Attorney General Jeff Jackson Secures Convictions and Sentences in Murder, Armed Robbery, and Death by Vehicle Cases Across North Carolina

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, October 29, 2026
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RALEIGH - Attorney General Jeff Jackson and the North Carolina Department of Justice secured criminal convictions in two North Carolina Supreme Court opinions released Oct. 23 and 13 Court of Appeals opinions released Oct. 21. The Supreme Court cases included a murder case and an armed robbery case out of Durham County. The Court of Appeals cases included a murder case out of Wake County, a death by vehicle case out of Guilford County, and an armed robbery case out of Mecklenburg County.

The convictions were originally argued and obtained in trial courts by district attorneys. The North Carolina Department of Justice is responsible for defending criminal convictions obtained by district attorneys when the cases are heard in the state's appellate courts, including the North Carolina Supreme Court.

"District attorneys across North Carolina did the hard work of securing these convictions," said Attorney General Jeff Jackson. "When the defendants appealed, our job was to defend those convictions and make sure they held up. That's what our team did, and I'm proud of their work."

In State v. Montanino, the North Carolina Supreme Court upheld Philip Anthony Montanino's conviction of first-degree murder. The case was originally tried by the office of Durham County District Attorney Satana Deberry. In 2018, the victim was found dead in her Durham apartment. Montanino was linked to the victim's apartment and her missing SUV, which police found nearby when he was arrested. A jury found him guilty of first-degree murder under the felony murder rule, and he was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

In State v. Latta, the North Carolina Supreme Court affirmed Dana Alden Latta Jr.'s sentence of 71 to 95 months. The case was originally tried by the office of Durham County District Attorney Satana Deberry. In 2001, Latta and another man confronted four women in a massage parlor in Durham. One of the men put a gun to a victim's head while he moved her to another part of the building, and the men took $648. Latta pleaded guilty to three counts of robbery with a dangerous weapon, two counts of attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon, and one count of second-degree kidnapping as part of a plea agreement with the state in which the state would support a prison sentence of 61-83 months. Latta then posted bond, fled North Carolina and did not show for his sentencing date. Nearly 20 years later, during which time he accumulated more than a dozen out-of-state convictions, he was arrested in Vance County and was sentenced to a mitigated range of 71 to 95 months in prison.

In State v. Lawson, the Court of Appeals upheld Terrence Pierre Lawson's conviction of first-degree murder. The case was originally tried by the office of Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman. In August 2021, the victim was shot and killed in his bedroom in Raleigh. The victim's wife testified that the couple was asleep in their bedroom and that a masked intruder entered the bedroom carrying one of the couple's infants. The wife testified that the intruder was asking for money and pointing a gun at the infant. The intruder eventually dropped the infant and shot the victim multiple times. The victim's wife described the intruder, and Lawson was arrested after cell phone data placed a phone associated with Lawson in the area of the shooting.

In State v. Hankins, the Court of Appeals upheld Destiny Nicole Hankins' convictions of felony death by vehicle and possession of drug paraphernalia. The case was originally tried by the office of Guilford County District Attorney Avery Crump. In February 2024, the victim's SUV ran out of gas on I-40 in Greensboro, and he called his girlfriend to bring him fuel. After he put the gas in his SUV, he was struck by Hankins' car and pronounced dead at the scene. Hankins was taken to the emergency room, where a drug screening revealed the presence of opiates, cocaine, benzodiazepines, and THC. An officer also found several uncapped hypodermic needles in her purse, and another officer later found a gas pipe used to smoke crack cocaine in her car. Hankins received an active sentence of 64 to 89 months.

In State v. Welch, the Court of Appeals upheld Grayland Lavar Welch's conviction of robbery with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm by a felon, and attaining the status of an armed habitual felon. The case was originally tried by the office of Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer Merriweather. In May 2023, the victim was robbed by two men at a QuikTrip convenience store in Charlotte. Evidence showed that Welch approached the victim from behind and pushed a gun against the back of her neck and threatened her. Welch's accomplice took the victim's wallet, and the two ran off. Security footage from the store showed Welch pointing the gun into the victim's neck while his accomplice searched for the wallet, and Welch's ankle monitor placed him at the QuikTrip during the robbery. An officer drove the victim to a nearby home, where Welch was sitting on the porch. The victim identified him as the man who robbed her, and Welch was arrested. He was sentenced to an active sentence of 120 to 156 months for robbery with a dangerous weapon, enhanced by his armed habitual felon status. He was also sentenced to a consecutive, active sentence of 17 to 30 months for possession of a firearm by a felon.

You can read more about other criminal convictions the Department of Justice has recently defended here.

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