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Thread: Ferjus Bernard Moore Sentenced in 2014 NC Slaying of Cheryl Bethea

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    Ferjus Bernard Moore Sentenced in 2014 NC Slaying of Cheryl Bethea


    Cheryl Bethea


    Ferjus Bernard Moore


    Winston-Salem man accused of fatally stabbing girlfriend faces death penalty

    By Michael Hewlett
    The Winston-Salem Journal

    A Forsyth County judge approved a request for Forsyth County prosecutors to seek the death penalty against a Winston-Salem man accused of stabbing his girlfriend 39 times outside her house last year.

    Ferjus Bernard Moore, 53, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Cheryl Annise Bethea, 43, on Aug. 25, 2014. Authorities said that Bethea and Moore had dated for about three years and had been living together in her house at 305 Upton St., near Stratford Road.

    Judge Edwin Wilson of Forsyth Superior Court approved the request during what is called a Rule 24 hearing. Assistant District Attorneys Jennifer Martin and Matt Breeding made the request in front of Wilson.

    Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill said after the hearing that prosecutors sought the death penalty based on two aggravating circumstances – that Moore had previously been convicted of a violent felony and that the alleged murder was “especially heinous, atrocious and cruel.” O’Neill said Bethea was stabbed 39 times. Moore served four years in prison on a 1999 armed robbery conviction. He was released in 2003.

    According to Winston-Salem police, Bethea and Moore were arguing outside Bethea’s house when Moore stabbed her. Bethea’s daughter and grandson were inside the house at the time of the incident.

    According to a search warrant, Moore was found outside on top of Bethea. Moore was taken to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center for lacerations. Police seized a knife at the scene, according to the search warrant.

    Moore has been convicted four times on charges of misdemeanor assault on a female — once in 1989, twice in 1995 and once again in 2007.

    None of those assaults involved Bethea, who worked as an operations clerk at Wells Fargo and was an active member of Mount Calvary Holy Church.

    No trial date has been set.

    http://www.journalnow.com/news/local...db4b5df43.html

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    Judge rejects plea from man accused of stabbing girlfriend to death

    By Michael Hewlett
    The Winston-Salem Journal

    In a voice barely above a whisper, Ferjus Bernard Moore, accused of fatally stabbing his girlfriend nearly 40 times in 2014, struggled Friday morning to respond to questions from a Forsyth County judge about whether he understood the terms of the guilty plea he was about to enter.

    He consulted either with Dr. George Corvin, a psychiatrist, or Mark Rabil, one of his attorneys, to get clarification of what Judge David Hall of Forsyth Superior Court was asking. Those questions included one about whether he understood what a plea arrangement was. The last question required Moore, who said in court that he cannot read or write, to describe briefly the crime he was accused of committing on Aug. 25, 2014.

    “I forgot,” he said.

    Hall halted the proceedings and said that he could not accept Moore’s guilty plea to second-degree murder in the death of Cheryl Annise Bethea, 43, because he was concerned about Moore’s mental competency and his ability to understand Friday’s legal proceedings.

    “Mr. Moore, I’m not satisfied with accepting your guilty plea today,” he said after he held a brief conversation with prosecutors and Moore’s attorneys at the bench.

    Moore, 55, had been indicted for first-degree murder and Forsyth County prosecutors were seeking the death penalty, if the case had gone to trial. Based on what Hall said in court, Moore would have pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for a sentence of 35 years in prison. The punishment for first-degree murder is either life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.

    More than a dozen of Bethea’s family and friends came to the hearing Friday in Courtroom 5B. Moore’s family also attended.

    The prosecutors were Jennifer Martin, Matt Breeding and Penn Broyhill. Moore’s attorneys were Rabil and David Botchin.

    Bethea and Moore had dated for about three years and were living together in her house on Upton Street, near Stratford Road. Winston-Salem Police said Moore and Bethea argued just before she was killed. Prosecutors say Moore stabbed Bethea 39 times and then stabbed himself to make it look like he was attacked by Bethea.

    According to her LinkedIn page, Bethea worked as an operations clerk for Wells Fargo for 16 years and also worked for Easter Seals UCP (United Cerebral Palsy) North Carolina and Virginia for nine years. She was a member of Mount Calvary Holy Church.

    Bethea was an active runner in a group called Black Girls Run. She had two children, a daughter and a son, and a grandson.

