FORSYTH COUNTY, N.C. — Norris Dwayne Rochelle pleaded guilty in Forsyth County Superior Court to multiple charges related to the murder of Nicholas Williams in 2019.
According to the District Attorney's office, Williams owned and resided at a home on Hallmark Drive in Rural Hall. Rochelle also lived at that same address as a tenant of Williams.
On the night of Aug. 9, 2019, Williams and Rochelle got into an argument that resulted in a deadly shooting. Rochelle shot Williams in the head, according to the DA's office. Rochelle then contacted a friend in Craven County via a FaceTime call.
During the call, Rochelle shot Williams a second time in the head, proving to be fatal.
The DA's office says Rochelle then went to Craven County to pick up a friend; the two men returned to Rural Hall to Williams' home. Rochelle and his friend decided to dismember Williams' body and burn his remains to conceal the crime.
Williams' remains were hidden in a car while the men conspired on how to remove his body from the house. Before his remains could be taken to another location, Williams' parents came to the home looking for him. Rochelle lied and told them their son was dropped off at an apartment complex.
Rochelle drove Williams' parents to the apartment complex where he claimed their son was dropped off.
They couldn't find him, so they called law enforcement. Multiple detectives and deputies from the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office responded to the home to look for Williams.
Rochelle repeatedly lied to deputies and continued to say that Williams was dropped off at an apartment complex. While Rochelle and the victim's parents were at the apartment complex, Rochelle's friend drove the car away containing Williams' remains to Craven County, where they were burned and abandoned, the DA's office said.
The following day, Forsyth Co. detectives continued to investigate.
Eventually, Rochelle voluntarily went to the Forsyth Co. Sheriff's Office and agreed to be interviewed as a search warrant was being executed at the home on Hallmark Drive.
Rochelle continued to try to deceive the detectives. While he was being interviewed in Forsyth County, Rochelle's friend went to a police department in Craven County and admitted to the circumstances of Williams' murder and dismemberment.
When deputies confronted Rochelle with his friend's confession, he changed his statement and alleged that he killed Williams in self-defense.
He also confessed to his involvement in this dismemberment and the attempts to conceal the victim's death.
The physical evidence did not support any part of the defendant's version of events, according to the DA's office. There was no physical evidence that Williams tried to attack or assault Rochelle.
Rochelle falsely claimed that he shot Williams once in the upper body. Instead, an autopsy determined that the cause of death was two gunshot wounds to the head.
The DA's office said Rochelle pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, concealment of an unnatural death, conspiracy to commit concealment of an unnatural death, and assault inflicting physical injury upon a detention employee.
MORE WAYS TO GET WFMY NEWS 2
Download the WFMY News 2 APP from your Apple or Google Play store.
ADD THE WFMY+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or search for WFMY.
Amazon Fire TV: Search for WFMY to find the free app to add to your account. You can also add the app directly to your Fire TV through your Amazon account.
