Nancy Melton Britt, a 49-year-old white female, was tragically murdered on August 23, 2003, in Lumberton, North Carolina. Nancy was an award-winning teacher, loved and respected by her students and peers. She was shot through the chest at the home of her disabled sister, Donna Mabry, at 410 W. 36th St. A 911 call was made at 3:28 a.m., and when police arrived, they found Nancy collapsed in the hallway with a small-caliber bullet wound in her chest.
Despite her disability, Donna managed to make the 911 call.
The investigation quickly led to the arrest of Nancy's husband, Myron Keith Britt, also 49, based on physical evidence found at the home of Britt's parents. A .25-caliber bullet that had been accidentally discharged in the home of Britt's parents two years prior matched the one found in Nancy's body. The district attorney suggested that money might have been the motive behind the murder, as there were four insurance policies worth $800,000 to $900,000 in Nancy's name. Myron Britt, who was president of a home-building business in Cary, was facing financial difficulties, which may have driven him to commit the crime.
Myron Britt was arrested at his upscale Cary home on Chalon Drive and charged with first-degree murder. During the trial, prosecutors painted a chilling picture of a man facing financial difficulties who killed his wife for money. The ballistics tests presented during the trial were compelling evidence, connecting a handgun Myron Britt once owned with the bullet that killed Nancy. The jury convicted Myron Britt of first-degree murder, and he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Despite the conviction, Myron Britt maintained his innocence, telling jurors they were wrong to convict him and would have to live with their mistake for the rest of their lives.
