2018 and was sentenced to from 16 years to more than 20 years in the state prison.
▪ Terry Glenn Jones of Durham took an Alford plea of second-degree murder in August 2018. He was sentenced to from 25 years to 31 years in prison. Under an Alford plea, a defendant doesn’t admit guilt but acknowledges the state has enough evidence for a conviction.
▪ Barry Dion Holt accepted an Alford plea for second-degree murder in May. He was sentenced to from 12 years to more than 15 years in state prison.
▪ Savian Jacoby Turrentine of Durham is facing an accessory after the fact to a felony charge.
A prosecutor has said Turrentine told investigators that Jones, Harris, Holt and Dixon shot Kendrick and that Abram confirmed which guns they used in the murder. A source told investigators that Kendrick was shot because the men thought he was going to rob them.
A defense attorney for one of them has said the case involved an organized group of people involved in home-invasion robberies in Wake, Durham and other counties., The News & Observer previously reported.
Holt and Abram also were among 11 people indicted in May on federal charges related to violent robberies targeting homes of Middle Eastern and Asian business owners, The N&O reported.
Staff writer Tammy Grubb contributed to this story.
This story was originally published July 31, 2019 at 11:54 AM with the headline "A Durham man was shot 23 times. One of 6 men charged in the killing just took a plea.."