NC man found guilty in 2020 murder case, sentenced to life in prison

A jury on Wednesday reached a guilty verdict against a man charged with the 2020 murder of a 47-year-old woman, according to Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman.

Lance Gordon, who decided to represent himself in trial, will serve life in prison, Freeman said. He is sentenced for the first-degree murder of Angela Lee.

The trial lasted one week, Freeman said.

On April 24, 2020, Gordon was driving a vehicle owned by Lee, whom he said was an acquaintance, when the North Carolina State Highway Patrol stopped him in Edgecombe County for speeding.

After troopers took Gordon into custody, they reached out to Holly Springs police to find Lee and ask if she knew Gordon had her vehicle.

The police department was unsuccessful in attempts to contact Lee on the night of April 24, 2020, and again on April 25, 2020. Holly Springs police obtained search warrants for Lee's Holly Springs home as well as her vehicle, which was still in Edgecombe County.

Investigators discovered Lee's remains in the trunk of her vehicle, and they charged Gordon with her murder as well as the theft of the vehicle.