Roslyn Fox Dunlap, a 45-year-old woman from Lenoir, NC, tragically passed away on May 10, 2008. Born on June 1, 1962, in Caldwell County, she was employed as a Fiber Optic Specialist at Corning Cable and also worked as a fundraiser for Savannah State University. Roslyn was a beloved daughter, sister, and mother to three children.
On the morning of May 8, 2008, Roslyn's husband, Barney Adrian Dunlap, confessed to Lenoir Police Officer Gary Dishman that he had just killed his wife and her boyfriend. Officer Dishman found two shotgun shells in Dunlap's pocket and secured him in the patrol car. When Corporal James Moore arrived at the residence, he found Roslyn lying on the living room floor with a gunshot wound to her abdomen. She told Corporal Moore that her husband had shot her and killed her boyfriend, Gerald Lakey, who was found dead in the back bedroom.
Roslyn was transported to the hospital but succumbed to her injuries two days later on May 10, 2008. The autopsy revealed that her cause of death was a single shotgun wound to the upper abdomen. Gerald Lakey also died from a single shotgun wound to the chest and abdomen. Barney Adrian Dunlap was subsequently arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
The case went to trial, and Dunlap was found guilty of the murders. He appealed the verdict, arguing that the trial court erred in denying his request for a jury instruction on voluntary manslaughter, but the appeal was denied. Dunlap was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
This tragic incident shook the community of Lenoir, NC, and left Roslyn's family and friends grieving the loss of a vibrant and caring individual.
