Attorney General Jeff Jackson Secures Criminal Convictions in Murder and Assault Cases Across North Carolina

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, November 12, 2026
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RALEIGH - Attorney General Jeff Jackson and the North Carolina Department of Justice secured criminal convictions in 23 Court of Appeals opinions released Nov. 4, including a murder case in Halifax County and an assault case in Wake County.

The convictions were originally argued and obtained in trial courts by district attorneys. The North Carolina Department of Justice is responsible for defending criminal convictions obtained by district attorneys when the cases are heard in the state's appellate courts.

"Our law enforcement partners and district attorneys across North Carolina worked hard to bring these defendants to justice," said Attorney General Jeff Jackson. "I'm grateful to our prosecutors for fighting to uphold justice in these cases and keep the people of North Carolina safe from violent crime."

In State v. Tillery, the Court of Appeals upheld Jamazia Tillery's convictions of first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon. The case was originally tried by the office of Halifax County District Attorney Kim Scott. Tillery and the victim were in a relationship and had a young son. In April 2022, a domestic violence protective order was issued against Tillery. One morning while the victim and the son were staying with her mother, Tillery arrived. Tillery eventually shot the victim's mom in the leg and followed the victim out of the home. The victim's mother heard more gunshots and took the child to a nearby gas station, where a worker called 911. The victim's body was found with gunshot wounds at the front entrance of a neighboring home.

In State v. Barkley, the Court of Appeals upheld Carl Duvee Barkley's conviction of four counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury. The case was originally tried by the office of Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman. In September 2019, Barkley got into an argument with his wife and three children one night after he brought a woman with whom he was having an affair to church with him that morning. The argument ended with Barkley repeatedly stabbing his wife and children with a kitchen knife. The next day, Barkley was arrested. He was sentenced to four consecutive sentences of 110 to 144 months imprisonment.

You can read more about other criminal convictions the Department of Justice has recently defended here.

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