:06 FROM WRAARNT RIGHT NOW ON WJCL 22 RNMOING NEWS … POLICE DOUBLING-DOWN … ON THEIR CONTROVERSIAL DECISION … TO CARRY OUT A NO- KNOCK WARRANT … THAT LED TO A DEADLY SHOOTING. THEIR REASONING … AND … WHAT THE MAN’S PARENTS WANT TO SEE DONE. BACKLASH … OVER HOW FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP HANDLED CONFIDENTIAL RECORDS. FROM ALLEGATIONS OF FLUSHING THEM DOWN A TOILET … TO … STEALING THEM FROM THE WHITE HOUSE WHY HE SAYS … HE TOOK THEM WHEN HE LEFT. KIDS SHOT ROLLOU T. THE NEW TIMELINE OUT THIS MORNING … FOR COD A VACCINE … FOR KIDS UNDER FIVE … AND WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN FIRST. HERE’S A LIVE LOOK FROM SHELTER COVE COMMUNITY PARK ON HILTON HEAD LAISND. THANKS FOR STARTING YOUR DAY WITH WJCL 22 WS. GOOD MORNING – – I’M EMMA HAMION. LT METEOROLOGIST JONATHAN MYERS IS JOINING US NO.. W NOW, HERE’S YOUR STORM TRACKER RADAR… TODAY MOSTLY SUNNY, WITH HIGHS 68-70. CALM WIND BECOMING SOUTH 5 TO 8 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON. TONIGHT MOSTLY CLEAR, WITH A LOW AROUND 42. SOUTH WIND AROUND 6 MPH BECOMING CALM IN THE EVENING. SATURDAY MOSTLY SUNNY, WITH A HH NEAR 70. CALM WIND BECOMING SOUTHWEST AROUND 5 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON. SATURDAY NIGHT A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AFTER 1AM. MOSTLY CLOUDY, WITH A LOW AROUND 48. SOUTH WIND AROUND 5 MPH BECOMING CALM IN THE EVENING. SUNDAY MORNING CLOUDS THEN MOSTLY SUN, NY WITH A HIGH NEAR 6 4. NORTHWEST WIND 6 TO 13 MPH. SUNDAY NIGHT CLEAR, WITH A LOW AROUND 34. MONY DA SUNNY, WITH A HIGH NEAR 56. MONDAY NIGHT CLEAR, WITH A LOW AROUND 34. TUESD SUNNY, WITH A HIGH NEAR 62. TUESY DANIGHT MOST LY CLEAR, WITH A LOW AROUND 44 IN TOOMBS COUNTY, HIGHWAY 280 AT MCINTOSH STREET IN DAA VI THEY EXECUTED OUR SON.ALL I HAVE IS MEMORIES.” AS THESE PARENTS … MOURN THE LOSS OF THEIR N SO … SHOT AND KILLEBYD MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DURING A “NO-KNOCK” SEARCH WARRANT … WE’RE LEARNING WHY IT HAPPENED IN THE FIRST PLACE. NEW THIS MORNING … MINNEAPOLIS POLICE SAY … IT WAS TO KEEP *EVERYONE INVOLVED … SAFE. POLICE SEARCH WARRANT :0 THAT’S THE FOOTAGE RIGHT BEFORE AMIR LOCKE WAS SHOT AND KILLED BY OFFICERS. POLICE ARGUE THEIR CONTROVERSIAL METHOD … WAS THE *SAFEST WAY TO EXECUTE THEIR SEARCH … FOR BOTH OFFICERS *AND SUSPECTS. A JUDGE SIGNED E TH WARRANT … HOPING THEY’D FIND EVIDENCE IN CONNECTION WITH LOCKE’S COUSIN’S MURDER. THEAM FILY’S ATTORN EY SAYS … THE MINNEAPOLIS POLICE WENT BACK ON THEIR WORD. “THE SADDEST PART OF IT ALL IS WE THOUGHT YOU COULD TAKE THE WORD OF THE MINNEAPOLIS CITY OFFICIALS WHEN THEY SAID THERE WAS A BAN ON NO, KNOCK WARRANTS. NOT ONLY WAS THAT A TERRIB JOKE PLAYED ON US, THAT TH INSISTED ON A NO KNOCK WARRANT. BACK ON FRIDAY … THE MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR *BANNED