LUMBERTON, NC (WBTW) – Two people are charged with murder in relation to a 2002 Robeson County cold case.
Robeson County Sheriff Burnis Wilkins held a press conference about a recent arrest in a homicide investigation on Tuesday. News13 was at the press conference.
According to Sheriff Wilkins, the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigative Unit arrested Larkie Lowry, 61, of Oakgrove Church Rd. in Lumberton. Warrants were been obtained for Jimmy Ray Oxendine, 51, of Bollinger Ave. in Lumberton.
Oxendine turned himself in on Friday.
Lowry and Oxendine are both charged with first degree murder and first degree conspiracy, Sheriff Wilkins said. Lowery is currently being held in the Robeson County Detention Center without bond.
Sheriff Wilkins said the charges are in relation to the death of Ronnie Locklear, of Red Springs. Locklear’s death happened on September 30, 2002 and he was 44 years old at the time.
RCSO investigators responded to 1351 Dixie Rd. in Red Springs for a report of a person shot, Wilkins also said. Upon the arrival of deputies, Locklear was found dead from gunshot wounds. An investigation reportedly revealed that Locklear was shot while standing in the front yard of his home and that shots were fired from a wooded area across the road from Locklear’s home.
During the 2002 investigation, people were interviewed by now-retired and current investigators, Sheriff Wilkins added. Recently, the newly-formed RCSO cold case unit, along with RCSO homicide detectives, reviewed the case and several interviews were conducted. Information from the previous investigator and the cold case unit was presented to a district attorney for review. Charges were then filed against Lowry and Oxendine.
““While the arrest of the two suspects can’t bring Mr. Locklear back, we wanted to bring closure to the friends and family that were devastated by his death. Our team will continue to investigate other unsolved cases in hopes of bringing closure to other families across Robeson County,” Sheriff Wilkins said in a press release.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the RCSO at 910-671-3100.
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