The Johnston County Sheriff's Office says Wellington Dickens III, 38, called 911 on Monday, Oct. 27, and said 'I killed my kids." Dickens III then goes on to explain, in a nearly 7-minute call, to the dispatcher when and how his actions led to their death.
Once a deputy arrived at the house on Springtooth Drive in Zebulon to investigate, Dickens III told them his 3-year-old son was inside the house alive. He then told the deputy that four children were dead inside the trunk of a car in the garage.
The sheriff's office says a deputy did find multiple bodies inside the trunk in the garage. Investigators later determined the remains had been there for a long period of time.
Timeline based on the investigation and interviews
During a news conference on Tuesday, Oct. 28, Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell laid out a timeline of when the children were killed and said it was over a period of 5 months.
Monday, Nov. 3, a Johnston County Grand Jury indicted Dickens III for first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and second-degree, inherently dangerous without regard to human life. The court document states that Dickens III willfully and feloniously and of malice aforethought, did kill and murder each child. The documents list each child's name individually on four separate indictments, with all charges being the same.
- Leah Dickens, 6 was killed in May 2025
- Zoe Dickens, 9, was killed August 2025
- Wellington Dickens, 10, was killed in either late August or early September 2025
- Sean Brasfield, 18, (Stepchild) was killed in September 2025
SEE ALSO | Dad shares son's story after the 18-year-old found dead in car trunk along with his 3 siblings
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