ALL NO-KNOCK WARRANTS IN THE CITY. NEW QUESTIONS TH MORNING … ABOUT FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE RECORDS . .. FOLLOWING ALLEGATIONS HE – *FLUSHED OFFICIAL RECORDS DOWN THE TLE OI AS ABC’S EM NGUYEN REPORTS … THERE’S WORD HE TOOK CLASSIFIED INFORMATION *WITH HIM … WHEN HE LEFT OFFICE. THIS MORNING, FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP IS FACING – *NEW SCRUTINY* OVER HIS HANDLING OF *CLASSIFIED* INFORMATION – AFTER HE TK 15 BOXES OF PRESIDENTIAL RECORDS WITH HIM WHEN HE LEFT OFFICE … INCLUDING LETTERS FROM NORTH KOREAN DICTATOR KIM JONG UN SOT PRES. TRUMP HE WROTE ME BEAUTIFUL LETTERS, AND THEY’RE GREAT LETTERS, AND WE FELL IN LOVE. THE WASHINGTON POST REPORTS SOME OF THOSE DOCUMENTS ? WHICH HAVE SINCE BEEN RETURNED TO THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES – FSINWNT WERE “CLEARLY MARKED CLASSIFIE” D. TRUMP DENIES A NY WRONGDOING – SAYING HE TOOK THE BOXES SO HE COULD, ONE DAY, DISPLAY THE DOCUMENTS AT HIS PRESIDENTIAL LIBRAR HE?S ALSO DENYING A NEW CLAIM.. THAT HE FLUSHED OFFICIAL RECORDS DOWN THE – *TOILET.* FSINWNT IN HER UPCOMING BOOK, W NE YO TRKIMES REPORTER MAGGIE HABERMAN ? WRITES THAT WORKERS IN THE WHITE HOUSE PERIODICALLY FOUND TOILETS CLOGGED WITH WADS OF PAPER. FSINT TRUMP CALLS THE STORY “CATEGORICALLY UNTRUE AND SIMPLY MADE UP.” IN THE MEANTIME, THE COMMITTEE INVESTIGATING THE ATTACK ON THE U-S CAPITOL NOW SAYS IT FOUND*-A GAP* IN THE OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE CALL LOGS FROM JANUARY SIXTH. THE LOGS SHOW *NO* CALLS – TO OR FROM TRUMP – ASHE T VIOLENCE UNFOLDED ON T-V – EVEN THOUGH LAWMAKERS HAVE PUBLICLY SAID THEY SPOKE TO TRUMP DURING THAT TI. ME INVESTIGATORS HAVE N OT UNCOVERED ANY EVIDENCE THAT CALL LOGS WERE DETELE OR CHANGED – AND IT’S WIDELY KNOWN TRUMP OFTEN USED HIS PERSONAL CELLPHONE. ON-CAM TAG THE HOUSE OVERSIGHT-AN D- REFORM COMMITTEE IS NOW LAUNCHING ITS OWN INVESTIGATION INTO TRUMP’S RECORD-KEEPING PRACTICE S. EM NGUYEN ABC NEWS WASHINGTON A FORMER STAR OF THE NETFLIX SERIES “CHEER” HAS PLEADED *GUILTY IN A FEDERAL CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CA. JERRY HARRIS APPEARED IN COURT YESTERDAY. PROSECUTORS SAY … BK AC IN 2 10-9 … HE TRAVELED FROM TEXAS TO FLORIDA TO MEET UP WITH A 15-YEAR- OLD BOY … AND SEXUALLY ASSAULTED THE TEEN IN A PUBLIC BATHROOM. IT’S BEEN A DEVASTATING THING, NOT JUST FOR ME, BUT FOR OUR ENTIRE FAMILY. KNOW, LIKE I SAY, THIS HAS HAD AN IMPACT ON MY SOS N’ LIVES THAT WILL NEVER BE COMPLETELY RESOLVED.HE T ARE WORKING VERY, VERY HARD IN THERAPY TO HEAL THE BOY’S MOTHER … W SAYS *BOTH HER SONS WERE INVOLVED WITH HARRIS IN E ON WAY OR ANOTHER … IS OPENING UP FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS MORNING. YOU CAN HEAR HER ENTIRE INTERVIEW ON G-M- A … AFTER OUR SHOW STARTING AT SEVEN. HARRIS COULD FACE UP TO 30 YEARS