Boyce Shane Plemmons was a 44-year-old white male from Buncombe County, North Carolina. His life was cut short in a violent home invasion in the fall of 2021.
On the evening of September 27, 2021, deputies from the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of a gunshot wound at a residence on Ben Lippen Road in Asheville. Arriving around 6 p.m., they found Plemmons deceased inside the home.
An investigation revealed that two people had broken into the house, threatened Plemmons with a handgun, and stole his cell phone before fatally shooting him. A third person acted as the driver for the intruders.
The investigation, which crossed into multiple jurisdictions in Western North Carolina and another state, was handled by the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office Major Case Unit. Within weeks, authorities identified three suspects. On October 5, 2021, Willie James Byrd Jr., 24, of Marietta, Georgia, and Carmen Renee Gillespie, 45, of Buncombe County, were arrested at an Asheville hotel where they were found in possession of nearly half a pound of methamphetamine. On October 11, law enforcement in Cherokee County arrested the third suspect, 22-year-old Cross Lamarr Beaver of Murphy, North Carolina.
All three were initially charged with first-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, and felony breaking and entering. Byrd and Gillespie also faced drug and gun charges stemming from their arrest. The case was later referred by the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office and prosecuted by the North Carolina Department of Justice.
In July 2026, all three defendants pleaded guilty to various charges, bringing the case to a close. Willie James Byrd Jr. pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to serve between 141 and 182 months in prison. Carmen Renee Gillespie pleaded guilty to soliciting first-degree murder, felony breaking and entering, and several drug and firearm offenses; she received a sentence of 84 to 113 months. Cross Lamarr Beaver pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 59 to 83 months in prison. These convictions concluded the criminal proceedings against the three individuals responsible for Boyce Plemmons' death.
