ARCHDALE, N.C. — A man who was previously charged with murdering a 4-month-old in Archdale has been accused in a child abuse case from 2011.
Billy Ray Newsome III, 34, was formally charged by a Grand Jury in June for felony child abuse-inflicting serious bodily injury.
Investigators said the indictment was from a child abuse case investigated by the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division.
Detectives said Newsome was charged in 2012 for assaulting a 7-month-old but the case was dismissed in 2013 for lack of evidence.
Newsome was charged with first-degree murder related to child abuse in 2019 by Archdale police and has been at the Randolph County Detention Center.
The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office received more information on the 2011 case during the investigation, allowing detectives to re-charge Newsome.
Officials said Newsome was served the indictment while in jail on murder charges and received a bond of $25,000.
He is scheduled to appear in court Monday.
What happened in 2019?
Billy Ray Newsome III and Kendra Olivia Johnson were charged in the death of a 4-month-old.
The two were charged after officers got a call on November 9, 2019 about a child not breathing on Lake Drive in Archdale.
Emergency officials brought the 4-month-old to High Point Regional and then Brenner Children's Hospital.
The investigation spanned two states, according to officials.
The baby was in serious condition and later died at Brenner Children's in the early morning of November 12, 2019.
After weeks of investigation, officers found Newsome and Johnson who they said were responsible for the child's death. Johnson is the child's mother and Newsome is the mother's boyfriend.
Police said deputies in Spartanburg County, South Carolina arrested Billy Ray Newsome in November 2019. Officials said he was staying in a hotel in Spartanburg.
Deputies said Newsome tried to run away from arresting officers but was stopped. He was charged with felony murder and felony child abuse inflicting serious injury.
Newsome was taken to the Spartanburg County Jail with no bond and was extradited back to North Carolina on March 3, 2020.
He was taken into custody in reference to his warrants for felony murder and felony child abuse regarding the 4-month-old’s death.
Detectives said they found Johnson in Lexington. She was also charged with felony murder and felony child abuse inflicting serious injury.
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