Laura Walters Speights, a 63-year-old woman from Orrum, North Carolina, passed away on June 27, 2020. She was found shot and killed at White Oak Island Private Cemetery and Wildlife near Orrum, along with her friend, Anna Faulk, a 46-year-old woman from Fairmont. The incident occurred during a community gathering at the cemetery, which was owned by Robert "Sonny" Moore, a 77-year-old retired state Highway Patrol officer.
The tragic event unfolded when deputies responded to a report of a
shooting on Tobacco Road in the Fairmont area. Upon arrival, they found David Rouse, a 48-year-old man, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Rouse identified Moore as the shooter. Deputies obtained warrants for Moore's arrest on charges of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury.
As deputies were working to arrest Moore, they received a call about the discovery of two women's bodies at the cemetery. Laura Speights and Anna Faulk were found shot and killed at the scene. During the investigation, authorities found Moore dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on his property. The incident left the community in shock, as Speights and Faulk were well-known and loved by their families and friends.
The investigation into the deaths of Laura Speights and Anna Faulk revealed that Moore had invited several individuals to the cemetery for a fish fry on the day of the incident. The motive behind the shootings remains unclear, and the case is still under investigation. The Robeson County Sheriff's Office has urged anyone with information to come forward and assist with the ongoing investigation.
