Pittman verdict brings tears of relief, grief

By Brie Handgraaf | September 29, 2011 - 9:54pm

WINDSOR – Tears were abundant Thursday afternoon as a guilty verdict in the first-degree murder trial of Antwan Pittman was read and the 33-year-old was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

Pittman found guilty in Nicholson murder

By Brie Handgraaf | September 29, 2011 - 12:20pm

WINDSOR - The jury in the murder trial of Antwan Pittman returned a verdict of guilty today after less than an hour of deliberation.

Pittman testifies in his own defense

By Brie Handgraaf | September 27, 2011 - 10:06pm

WINDSOR – Defendant Antwan Pittman took the stand in the last hour of court Wednesday to tell his story.

SBI analyst says Pittman's DNA was found in victim

By Brie Handgraaf | September 27, 2011 - 9:45pm

WINDSOR – Prosecutors in the murder trial of Antwan Pittman heard testimony from nine witnesses Wednesday morning and questioned the investigating detective twice before the lunch recess.

Prosecution lays out case against Pittman

By Brie Handgraaf | September 27, 2011 - 7:39pm

WINDSOR – Assistant District Attorney Steve Graham advised the jury to remain clear-headed during the murder trial of Antwan Pittman, while the victim’s family grew emotional during the first day of testimony Tuesday.

Autopsy testimony jars victim’s family in Pittman trial

By Brie Handgraaf | September 27, 2011 - 1:31pm

WINDSOR – Morning testimony in the murder trial of Antwan Pittman proved an emotional ride for the victim’s family.

Jury seated in Pittman murder trial

By Brie Handgraaf | September 26, 2011 - 6:11pm

WINDSOR – Twelve jurors and two alternates from Bertie County were selected Monday to serve on the jury in the first-degree murder trial of Antwan Pittman.

Pittman trial begins in Bertie County

By Brie Handgraaf | September 26, 2011 - 3:09pm

WINDSOR – Jury selection in the murder trial of Antwan Pittman began this morning in the N.C. Superior Courtroom in Bertie County, where the trial was moved following years of publicity surrounding the case.

Leader wants ‘mass search’ of area where bodies were found

By Brie Handgraaf | January 19, 2011 - 12:24am

Juray and Bruce Tucker had asked Edgecombe County Sheriff James Knight to come to the Friday meeting of Parents and Relatives of the Missing and Murdered, but Knight said he could not make it.

Remains identified as those of missing woman

From Staff Reports | January 15, 2011 - 12:33am

Human remains discovered Monday along Battleboro-Leggett Road have been identified as those of Yolanda “Snap” Lancaster.

Missing women's families await news about remains

By Brie Handgraaf | January 11, 2011 - 9:20pm

The families of two missing Rocky Mount women are in limbo as they await news from the medical examiner about human remains found Monday a couple miles from Seven Bridges Road – an area where other bodies have been found since 2003.

Deputies investigate discovery of human remains, possible links to serial killings

By Brie Handgraaf | January 11, 2011 - 2:37pm

A hunter found human remains Monday in woods a couple miles from Seven Bridges Road, an area where other bodies have been discovered during the past seven years.

CNN special on slayings praised

By Brie Handgraaf | November 11, 2010 - 11:10pm

Last weekend, Rocky Mount was part of a CNN special investigation titled “Easy Prey” about serial killers who prey on drug addicts, prostitutes and other vulnerable members of society to victimize.

Investigators dig up new leads in suspected serial killings

By J. Eric Eckard | August 24, 2010 - 7:37pm

Although no new charges against Antwan Pittman have been filed, investigators have turned up more evidence in a string of murders in and around Rocky Mount that date back to 2003, authorities said.

Memorial service staged to unite community

By J. Eric Eckard | August 24, 2010 - 7:36pm

At a Sunday night event set to honor the victims of a suspected serial killer linked to at least 10 deaths over the past seven years in the Twin Counties, Jackie Wiggins was supposed to talk about the purpose of the tribute.

Friends, family honor memory of slain woman

By Jim Holt | August 24, 2010 - 7:34pm

Roberta Williams’ portrait smiled inside Morgan Funerals & Cremations Friday night in front of a grieving congregation singing the Jehovah’s Witnesses Song 111, “He Will Call.” The song describes how when a person dies, God awakens them and calls them to eternal paradise. “Friends of our God, though they pass away, will never be forsaken; All those asleep who in God’s mem’ry stay, from death he will awaken,” the congregation sang.

Search turns up nothing

By Mike Hixenbaugh | August 24, 2010 - 7:33pm

Dozens of soldiers, deputies, police officers and firefighters combed through miles of brush and swampland this week but failed to find two missing Rocky Mount women or any other human remains.

Pittman's trial delayed as search for bodies continues

By Mike Hixenbaugh | August 24, 2010 - 7:32pm

TARBORO — An N.C. Superior Court judge agreed Wednesday to delay the trial of a man charged with murdering one of nine Rocky Mount women found dead in similar circumstances in recent years.

National Guard continues search for missing women

By Mike Hixenbaugh | August 24, 2010 - 7:30pm

Soldiers with the N.C. National Guard were continuing to search this morning for two missing Rocky Mount women in swampy and wooded fields where the bodies of several other people have been found.

National Guard's search effort uncovers no new evidence

By Mike Hixenbaugh | August 24, 2010 - 7:29pm

More than 100 soldiers with the N.C. National Guard searched Tuesday for two missing Rocky Mount women along a rural stretch of road where five other women have been found dead since 2007.

Portrait of a suspected serial killer

By Mike Hixenbaugh | August 24, 2010 - 7:26pm

Antwan Maurice Pittman was born on July 15, 1978.

Authorities identify remains found Saturday

By Mike Hixenbaugh | August 24, 2010 - 7:23pm

The medical examiner has identified remains found Saturday in rural Edgecombe County as Roberta Williams, a 40-year-old Rocky Mount woman whose background matches those of eight other slain women.

Identifying remains could take days

By Mike Hixenbaugh | August 24, 2010 - 7:19pm

It could take a week or longer for forensic pathologists at East Carolina University to identify the latest set of human remains found in rural Edgecombe County.

Families on edge after body found

By John Henderson | August 24, 2010 - 7:17pm

Juray Tucker was attending a memorial service for a slain woman when she learned Saturday afternoon that another set of skeletal remains had been found along Seven Bridges Road in rural Edgecombe County.

Slain woman's memorial moves community, raises questions

By Geoffrey Cooper | August 24, 2010 - 7:13pm

As a portrait of the late Christine Boone stood on the altar of the East End Baptist Church, a burning candlelight and sorrow-filled congregation also stood to shine memory on her death.