    Moore had been convicted of misdemeanor assault on a female several times in the past, none involving Bethea, according to court records. He was convicted once in 1989, twice in 1995 and once again in 2007. He also served four years in prison on a 1999 armed robbery conviction, according to records from the N.C. Department of Public Safety. He was released in 2003.

    Hall ordered Moore to get a comprehensive evaluation for mental competency at Central Regional Hospital.

    Before a plea deal was reached, Moore was scheduled to appear for a three-day hearing in Forsyth Superior Court starting April 24 on his mental capacity to proceed to trial and whether he has an intellectual disability that disqualifies him from getting the death penalty.

    A trial had been scheduled to start the week of July 17.

    It will take up to two months before the evaluation at Central Regional Hospital will be complete. A new hearing date has not yet been set.

    http://www.journalnow.com/news/crime...8ba27e8c2.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Judge to determine if man accused of fatally stabbing Winston-Salem woman is mentally competent

    By Michael Hewlett
    The Winston-Salem Journal

    Starting Tuesday, a Forsyth County judge will hear evidence to see if a Winston-Salem man accused of stabbing a woman to death outside her home nearly four years ago is mentally competent to stand trial.

    Ferjus Bernard Moore, 56, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Cheryl Annise Bethea on Aug. 25, 2014. Forsyth County prosecutors allege that Moore stabbed Bethea 39 times and then stabbed himself to make it look like Bethea attacked him. Bethea and Moore had dated for three years and lived together in her house on Upton Street, off Stratford Road. Winston-Salem police have said the couple argued before Bethea was killed.

    Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Moore if he is convicted of first-degree murder.

    Bethea worked as an operations clerk at Wells Fargo for 16 years and also worked for Easter Seals UCP (United Cerebral Palsy) North Carolina and Virginia for nine years. She was a member of Mount Calvary Holy Church and had two children, a daughter and a son. She also had a grandson. Bethea was also active in a group called Black Girls Run.

    This is not the first time a hearing about Moore’s capacity to proceed has been set.

    His attorneys, Mark Rabil and David Botchin, had filed motions questioning Moore’s capacity to proceed and argued that Moore had an intellectual disability that disqualified him from facing the death penalty.

    A three-day hearing in Forsyth Superior Court was supposed to start April 24, 2017, on those motions.

    But about three weeks before that hearing, prosecutors and Moore’s attorneys reached a deal in which Moore would plead guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for a 35-year prison sentence. On April 7, 2017, Judge David Hall of Forsyth Superior Court asked routine questions of Moore to make sure that Moore was entering his guilty plea voluntarily and that he understood the implications of entering a guilty plea, such as giving up his right to a jury trial.

    Moore had problems answering the questions. He consulted either with Dr. George Corvin, a psychiatrist, or Rabil to get clarification about what Hall was asking.

    Hall also asked Moore to describe the crime he was accused of committing. Moore told Hall that he forgot.

    Hall halted the proceedings and ordered that Moore be evaluated at Central Regional Hospital.

    Since then, several psychologists and psychiatrists have submitted conflicting reports about whether Moore is mentally competent to stand trial and whether he has an intellectual disability.

    Dr. Mark Hazelrigg, a forensic psychologist with Central Regional Hospital, submitted two different reports.

    In the first, Hazelrigg said Moore was incapable of proceeding, was functioning at the low end of a mild intellectual disability and that he had a “Unspecified Neurocognitive Disorder.”

    A second report by Hazelrigg said that Moore was still incapable of proceeding but his competency could be restored through a program at Central Regional Hospital.

    Hazelrigg also concluded that Moore was not intellectually disabled.

    Dr. Melisa Tyndall and Dr. Nicole Wolfe, forensic psychiatrists with Central Regional Hospital, said in December 2017 that Moore had the capacity to proceed to trial, may not be intellectually disabled and was faking or exaggerating his cognitive deficits.

    Hall decided to hold an evidentiary hearing that will take place over at least four days in Forsyth Superior Court.

    Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Martin declined to comment Friday. Botchin also declined to comment.

    http://www.journalnow.com/news/crime...421325362.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Forsyth County judge rules Winston-Salem man charged with fatal stabbing is incompetent to stand trial; man faces death penalty in death of girlfriend

    By Michael Hewlett
    The Winston-Salem Journal

    A Winston-Salem man accused of stabbing his girlfriend to death outside her house nearly four years ago is mentally incompetent to stand trial, a Forsyth County judge ruled Friday after a four-day hearing.

