Morganton Man Given Life In Prison For Murder Of Woman And Unborn Child

A Morganton man will serve life in prison without parole after he was found guilty of second-degree murder and murder of an unborn child. The guilty verdict came at the conclusion of a nearly two-week trial in Burke County Superior Court on Thursday (April 10).

32-year-old Dylan James Rogers was given the sentence after the jury returned guilty verdicts for the murder of 41-year-old Brandi Deal and her unborn child. Rogers was arrested along with 52-year-old Tammy Duckworth Boone, they were both charged with murder. Boone was still being held at the Burke County Jail.

The Honorable Reggie McKnight, Superior Court Judge from Mecklenburg County, imposed terms of the active sentence after the jury delivered its verdict following three and a half hours of deliberation over two days. The trial started on March 31 with pretrial motions followed by jury selection and presentation of evidence by the State and defense. Closing arguments took place on Wednesday (April 9).

The deaths occurred on February 10, 2023. First responders arrived at the scene initially in response to a 911 call made by the victim’s boyfriend regarding cardiac arrest. However, they found Deal suffering from gunshot wounds. She and the baby later died from their injuries.

Investigators from the Burke County Sheriff’s Office interviewed multiple people about the shooting deaths and reviewed video surveillance footage from nearby cameras that showed the residence where Deal was shot and killed.

Story: Rob Eastwood-WHKY