Dennis Neal Harvey, a 49-year-old man from Davis, North Carolina, tragically died on September 23, 2014. He was a well-respected maintenance and heavy equipment operator at Piney Island BT11 and worked for the family business, Harvey and Sons. Dennis was survived by his daughter, Elleigh Faith Harvey, and his father, Neal "Nicky" Harvey, among other family members.
The cause of Dennis Harvey's death was determined to be a double murder.
Leonard Floyd Yeomans, the estranged husband of Dennis's companion, Valerie Piner Yeomans, was identified as the suspect. Leonard Yeomans, aged 49, pleaded guilty to the murder of both Valerie and Dennis. On the night of the incident, Leonard Yeomans called a family member to confess that he had killed two people. When deputies arrived at the scene, they found the bodies of Valerie and Dennis Harvey, both of whom had been shot multiple times. Dennis Harvey had also been stabbed.
Leonard Yeomans turned himself in to the Carteret County Magistrate's Office shortly after the murders, where he handed over the weapons he used. During his confession, Yeomans admitted to intending to kill both Valerie and Dennis Harvey. He was sentenced to two consecutive life terms without parole for the first-degree murders.
The tragic loss of Dennis Harvey and Valerie Yeomans deeply affected their families and the community. The families have continued to deal with the pain and sorrow caused by these senseless acts of violence.
