Second defendant does not admit guilt but will spend about 10 years in prison for role in Lake Gaston arson, kidnap murder
As he waited for a second trial on charges he beat and killed a Lake Gaston woman during a home invasion, Lester Kearney acknowledged that prosecutors have the evidence to convict him in that 2018 crime.
Instead of taking a chance in front of a jury, where a guilty verdict could mean the death penalty, Kearney took what is called an Alford plea. In an Alford plea, the defendant does not admit guilt, but acknowledges that the state has a solid case against him.
Kearney's deal comes with a minimum of 164 months (13+ years) in prison. He has already served more than four years since his 2018 arrest.
Kearney and another man, Kevin Munn, were suspects in a March 2018 case of home invasion, robbery, arson and murder that left Rev. John Alford injured and his wife, Dr. Nancy Alford, a local psychologist, dead.
Munn pleaded guilty to Nancy Alford's death months after the crimes and pointed the finger at Kearney as an accomplice.
Over the four years since the crimes, Kearney and his family have maintained that he is innocent and pressed for his release from custody. His attorneys say his cell phone places him 20 minutes away from the murder scene. Investigators found no physical evidence linking him to the crime.
In explaining the plea to the court, defense attorney Robert Singagliese said, “One commentator has written that Alford pleas are necessary to spare innocent defendants from the mercy of the murky and unpredictable trial system. Mr. Kearney has already been subjected to that system, and he does not want to do it again."
Kearney's first trial ended in a mistrial in April after jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict.
Monday's plea will close the case on Kearney, both allowing him to continue to assert his innocence and to avoid the death penalty.
“What happened to my Mom is definitely not fair," Roger Alford, the son of the victims, told the court. "What happened to all of us as a result of losing her is definitely not fair, but we are thankful for the chance for something to bring us closure."
District Attorney Mike Waters and Sheriff Johnny Williams said the plea deal didn’t diminish the good work of investigators on a horrific case. “This was a huge wound for this community,” Waters said. “Often times, we reach compromises, and that’s what this is.”