IN PRISON … FOR JU ST – *ONE OF HIS CHAESRG. ALL NEW THIS MORNING … KIDS UNDER FIVE *MAY BE AE BL TO GET VACCINATED AGAINST COVID … IN JUST TEN DAYS PFIZER SAYS IT MAY ROLLOUT ITS VACCINE FOR KIDS AS SOON AS FEBRUARY 21ST … NOT THIS MONDAY … BUT THE MONDAY AERFT THAT IS … OF COURSE … IF IT GETS FINAL APPROVAL SOMETIME NEXT EKWE RIGHT NOW … THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS GETTING READY TO SHIP OUT TEN MILLION DOSE S. HAPPENING TOMORROW … A VACCINE FOR YOUR VALENTIN E. THE J-C LEWIS PRIMARY HEALTH CARE CENTER IS HOSTING A VACCINE DRIV E. THAT’S NEAR THE OGLETHORPE MALL. IT’S HAPPENING FROM 10 TO ONE. YOU CAN EITHER GET YOUR FLU SHOT … COVID-19 VACCINE … OR BH.OT U-K OFFICIALS ARE ON HIGH ALERT THIS MORNING …. WORRIED QUEEN ELIZABETH COULD HA VE COVID-19. THEY SAY SHE RECENTLY VISITED HER SON … PRINCE CHARLES … WHO TESTED POSITIVE EARLIER THIS WEEK. AN OFFICIAL TWEETED THE PRINCE IS IN ISOLATI. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME HE’S HAD THE VIRUS. (PIANO PLAYI) HAPPENING TOMORROW … A WORLD-RENOWNED PIANI … IS SET TO TAKE THE STAGE WITH THE SAVANNAH PHILHARMICON AWADAGIN (AHH- WAHH-DAH-GINN) PRATT H AS PERFORMED FOR THE MOST MEMORABLE AUDIENCES … INCLUDING FORMER PRESIDENT BARAK OBAM A. THE PROGRAM IS SET TO START TOMORROW AT SEVEN THIRTY .. AT THE LUCAS THEATE R. IN THIS MORNING ‘S “TEACHER FEATURE” … WE’RE TALKING ABOUT A COACH … KNOWN FOR S HI INFECTIOUS SPIRIT. OUR MELISSA HALL CAUGHT UP WITH COACH DANIELT A CALVARY DAY SCHOOL. IT’S HARD NOT TO BE INSPIRED BY DANIEL JACKSON’S POSITIVE ATTITUDE AT CALVARY DAY SCHOOL. DANIEL JACKSON (2:2 1- :25): “I TRY TO BRING MY ENERGY AND LET THEM KNOW, HEY, IT’S OKAY TO MATCH IT.” DANIEL JACKSON (3:03- :06): “LET’S APPROACH IT THAT WAY- WITH A BANG!” HE QUESTIONS HIS STUDES NT TO H ELP THEM THINK FOR THEMSELVES AND TO BE BETTER PEOPLE. GET CLIP FROM CAM08WJCL7379 AT (0:05-:13) OF HIM TEACHING AND ASKING THIS: “WHAT SCRIPTURE IS THAT? DYOO KNOW? OH!! HE’S GOING TO PULL OUT THE BIBLE. SAM, ARE YOU SURE YOU WANNA START THAT FIGHT TODAY?” DANIEL JACKSON (2:51- 3:02): “CAN WE CREAT ENERGY- THE SAME ENERGY THAT WE GIVE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS- WE CAN TT DO WITH IT? IT’S LIKE WHAT ARE FEEDING EACH OTHER.” AND ULTIMATELY HIS AMAZING TEACHING STYLE BOILS DOWN TTOWO SIMPLE LESSONS… MELISSA HALL (7:38- :46): “SO BE READY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TOOM C KNOCKING, AND YOU DO IT WITH A SMILE ON YOUR FACE?” DANIEL JACKSON: “YOU BETTER! I MEAN THERE’S NO OTHER WAY TO DO IT! LET’S GO! LET’S GO GET IT! (LAUGHTE” R) THANKS FOR ALWAYS BRINNG GI IT, COACH DANIEL
Georgia inmate facing life sentence admits to role in 1972 triple murder cold case
Authorities say Billy Wayne Davis, 81, in prison in Augusta, is believed to be the only surviving perpetrator in the triple homicide.
