New Hanover County murderer granted parole

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A woman convicted of killing a man in Wilmington in 1990 has been granted parole.

Dreamer Lee Cottle Alston has been granted a parole release date of June 6, 2020 according to the North Carolina Post Release Supervision and Parole Commission.

According to court documents, Alston shot and killed Pernell Dewayne Joe on August 16, 1989.

The shooting happened after Alston’s husband got into a fight with Joe at Dove Meadows.

A jury found Alston guilty of first degree murder. She was sentenced to life in prison.

Alston was approved for parole via the Mutual Agreement Parole Program (MAPP), which is a scholastic and vocational program that is a three-way agreement between the Commission, the Division of Prisons and the offender.

The state’s current sentencing law, Structured Sentencing, eliminates parole for crimes committed on or after October 1, 1994. However, the Commission has the responsibility of paroling offenders who were sentenced under previous sentencing guidelines.