Parents Will Call For An Independent Autopsy Into Death Of 21-Year-Old Javion Magee

With a handful of national civil rights attorneys at their side, the parents of Javion Magee gathered Wednesday afternoon outside the Vance County courthouse to discuss the investigation into their son’s death. The body of the 21-year-old truck driver from outside Chicago, IL was found on Vanco Mill Road Wednesday, Sept. 11.

Preliminary results from the medical examiner are in, but attorneys have said his parents will seek an independent autopsy, it was learned during the Wednesday press conference.

Attorneys Harry Daniels and Lee Merritt were quick to point out that the investigation is ongoing, but also said any preliminary report that Magee took his own life is premature.

“It’s an absolute tragedy,” Daniels said, adding that the young man was working to be financially independent.

Daniels said Magee’s parents, Tiara Roberson Gates and Kori Magee, had spent several hours earlier Wednesday reviewing evidence with representatives of the Vance County Sheriff’s Office.

Both parents spoke briefly at the end of the press conference. Magee’s mother asked those gathered to keep the family in their prayers. Kori Magee, who said he’d last spoken to his son a couple of days before his body was discovered, said he appreciated the support the family had received, adding that it had buoyed their spirits over the last week.

“We are here for one reason and one reason only: To get justice for Javion and the Magee family,” Daniels said, reiterating that the manner and cause of death has not been determined and suicide is “grossly premature.”

Attorney Lee Merritt said, “I don’t know too many 21-year-old, gainfully employed, happy individuals that travel into North Carolina, buy a rope and kill themselves. That would be an oddity. It’s a possibility, but we would need more evidence before we jump to that conclusion.”

Video evidence confirms that Magee bought rope at the Henderson Walmart; additional video footage shows Magee entering a wooded area on Vanco Mill Road later. Report of a possible deceased person came in to 911 about 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11.

Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame released a timeline of events Wednesday that provides additional details of Magee’s movements, as well as evidence recovered upon executing a search warrant of the truck Magee was driving and his phone records.

Jason Keith, a Greensboro attorney, spoke to those gathered at the press conference and said the family deserves answers and to hear a thorough explanation of every detail of the investigation.

“The community needs answers and we’re here to apply pressure,” Keith said. “We’re not leaving until we get them. We’ll stay as long as it takes.”

Merritt said the preliminary medical examiner’s report determined that Magee suffered bruising along his neck and had a broken neck bone. Additional information in the sheriff’s timeline reported that there were no defensive wounds, neither were there signs of physical or sexual assault. Results from a toxicology screen are pending.

Many questions remain to be answered, and the family’s attorneys said the main focus is to find out what happened to Javion Magee.

As family members, “you want to know what happened,” Daniels said. “That’s a start of healing.”

Read Sheriff Brame’s press release in its entirety in a separate post here on wizs.com.  Below is the timeline of events included in that press release:

September 10, 2024, approximately 01:00 hours- Mr. Magee left Hazelton, Pennsylvania after  picking up a load of goods to deliver to the Walmart Distribution Center in Henderson, North  Carolina. Mr. Magee traveled I-81 South to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, then to Highway 15  towards Frederick, Maryland. The truck gets onto I-270 South and drives to I-495 to I-95  towards Virginia. 

September 10, 2024, 06:50 hours- The truck makes a stop at a truck stop on Highway 207, 12  miles North of Ashland, Virginia for approximately one hour. Investigators are working to obtain  video from the truck stop to review.  

September 10, 2024, 07:50 hours- The commercial truck leaves the truck stop and travels on  Highway 1 South.  

September 10, 2024, 08:00 hours, the vehicle travels on I-95 South, merges onto I-64 in  Richmond, Virginia.  

September 10, 2024, 08:20 hours, truck merges back onto I-95 South.  

September 10, 2024, 08:50 hours, the truck continues onto I-85 South in Petersburg, Virginia,  traveling south into North Carolina.  

September 10, 2024, 09:54 hours, vehicle is on I-85 south. 

September 10, 2024, 10:04 hours, vehicle enters Vance County and travels to Chex Truck Stop  in Middleburg, North Carolina. Surveillance video shows Magee walking into the truck stop  alone, using the rest room and getting food from the truck stop grill. Magee is seen walking  back to his truck and getting in his truck alone.  

September 10, 2024, 12:21 hours- vehicle leaves Chex Truck Stop traveling south on I-85 into  Henderson, North Carolina.  

