Wilkes County Man Pleads Guilty to Voluntary Manslaughter

A Wilkes County man has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and will serve 10-13 years in state prison.

51-year old Timmy Dale Bates was was sentenced on January 21st in Wilkes County Superior Court by Senior Superior Court Judge Michael D. Duncan of Wilkesboro. Bates was charged with the 2018 shotgun slaying of 49-year old Debra Ann Harris Royal. The couple lived together in the Thurmond Community.

The judge gave Bates credit for time served in jail (1,291 days). The shotgun used in the slaying was ordered destroyed by the judge.

Photo: Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office