A North Carolina father has been charged with the murders of his 4 youngsters after he referred to as 911 to chillingly confess the killings.
Wellington Delano Dickens III, 38, was arrested Tuesday at his residence in Zebulon — about 20 miles exterior of Raleigh — after he allegedly instructed 911 operators that he had killed his youngsters, the Johnston County Sheriff’s Workplace mentioned in a press launch.
Deputies arrived on the residence round 10 p.m., the place Dickens knowledgeable them that the kids had been lifeless contained in the trunk of a automobile within the storage.
Inside, officers found “what had been believed to be a number of our bodies” within the trunk of a two-door Honda sedan parked within the storage, authorities mentioned.
The victims had been recognized as Dickens’ organic youngsters — Leah Dickens, 6, Zoe Dickens, 9, and Wellington Dickens, 10 — alongside together with his 18-year-old stepchild, Sean Brassfield.
Deputies additionally discovered Dickens’ 3-year-old son alive and unhurt inside the house.
Throughout the preliminary investigation, the sheriff’s workplace mentioned the stays appeared to have been there for an prolonged interval.
Authorities imagine the 4 youngsters have been lifeless since Could 1, in keeping with court docket data obtained by USA At present.
Dickens was arraigned Tuesday afternoon and charged with first-degree homicide. He’s at present being held on the Johnston County Jail with out bond.
Information present Dickens’ spouse, Stephanie Rae Jones Dickens, died in April 2024 — forsaking 5 youngsters who continued dwelling within the household’s Zebulon residence.
An obituary mentioned Jones Dickens “handed away all of a sudden at her residence,” in keeping with an internet obituary.
Her demise got here a couple of 12 months after Dickens’ father died in a box-truck collision in Lee County, USA At present reported.
Dickens’ great-uncle, Charles Moore, instructed WRAL-TV that the Iraq Battle veteran “appeared superb” when he final noticed him a couple of 12 months in the past.
“Like anyone else I used to be simply shocked,” Moore instructed the outlet. “You hear it, speak about it taking place to different individuals. You simply wouldn’t assume it will occur to certainly one of your individual.”
Nonetheless, Moore acknowledged that the alleged little one homicide wasn’t the identical after serving within the army.
“We all know he had just a little downside,” Moore mentioned. “He was within the service, and he had an issue ever since he got here again, I feel.”
Subsequent-door neighbor Debra Riley additionally mentioned she’s struggling to piece collectively what occurred.
“My coronary heart simply breaks for the kids, and for the 3-year-old that’s left as a result of he has no dad and mom or siblings left,” Rily mentioned.
Neighbor Fran Majkowski mentioned the ugly discovery has shocked the neighborhood.
“I stroll by that home nearly each single day,” Majkowski instructed the outlet.
Whereas Majkowski had no private relationship with Dickens or his household, she did keep in mind after they moved into the neighborhood.
“I by no means noticed a baby exterior enjoying. I by no means noticed him mowing a garden,” she mentioned.
“The one time I ever noticed them was the day they moved in and like I mentioned … it was very … you simply get the sensation somebody is to themselves.”
Nonetheless, Majkowski mentioned she and different neighbors reached out to assist Dickens in 2024 following his spouse’s passing.
“It’s a reasonably new neighborhood,” Majkowski mentioned. “I’ve been right here three years, most others only a 12 months or two — and everybody got here collectively. There was an outpouring of assist.”
Riley added that Dickens “began protecting to himself” and have become extra of a recluse after his spouse handed away.
Dickens is due again in court docket on Wednesday.
If convicted, he faces a most sentence of life with out parole or the demise penalty.