September 10, 2024, 12:37 hours- truck arrives at the Walmart Distribution Center in  Henderson and the contents are unloaded. 

September 10, 2024, 16:53 hours, the truck leaves the Walmart Distribution Center. Within 5  minutes, GPS shows the truck is idling in a dirt parking area in front of 285 Vanco Mill Road,  Henderson, North Carolina. Approximately ½ mile from the Walmart Distribution Center. 

September 10, 2024- 17:44 hours, the truck travels Northwest on West Andrews Avenue. At  17:49 hours, the truck pulls onto Young Street and is idling. The truck then goes to a parking lot  at the corner of West Andrews Ave and Vance Street at 17:53 hours. Magee exits the truck and  walks to a local smoke shop at 422 East Andrews Avenue to purchase tobacco products.  Surveillance footage shows Magee making a purchase at the store, he is alone. The truck leaves  the area at 18:01 hours. The truck travels west on Andrews Ave to the intersection of I-85 and  merges onto I-85 south.  

September 10, 2024, 18:11 hours, the truck travels to the Walmart Supercenter located on N.  Cooper Drive in Henderson, North Carolina. Mr. Magee is seen on surveillance footage from at  least 5 cameras walking into the store, making a purchase of a blue in color Ozark Trail rope,  and exiting the store. Magee is alone according to video footage while he shopped inside the  store and when he returned to his truck outside the store. Magee is seen wearing a white t shirt, black shorts, white socks, and dark colored crocs. Magee uses a self-checkout to make the  purchase, obtains a receipt for the purchase and is seen leaving the store with the blue rope in  his hand. Magee returns to his truck and leaves the parking lot of the Walmart Supercenter at  18:22 hours. 

Further review of surveillance footage from Walmart also shows as Magee was leaving the  Walmart Parking Lot on September 10th, he stops, exits his truck, and gives something to a  homeless person sitting at the entrance. The person was identified and interviewed by  investigators. As a result of the interview, it was learned that Magee gave the homeless person money. Magee told the person that “I don’t know how much it is, but if I had more I would give  it to you.” It was a total of $228 that was given to the homeless person. The witness confirmed  that after Magee gave the money, he got back into his truck and left the parking lot.  

September 10, 2024, 18:28 hours, Magee pulls into the Hampton Inn Hotel located on Ruin  Creek Road and parks around the back of the building. Surveillance footage from the hotel  shows Magee walking from the back of the hotel to the front wearing a white t-shirt, black  shorts, white socks, and dark colored crocs. Magee is also wearing a black backpack Magee enters the hotel alone at 18:32 hours and walks up to the front desk. Magee speaks to the hotel  clerk and exits the hotel at 18:34 hours and walks towards the back of the hotel.  

September 10, 2024, 18:35 hours, the truck is turned on, and at 18:36 hours, Magee’s truck is  seen on video surveillance leaving the hotel parking lot and making a right turn onto Ruin Creek  Road. 

September 10, 2024- 18:45 hours, the truck approaches the intersection of Andrews Ave and  US1 Highway, and at 18:50 hours, the truck exits US1 Highway onto Vanco Mill Road. 

September 10, 2024, 18:52 hours, the truck pulls back onto the dirt lot at 285 Vanco Mill Road  and the ignition is turned off. Surveillance footage from the area shows Magee exiting the  driver’s side of the truck wearing a white shirt and black shorts. Magee is seen walking away  from the truck alone towards the wood line on the eastern side of the dirt lot. Magee is carrying  an object in his hand. Magee walks back up around a trailer and to the front gate of T&R Tractor  & Truck Repair, then walks back to the wood line of the lot. 

September 10, 2024, 19:00 hours, Surveillance video shows Magee re-enter the truck and the  GPS shows the truck ignition is turned on. From the video, it does not appear Mr. Magee has  anything in his hand at the time he re-enters the truck. 

September 10, 2024, 19:28 hours, the truck is still in an idling state. 

September 10, 2024, 19:30 hours, the ignition is turned off and is never started again. Magee is  seen on video walking away from the truck towards the trees alone. The video does not show  Magee walking back to the truck after this time. 

September 11, 2024, 10:08 hours, Vance County 911 received a call from the owner of T&R Truck Repair of a man with a rope around his neck on the outside of the fence at 285 Vanco Mill Road. The 911 stated that the male was not breathing and appeared to have died by suicide. 

