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NC man indicted for murder of 4 children a week after they were found in trunk in Johnston Co.

Tuesday, November 4, 2025

NC father charged after 4 children found dead inside trunk of car

ZEBULON, N.C. (WTVD) -- A week after a man called 911 in Johnston County and told the Telecommunicator he killed his children, a grand jury has indicted him.

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.

This photo provided by the Johnston County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, shows Wellington Delano Dickens III.
Johnston County Sheriff's Office via AP

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.