Man found guilty of murdering couple and their young son in Columbus County

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A man was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder, robbery, and assault with a deadly weapon on Monday following a six-week trial.

The charges came from a robbery that occurred in September 2019 that resulted in the murders of Leonel Ciprian, 29, his wife, Nancy Trujillo Espinoza, 25, and their son, Alexis Ciprian Trujillo, 5. The family was found shot to death inside their Whiteville home.  The grandmother, Rafaela Noyola Jaramillo, was also shot, but survived. 

Family members told WWAY in 2019 that the suspects broke in the back door before killing Espinoza. The family says the suspects then tortured and killed the child.

Washington testified in his own defense last week, but the jury returned a guilty verdict after less than an hour of deliberation.

Sentencing is scheduled for a later date.