On Friday, March 8, 2019, Icey Chennell Gooden, 28, entered a guilty plea to two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of robbery with a dangerous weapon and two counts of first-degree kidnapping in Burke County Superior Court in relation to charges stemming from the September 18, 2016 deaths of 29-year-old Spencer Jermain Murray and 35-year-old Albert Alexander Austin.
On Tuesday, July 16, 2019, The Honorable Robert C. Ervin, Superior Court Judge from Burke County, imposed an active prison sentence of 25 to 32 years in custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections.
Melanie Robinson and Scott Carico led the investigation for the Burke County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations, Burke County fire Marshal’s Office, North Carolina License and Theft Bureau, Burke County Medical Examiner, Oak Hill Fire and Rescue, West End Fire and Rescue, and Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant District Attorneys Michelle Lippert and Lance Sigmon handled prosecution for the State with assistance from Legal Assistant David DiMaggio.
CONTACT: Nathan Key
Phone: 828-695-6193
Email: Nathan.D.Key@nccourts.org