Parole possible for Columbus County convicted murderer

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — The man who beat a man to death as a teenager could be up for parole.

Curtis Ray Womble, 42, killed Palmer Ray Brown, 60, in March of 1993 during a burglary. According to online court documents from his appeal, Womble, who was 17 at the time, went to Brown’s home for the purpose of “messing with” the victim and taking his money.

The victim was asleep. In court, Womble admitted to beating the man first with his fist, then a glass object until it shattered, then a phone, and finally, a frying pan.

Womble searched the victim’s pockets and his home for money but did not find any.

The autopsy revealed Brown had multiple skull fractures, bruises to the brain and other brain injuries. Brown died as a result of head trauma inflicted by a blunt object.

Womble pleaded guilty to burglary and first degree murder and was sentenced to death by a jury.

According to the North Carolina State Bar Journal, the 1996 post-conviction discovery law gave the defense attorneys access to statements which contradicted the date of death of the victim. The documents revealed “five witnesses interviewed by police had said they saw Brown alive the day after the burglary.”

As a result of the disclosures, the convictions and death sentence were vacated by a superior court judge and in July of 1998 Womble pleaded guilty to second degree murder, burglary, and conspiracy to commit armed robbery and received two consecutive life sentences plus ten years.

The N.C. Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission is investigating Womble’s case for parole.

Structured sentencing eliminates parole for crimes committed on or after October 1, 1994, but the Commission can parole offenders who were sentenced under previous sentencing guidelines.