Updated: 12:32 PM EST Feb 11, 2022
Above video: Your Friday headlinesWATAUGA COUNTY, North Carolina (WLOS) — Authorities say a 50-year-old North Carolina cold case has been solved after an inmate in Georgia confessed his role in the brutal 1972 triple homicide.The Watauga County Sheriff’s Office says Bryce Durham, 51, his wife Virginia, 44, and their son Bobby, 18, were found brutally murdered in their home during a snowstorm on Feb. 3, 1972. The case is known locally as the Durham Case.Troy Hall, the Durham’s son-in-law, now deceased, found the family deceased after he and his wife — the Durhams’ daughter, Ginny — went to check on the family with the help of a neighbor.TRENDING STORIESArcheologists discover a dozen Revolutionary War-era cannons in the Savannah RiverMeth convictions lead to 10-year federal prison sentence for Savannah tire shop ownerSavannah police officers celebrated as heroes after saving drowning woman who jumped off bridgeAuthorities say, Billy Wayne Davis, 81, currently a resident of a correctional facility in Augusta, Georgia, is believed to be the only surviving perpetrator in the Durham Case.Other perpetrators have been identified as Billy Sunday Birt, Bobby Gene Gaddis and Charles David Reed, all deceased.“In May 2019, we received a phone call from the White County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia about information that we recognized could be very important to the Durham case,” said Watauga County Sheriff Len Hagaman. “We immediately began to investigate the new leads and conducted in-person interviews with Billy Wayne Davis in September 2019, October 2020, and August 2021. It was these interviews that ultimately helped us determine who was responsible through the corroboration of evidence. We are confident that we now know who committed these crimes.”Interviews with two sources corroborated evidence from the Durham Case crime scene, and the circumstances of the crime were similar to a 1973 case in Georgia, known as the Fleming Case, in which Birt, Gaddis, Reed and Davis were all involved. Led by Birt, Davis, Reed and Gaddis were part of a loosely organized network known as the Georgia-based “Dixie Mafia,” which is thought to have engaged in dozens of violent crimes in Georgia and elsewhere across the Southeast in the 1960s and ‘70s.The 2019 lead first surfaced when Birt’s son, Shane Birt, was at the White County Sheriff’s Office to participate in research for a book about crimes that had taken place in Georgia, including the Fleming Case. Shane Birt shared that he was very close with his father and recalled a story Birt had told him during a prison visit when he admitted to killing three people in the North Carolina mountains during a heavy snowstorm, remembering that they almost got caught. After hearing Shane Birt’s account, the White County Sheriff’s Office immediately contacted WCSO.Davis was interviewed by WCSO investigators at the Georgia facility where he is serving a life sentence for crimes he committed in Georgia. During those interviews, Davis implicated Birt, Gaddis and Reed as engaging in a hired “hit” in the North Carolina mountains, one where they almost got caught during a bad snowstorm. Davis claimed to have acted only as their getaway driver, and that it was the other three men that entered the house that night.It remains unclear who solicited the crime against the Durham family.In November 2021, the WCSO held a meeting with Durham family members to inform them of their investigation and conclusions.“Had Sheriff Hagaman and his team not taken this tip seriously, this case may never have been solved,” said Chris Laws, special agent in charge for the Northwestern District, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. “Many agencies, law enforcement officials, investigators and agents worked diligently on this case for decades.”“This is a much-needed turning point for the Durham Case,” Hagaman said. “We cannot begin to express our thanks to all the professionals and community members who collaborated for so many years to help resolve this case. We sincerely thank you for your commitment.”Ginny Durham also shared her gratitude, saying, “I would like to thank all of the people who worked for decades on my family’s case. I know that they sacrificed many days and weekends in order to work on solving this case since 1972.“I would especially like to thank Len Hagaman, Sheriff of Watauga County, who has been involved from the beginning and was dedicated to a closure for myself and my family; Wade Colvard, SBI Special Agent; Carolynn Johnson, Captain of Investigations for Watauga County Sheriff’s Office; and Charles Whitman, SBI Special Agent, who continued to work on the case, even in retirement. I am so grateful for his help and friendship during the difficult years.”Hagaman thanked the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Watauga County Sheriff’s Office, Boone Police Department, White County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Appalachian State University Police Department and many other professionals, community members and their families for their years of hard work on the case.“I’d also like to thank WCSO Captain of Investigations Carolynn Johnson, SBI Special Agent in Charge for the Northwestern District, Chris Laws, and White County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Bob Ingram for their recent investigative work on this case since 2019,” he said.“I know I also speak for the entire Watauga County community when I say that we will never forget to keep the Durham family in our thoughts and prayers,” said Hagaman. “Please, let’s remember their continued wishes for privacy.”
