Kinston police believe they have the man who committed the first Lenoir County murder of 2013.
Wednesday, authorities charged Desmond Lovell Pearson of first-degree murder and attempted murder for the April 12 death of Jahad Moore and shooting of Jacolby Riddick.
Reports at the time of the shootings describe two men detained by police for questioning, but they were not being treated as suspects.
Wayne County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Pearson on Tuesday for unrelated charges. In the past, he received convictions for assault inflicting serious injury, drug possession, receiving a stolen car and speeding to elude arrest. He was last in Polk Correctional Institution in November 2011.
“I have no feelings about it, because this is not going to bring back my brother,” said Shanirah Carriere, Moore’s sister.
The 22-year-old Pearson, a resident of Kinston, has an extensive number of upcoming court dates in both Lenoir and Wayne counties, with some dating back to 2010. He’s being tried for a 2010 incident involving attempted murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury and a probation violation.
Pearson’s also up for assault inflicting serious bodily injury, common-law robbery, possession of stolen goods, possession of less than a half ounce of marijuana, possession of a stolen firearm, driving while impaired, two counts of driving with license revoked and three counts of possession of a firearm by a felon.
Pearson was transferred to the Lenoir County Jail and held without bond.
Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 or wes.wolfe@kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @WolfeReports.