Two arrests made in death of pastor's wife

LITTLETON, NC (WTVD) -- Two arrests have been made in the Warren County home invasion and fire that killed an elderly woman, according to Warren County District Attorney Mike Waters.

Waters said Kevin Munn and Lester Kearney have been charged with first-degree murder and more charges are pending.

"This is very unfortunate that a family has to deal with such a horrible event but the family has exhibited extreme courage and strength throughout this particular event," said Michael Denning with the SBI.

Both men are being held without bond.

"I'm still having trouble processing it all - the arrests though - it just gives you a little bit of peace," said Shelly Thompson, a neighbor.

Nancy Alford, 76, was killed in the fire and her husband was hospitalized after a home invasion and fire on Friday at their home overlooking Lake Gaston.

Prior to the fire, the intruder forced Alford to drive to a bank in Roanoke Rapids and withdraw money.

Her husband, the Rev. John Alford, narrowly escaped from the fire; however, Warren County Sheriff Johnny Williams said Alford is now at the UNC Burn Center in Chapel Hill.

"It blew my mind - just blew my mind. You just don't expect it in a quiet place like this," Thompson said.

Authorities recently located the silver, 2011 Mercedes linked to the death of a pastor's wife.

The Rev. Alford is the minister at Sanford Memorial Baptist Church about 20 miles away in Brodnax, Virginia.

On Sunday, the church held a prayer service for the Rev. Alford's recovery and to remember Nancy's life.

"You never know when your time is going to come," said churchgoer Deborah Cox. "When Nancy left here last Sunday, she had no idea that she wouldn't be back."

"Nancy's far better off than we are. That's the truth," added fellow Sanford Memorial Baptist regular Pamela Ezell. "She's home in heaven and now we're waiting our turn."

The Warren County Sheriff's Office is still investigating this crime.

"These are good people," Waters said. "These are very good people and they lived and contributed a lot to this community and their loss is going to be felt for a long time to come."

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