Overview
- Deputies say Wellington Delano Dickens III called 911 on Oct. 27 and told them four of his children were dead in a car trunk at his Zebulon home, while a 3-year-old was found alive inside.
- The victims were identified as Leah Dickens, 6; Zoe Dickens, 9; Wellington Dickens, 10; and stepson Sean Brasfield, 18.
- Sheriff Steve Bizzell said investigators now believe the killings occurred separately between May and September 2025, updating arrest warrants that initially listed May 1.
- Dickens is charged with four counts of murder and is being held without bond, with his next court date set for Nov. 13.
- The State Bureau of Investigation and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner are conducting forensic work and autopsies, the 3-year-old is in social services custody, and records note the children were homeschooled and their mother died in April 2024 from miscarriage complications.