A 17-year-old has been arrested for allegedly killing two North Carolina teenagers in mid-September.
The suspect, who has not been named due to his age, was accused of killing 14-year-old Lyric Woods and 18-year-old Devin Clark on September 17. Woods and Clark, who were friends, were separately reported missing by their families before being found shot to death near a power-line easement in Mebane, North Carolina.
“We hope this apprehension provides some relief to the families and friends of Devin and Lyric, who have experienced an excruciating loss. Obviously, the capture of the suspect does not restore their loved one to them. The grieving process is a long one, and we hope the community will continue to support them in their pain,” Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood said in a statement on Wednesday
Due to a law that went in effect on December 1, 2019, 16- and 17-year-olds who commit crimes in North Carolina are not automatically charged as an adult, but can be tried in the adult criminal justice for particularly abhorrent crimes, like first-degree murder.
Woods was a freshman at Cedar Ridge High School in Hillsborough, North Carolina. She was reported missing by her stepfather on September 17 after he realized she wasn’t in her room, the New York Post reported. Police used a K-9 unit to track the teenager’s scent through the woods near her house. A neighbor also told police they saw Woods get into a car around 3 a.m. on the day her father reported her missing.
Woods played on the school’s travel volleyball team and teammates dedicated the game after her body was discovered to her.
“We will miss her bright smile and enthusiasm for the game. Our AIM VB family is truly saddened by this tragic situation,” AIM Volleyball Club Director Nancy Cates told WTVD.
Clark was a senior and football player at Eastern Alamance High School in Mebane. His family reported him missing the day after Woods was reported missing, just hours before his body was found along with Woods.
Someone who lives near where the bodies were found allegedly told police they heard at least 15 gunshots the night of the murders, the Post reported.
“I want to thank the families of Devin Clark and Lyric Woods for trusting us and the investigative process during this excruciatingly painful time. I hope the imminent apprehension of this subject will bring them some comfort as they mourn their loved ones,” Sheriff Blackwood said in a statement late last month.