FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, July 30, 2026
Contact: comms@ncdoj.gov
919-538-2809

RALEIGH— Attorney General Jeff Jackson and the North Carolina Department of Justice secured guilty convictions against three defendants in an Asheville murder case.

In September 2021, Boyce Shane Plemmons was found shot to death at a home in Asheville. An investigation revealed Willie Byrd and Carmen Gillespie broke into the home, threatened Plemmons with a gun, stole his cell phone, then shot and killed him. Cross Beaver was a driver for Byrd and Gillespie. The case was investigated by the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office.

The North Carolina Department of Justice prosecuted the case after a referral from the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office.

• Cross Beaver pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to second degree murder and was sentenced to 59-83 months in prison.

• Willie Byrd pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 141-182 months in prison.

• Carmen Gillespie pleaded guilty to soliciting first degree murder, felony breaking and entering, possession of a firearm by a felon, attempted trafficking in heroin, and attempted trafficking in methamphetamine. She was sentenced to 84-113 months in prison.

“Thanks to law enforcement and my criminal prosecutors, these dangerous defendants are off our streets,” said Attorney General Jeff Jackson. “As Attorney General, I’m committed to keeping the people of North Carolina safe, and I will continue working with our partners to deliver justice.”

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