NC Police charge 7 people in Black Hebrews ‘cult’ murder case

Police in Durham, NC, on Wednesday charged seven people with murder in the death of Antoinetta Yvonne McKoy, who was reported missing in February.

Suspected cult leader, 27-year-old Peter Moses, is among those charged.

The Herald Sun says:

Investigators found what they believe to be McKoy’s body buried behind a house at 2622 Ashe Street late Wednesday morning. […]

Two people — Pete Lucas Moses Jr., 27, and Lavada Quinzetta Harris, 40, of 2146 Charles Street — were in custody Wednesday night. Both were charged with murder in the death of McKoy.

Moses was arrested Wednesday evening at the Durham County Jail where he was already in custody on earlier charges of two counts of assault by pointing a gun, two counts of communicating threats, two counts of worthless checks, one count of discharging a firearm within the city limits, one count of assault on a female and one count of second-degree kidnapping.

Harris was arrested during a traffic stop at Fayetteville Street and N.C. 147 Wednesday evening.

Five other people have been charged with murder in McKoy’s death and are not in custody at this time.

Local station WRAL reports:

Antoinetta Yvonne McKoy, 28, has been missing since December. Investigators have been searching intently for weeks for evidence in her disappearance and that of Jadon Higganbothan, 5, who was last seen in October. […]

Those charged include Peter Lucas Moses, 27, Lavada Quinzetta Harris, 40, Larhonda Renee Smith, 40, Sheilda Evelyn Harris, 56, Sheila Falisha Moses, 20, Pete Leonard Moses, 21, all of 2146 Charles St., and Vania Rae Sisk, 25, of 715 Bernice St. […]

Peter Lucas Moses lived with several women at 2109 Pear Tree Lane in Durham. A confidential informant told police in February that both Jadon and McKoy were killed in the house and that their bodies were disposed of.

Police have searched the house repeatedly, and a search warrant states that they found a bullet, shell casing and evidence of human blood and “overt cleaning” inside.

A second search warrant stated that Peter Lucas Moses and Sisk, Jadon’s mother, were “directly involved” in the deaths of a woman and child.

Peter Lucas Moses, 27, was arrested in April on charges that he kidnapped a 16-year-old girl, hit her several times, pointed a semi-automatic gun at her and threatened to kill her.

Says ABC affiliate WTVD:

Police escorted Moses to Durham police headquarters for questioning before announcing the latst developments. Also charged are Higganbothan’s mother, 25-year-old Vania Sisk, 40-year-old Lavada Quinzetta Harris, 56-year-old Sheilda Evelyn Harris, 21-year-old P. Leonard Moses, 20-year-old Sheila Falisha Moses and 40-year-old Larhonda Renee Smith. […]

Sisk was arrested in April during a raid at a Durham home but posted bond. At that time, she was charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession. Sisk told police she last saw her son in Durham on February 20, when she left him with an acquaintance.

However, the last confirmed sighting of the 5-year-old was October 2010.

According to search warrants obtained by ABC11 in April, investigators had suspected Moses was involved with the disappearances and deaths of Higganbothan and McKoy. The woman and child, along with several other women and children lived at the Pear Tree Lane residence with Moses and were members of the “Black Hebrew Israelites.”

Moses is believed to be the group’s leader.

Source

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Religion News Blog posted this on Thursday June 9, 2011.
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