    Ferjus Bernard Moore, 56, is facing a charge of first-degree murder in the death of Cheryl Annise Bethea, 43, on Aug. 24, 2014. Forsyth County prosecutors allege Moore stabbed Bethea 39 times outside Bethea’s house on Upton Street, off Stratford Road.

    They say the stabbing occurred while Bethea’s daughter and grandson were inside the house.


    Moore could get the death penalty if he is convicted of first-degree murder.


    Judge David Hall of Forsyth Superior Court said Moore is not currently capable of proceeding to trial, but added that Moore appears close to becoming capable. Hall ordered Moore to be admitted to Broughton Regional Hospital in Morganton for at least two months and placed in a competency restoration program. Hall said Moore’s stay at the hospital could be extended by another month, if necessary. Officials at the hospital will send Hall a report on whether Moore is competent to stand trial.


    Hall said he would then hold another competency hearing, and if he determines that Moore is competent, then either Moore will stand trial or enter into a guilty plea at some later date.


    Moore had attempted to plead guilty to second-degree murder on April 7, 2017, but Hall halted the proceedings after Moore struggled to answer routine questions. Hall had asked the questions to ensure that Moore was entering his guilty plea voluntarily and that Moore understood the ramifications of his decision to plead guilty, including giving up the right to a jury trial.


    Under the plea agreement, Moore would plead guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for being sentenced to 35 years in prison.


    During the 2017 hearing, Moore consulted with Mark Rabil, one of his attorneys, and Dr. George Corvin, a psychiatrist. Moore could not describe the crime he was accused of committing, telling Hall that he forgot. Hall ordered Moore to be admitted to Central Regional Hospital for evaluation. Mark Hazelrigg, a psychologist at Central Regional Hospital, concluded that Moore was incompetent.


    Hall then ordered Moore to go back to Central Regional for a more comprehensive evaluation.


    During the four-day hearing this week in Forsyth Superior Court, six experts — one medical doctor who has a fellowship in psychiatry, a forensic psychiatrist and four psychologists — testified about whether Moore was mentally competent to stand trial.

    Two of the witnesses were called by prosecutors. The rest were called by Rabil and David Botchin, Moore’s other attorney.


    Dr. Melissa Tyndall and Dr. Nicole Wolfe, who were called by prosecutors, said that based on observations, interviews and records they reviewed, that Moore was faking some of his symptoms and did not have any mental defect or illness that would prevent him from being capable to proceeding to trial.


    Other experts disagreed, saying that Moore had a limited understanding of the charges against him and legal proceedings but that he was not capable of standing trial.


    They also said that this wasn’t permanent and that with the right treatment program, he could become capable of standing trial.

    Assistant District Attorney Matt Breeding went through various tests and reports with defense experts on cross-examination to show that Moore has given detailed descriptions of the factual allegations against him and has offered possible defenses. Soon after the stabbing, he repeatedly told police that someone else had killed Bethea and that he had tried to protect her, Breeding said.


    Breeding also said Moore told investigators that Bethea attacked him with a knife and that he killed her in self-defense. Moore also said that Bethea might have tried to kill him because of a $20,000 life-insurance policy he had, according to Breeding.


    On Thursday, Hall had a brief exchange with Moore in court. After that exchange, Hall said Moore responded in a substantially different way than he had in the 2017 hearing. There was a meaningful back and forth and it appeared Moore understood certain concepts about the legal process, Hall said.


    The time at Broughton Regional Hospital could get him competent, he said.


    “I feel the gentleman is very close to being capable of proceeding to trial,” Hall said Friday.

    http://www.journalnow.com/news/crime...0daf313ad.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  5. #5
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    May 18, 2019

    Man sentenced to 35 to 43 years in 2014 fatal stabbing

    WITN

    WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) A Winston-Salem man has been sentenced to 35 to 43 years in prison for the 2014 stabbing death of his longtime girlfriend.

    Ferjus Bernard Moore was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Friday.

    The Winston-Salem Journal reports that the 57-year-old Moore told Judge David Hall he knew by accepting a plea deal with the state that he may die in prison.

    A prosecutor said Moore had been in a long-term relationship with Cheryl Bethea, but had become suspicious that she was seeing someone else.

    On the day she was killed, Bethea had begun the process of getting legal protection from Moore.

    Bethea was stabbed more than 30 times in the head and neck area. She was found in front of her home in Winston-Salem on Aug. 25, 2014.

    https://www.witn.com/content/news/Ma...510119281.html

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