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Onslow sheriff says case broken by ‘key witnesses’
Second suspect in Miller murder case arrested
By GREG KATSKI
Staff Writer
While press releases issued by the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office and media reports state that a key witness broke the William Miller murder case, Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown suggested that several witnesses helped break the case.
“A couple of key witnesses put the case in motion,” Brown said. “They presented enough evidence to issue murder 1.”
The gender of the highly publicized key witness that came to the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office with specific evidence on Aug. 20 was revealed by Brown.
“We were able to have a witness come forth,” said Brown. “Only she knew (the specific evidence).”
The “key witnesses” wish to remain anonymous, and plan on never revealing their identities, the sheriff said.
“They’re not going to (identify themselves),” he said. “They fear for their lives.”
Since the new evidence was provided, the investigating agencies have worked around the clock reinterviewing witnesses and reviewing the case file of about 3,000 documents, according to the release. Agents involved in the investigation made several trips outside Onslow County and the state.
With the help of the “key witnesses,” a second suspect in the shooting death of William Miller was arrested Tuesday in Oregon, according to information from the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office.
Vickey Miller Babbitt was arrested on charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Brown expects Babbitt, who is being held at Deschutes County Jail, to be transferred to Onslow County Jail today.
Babbitt’s arrest came the day after George Hayden, a former Belhaven police chief, was arrested at his home on charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder. His arrest was made by officers or agents with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, U.S. Marshals, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and Onslow County Sheriff’s Office.
Hayden remains in the Onslow County Jail without benefit of bail.
The Onslow County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference Wednesday afternoon to provide information about the homicide.
At approximately 5 p.m. Pacific time, Babbitt was arrested at her house in Bend, Ore., where she resides with her current husband. Babbitt’s arrest was made by Capt. Rick Sutherland with the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office and officers or agents with NCIS, Deschutes County (Ore.) Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Service, according to a press release issued Wednesday by the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office.
After her arrest, Babbitt was confined to the Deschutes County Jail.
Sutherland and NCIS agents plan to remain in Deschutes County until Babbitt is released into their custody, according to the release. Once released into their custody, Babbitt will be brought to North Carolina and confined in the Onslow County Jail.
Hayden and Babbitt are charged with the murder of William Miller, who was found dead on Sept. 16, 1972, as the result of two gunshot wounds, one to the temple and one to the back. Miller’s body was found on Western Boulevard in Onslow County.
According to Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown, Hayden shot Miller with an M-16 assault rifle. Miller was coaxed to an area off of Western Boulevard by Babbitt, his wife at the time, where he was ambushed by Hayden, according to media reports.
Hayden was appointed as Belhaven’s interim police chief on May 8, 2001. Hayden, a lieutenant with the department, was named interim chief after then-Chief Melvin Smith was charged that same day with two felony counts of embezzlement, two counts of willful failure to discharge his official duties and one count of making a false report to police.
The charges against Smith, 47 at the time of his arrest, were filed by the SBI.
In January 2002, Smith entered guilty pleas to modified charges.
Superior Court Judge Steve Balog of Alamance County imposed a 45-day sentence on Smith, which was suspended with one year of supervised probation. Smith also was ordered to pay a $500 fine and costs of court, and he was ordered to serve 40 hours of community service within 12 months.
In addition, Smith was ordered to pay restitution for a rifle, which was not recovered during the investigation of the case.
As the final part of the plea bargain, Smith signed an agreement with the Law Enforcement Training Standards Division to surrender his law-enforcement certification and promise that he will not apply for a law-enforcement position in the future.
By GREG KATSKI
Staff Writer
While press releases issued by the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office and media reports state that a key witness broke the William Miller murder case, Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown suggested that several witnesses helped break the case.
“A couple of key witnesses put the case in motion,” Brown said. “They presented enough evidence to issue murder 1.”
The gender of the highly publicized key witness that came to the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office with specific evidence on Aug. 20 was revealed by Brown.
“We were able to have a witness come forth,” said Brown. “Only she knew (the specific evidence).”
The “key witnesses” wish to remain anonymous, and plan on never revealing their identities, the sheriff said.
“They’re not going to (identify themselves),” he said. “They fear for their lives.”
Since the new evidence was provided, the investigating agencies have worked around the clock reinterviewing witnesses and reviewing the case file of about 3,000 documents, according to the release. Agents involved in the investigation made several trips outside Onslow County and the state.
With the help of the “key witnesses,” a second suspect in the shooting death of William Miller was arrested Tuesday in Oregon, according to information from the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office.
Vickey Miller Babbitt was arrested on charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Brown expects Babbitt, who is being held at Deschutes County Jail, to be transferred to Onslow County Jail today.
Babbitt’s arrest came the day after George Hayden, a former Belhaven police chief, was arrested at his home on charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder. His arrest was made by officers or agents with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, U.S. Marshals, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and Onslow County Sheriff’s Office.
Hayden remains in the Onslow County Jail without benefit of bail.
The Onslow County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference Wednesday afternoon to provide information about the homicide.
At approximately 5 p.m. Pacific time, Babbitt was arrested at her house in Bend, Ore., where she resides with her current husband. Babbitt’s arrest was made by Capt. Rick Sutherland with the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office and officers or agents with NCIS, Deschutes County (Ore.) Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Service, according to a press release issued Wednesday by the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office.
After her arrest, Babbitt was confined to the Deschutes County Jail.
Sutherland and NCIS agents plan to remain in Deschutes County until Babbitt is released into their custody, according to the release. Once released into their custody, Babbitt will be brought to North Carolina and confined in the Onslow County Jail.
Hayden and Babbitt are charged with the murder of William Miller, who was found dead on Sept. 16, 1972, as the result of two gunshot wounds, one to the temple and one to the back. Miller’s body was found on Western Boulevard in Onslow County.
According to Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown, Hayden shot Miller with an M-16 assault rifle. Miller was coaxed to an area off of Western Boulevard by Babbitt, his wife at the time, where he was ambushed by Hayden, according to media reports.
Hayden was appointed as Belhaven’s interim police chief on May 8, 2001. Hayden, a lieutenant with the department, was named interim chief after then-Chief Melvin Smith was charged that same day with two felony counts of embezzlement, two counts of willful failure to discharge his official duties and one count of making a false report to police.
The charges against Smith, 47 at the time of his arrest, were filed by the SBI.
In January 2002, Smith entered guilty pleas to modified charges.
Superior Court Judge Steve Balog of Alamance County imposed a 45-day sentence on Smith, which was suspended with one year of supervised probation. Smith also was ordered to pay a $500 fine and costs of court, and he was ordered to serve 40 hours of community service within 12 months.
In addition, Smith was ordered to pay restitution for a rifle, which was not recovered during the investigation of the case.
As the final part of the plea bargain, Smith signed an agreement with the Law Enforcement Training Standards Division to surrender his law-enforcement certification and promise that he will not apply for a law-enforcement position in the future.
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| Neighbors “totally shocked” by arrest |
tunne rat wrote on Jul 6, 2009 8:55 PM:
that is the biggest propganda word that every came out of butterfields and rino jones mouth in the past hundred years .
just 2 water boys for the obama socalist party , and a hand full of red necks that dont have a clue about whast they are talking about . "