Above video: Your Friday headlines
WATAUGA COUNTY, North Carolina (WLOS) — Authorities say a 50-year-old North Carolina cold case has been solved after an inmate in Georgia confessed his role in the brutal 1972 triple homicide.
The Watauga County Sheriff’s Office says Bryce Durham, 51, his wife Virginia, 44, and their son Bobby, 18, were found brutally murdered in their home during a snowstorm on Feb. 3, 1972. The case is known locally as the Durham Case.
Troy Hall, the Durham’s son-in-law, now deceased, found the family deceased after he and his wife — the Durhams’ daughter, Ginny — went to check on the family with the help of a neighbor.
TRENDING STORIES
Authorities say, Billy Wayne Davis, 81, currently a resident of a correctional facility in Augusta, Georgia, is believed to be the only surviving perpetrator in the Durham Case.
White Co. Sheriff Ofc./WLOS
Other perpetrators have been identified as Billy Sunday Birt, Bobby Gene Gaddis and Charles David Reed, all deceased.
“In May 2019, we received a phone call from the White County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia about information that we recognized could be very important to the Durham case,” said Watauga County Sheriff Len Hagaman. “We immediately began to investigate the new leads and conducted in-person interviews with Billy Wayne Davis in September 2019, October 2020, and August 2021. It was these interviews that ultimately helped us determine who was responsible through the corroboration of evidence. We are confident that we now know who committed these crimes.”
Interviews with two sources corroborated evidence from the Durham Case crime scene, and the circumstances of the crime were similar to a 1973 case in Georgia, known as the Fleming Case, in which Birt, Gaddis, Reed and Davis were all involved. Led by Birt, Davis, Reed and Gaddis were part of a loosely organized network known as the Georgia-based “Dixie Mafia,” which is thought to have engaged in dozens of violent crimes in Georgia and elsewhere across the Southeast in the 1960s and ‘70s.
The 2019 lead first surfaced when Birt’s son, Shane Birt, was at the White County Sheriff’s Office to participate in research for a book about crimes that had taken place in Georgia, including the Fleming Case. Shane Birt shared that he was very close with his father and recalled a story Birt had told him during a prison visit when he admitted to killing three people in the North Carolina mountains during a heavy snowstorm, remembering that they almost got caught. After hearing Shane Birt’s account, the White County Sheriff’s Office immediately contacted WCSO.
Davis was interviewed by WCSO investigators at the Georgia facility where he is serving a life sentence for crimes he committed in Georgia. During those interviews, Davis implicated Birt, Gaddis and Reed as engaging in a hired “hit” in the North Carolina mountains, one where they almost got caught during a bad snowstorm. Davis claimed to have acted only as their getaway driver, and that it was the other three men that entered the house that night.
It remains unclear who solicited the crime against the Durham family.
In November 2021, the WCSO held a meeting with Durham family members to inform them of their investigation and conclusions.
“Had Sheriff Hagaman and his team not taken this tip seriously, this case may never have been solved,” said Chris Laws, special agent in charge for the Northwestern District, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. “Many agencies, law enforcement officials, investigators and agents worked diligently on this case for decades.”
“This is a much-needed turning point for the Durham Case,” Hagaman said. “We cannot begin to express our thanks to all the professionals and community members who collaborated for so many years to help resolve this case. We sincerely thank you for your commitment.”
Ginny Durham also shared her gratitude, saying, “I would like to thank all of the people who worked for decades on my family’s case. I know that they sacrificed many days and weekends in order to work on solving this case since 1972.
“I would especially like to thank Len Hagaman, Sheriff of Watauga County, who has been involved from the beginning and was dedicated to a closure for myself and my family; Wade Colvard, SBI Special Agent; Carolynn Johnson, Captain of Investigations for Watauga County Sheriff’s Office; and Charles Whitman, SBI Special Agent, who continued to work on the case, even in retirement. I am so grateful for his help and friendship during the difficult years.”
Hagaman thanked the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Watauga County Sheriff’s Office, Boone Police Department, White County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Appalachian State University Police Department and many other professionals, community members and their families for their years of hard work on the case.
“I’d also like to thank WCSO Captain of Investigations Carolynn Johnson, SBI Special Agent in Charge for the Northwestern District, Chris Laws, and White County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Bob Ingram for their recent investigative work on this case since 2019,” he said.
“I know I also speak for the entire Watauga County community when I say that we will never forget to keep the Durham family in our thoughts and prayers,” said Hagaman. “Please, let’s remember their continued wishes for privacy.”