TownTalk: Night Out Against Crime Tuesday, Oct. 1

The community is invited to the Henderson-Vance County Night Out Against Crime that will be held Tuesday, Oct. 1 beginning at 5 p.m. along Breckenridge Street near the police station.

Local law enforcement agencies and other first responders will join a host of community partners and resource groups that serves as a way to build rapport with civilians and strengthen working relationships among those who protect and serve.

Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame said the event “is a great opportunity to get to know them and them to know us.” Too often, Brame said, children interact with law enforcement officers in domestic or otherwise violent situations.

The Night Out Against Crime gives adults and children alike the opportunity to chat and share a positive experience.

Henderson Police Capt. Joey Ferguson said the opening ceremony begins at 5 p.m., and then folks will be free to visit the various booths and tents – and enjoy a free meal of a hotdog, chips and drink. Child attendees will get a swag bag full of goodies as well.

“Last year was really good and we hope this year’s even better,” Ferguson said on Wednesday’s TownTalk.

Brame said he looks forward to the networking opportunity the Night Out Against Crime creates. He makes it a point to visit schools each week “to meet kids where they’re at,” and the annual Night Out event provides another chance for children to see uniformed officers up close and personal.

Ferguson said, “We really enjoy having the opportunity to engage community members – and especially kids,” and Night Out helps shine a positive light.

“They’re not seeing us when they’re at their worst,” he said, “when they’re going through a traumatic situation.”

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TownTalk: H-V Chamber 2024 Leadership Vance Graduation

Members of the 2024 Leadership Vance class gathered Tuesday night to celebrate their graduation from the program, reminisce a bit about their time together as they learned about their community and pledged to keep Vance County moving in a positive direction.

Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce President Sandra Wilkerson and Chamber Board Chair Margier White got the ceremony underway following dinner at Kerr Lake Country Club.

Sixteen individuals received their graduation certificates – some have spent their whole lives in Vance County and others have relocated for work or other reasons.

Alicia Campbell is a Vance County native, and she told the group that she had learned a lot about the county she was born in. Campbell said she believes the class members have formed friendships that will last far beyond their time together touring businesses and learning what Vance County has to offer.

Fellow classmate Richard Davis took a moment to recall the extensive schedule the class followed, which included visiting 66 different venues. At those businesses, offices and governmental agencies, Davis noted that 178 took time out of their day to have Leadership Vance visit. “They were excited to speak to us,” he said.

Each Leadership Vance class completes a community service project, and the 2024 class decided to go one better and complete two projects.

Gary Band, editor at The Daily Dispatch, reported that the community garden is installed and will be ready to receive vegetable plants at the appropriate time, which ultimately will be harvested and shared with the men at the new City of Hope men’s shelter.

Laura Pendergrass, with Century 21 Realty, chaired the second project which involved collecting children’s books to be used in two Little Libraries – one at Fox Pond Park and a second at Chestnut Street Park.

Both projects are symbolic of the ongoing commitment by class members, which will help build relationships, strengthen the community and make Vance County the best it can be.

“It’s going to happen,” said Davis. “We just have to wait for it – and keep working.”

Following is the list of 2024 Leadership Vance graduates:

Susan Abbott, individual Chamber member

Gary Band, The Daily Dispatch

Alicia Campbell, Vance County

Richard Davis, A.R. Perry Glass

Susann Elliott, M.R. Williams

David Figueroa, Benchmark Community Bank

Krystal Foxx, Vance-Granville Community College

Xavier Hargrove, Hargrove Appraisals

Kimberly Lewis, Henderson Police Department

Cindy Norwood, City of Henderson

Bobby Orr, Charles Boyd Chevy

Laura Pendergrass, Century 21

Lance Stallings, Vance Charter School

Luke Stark, Wm. L. Stark, CPA

Elizabeth Townsend, Duke Energy

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NC State Board of Elections

State Board of Elections: Sept. 20 Deadline For Counties To Send Absentee Ballots For Military, Overseas Voters

  • Information from the N.C. State Board of Elections

All 100 county boards of elections must send absentee ballots to eligible military and overseas citizens who requested them for the 2024 general election on Friday, Sept. 20, under a new schedule released by the State Board of Elections.

The board also set Sept. 24 as the date to start sending absentee ballots to other voters who have requested ballots by mail, including those who use the Visually Impaired Portal to request and return their ballots.

This schedule ensures that North Carolina will meet the federal law requirement to distribute ballots to voters under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) by the 45th day before the election – Sept. 21.

County boards were prepared to send absentee ballots out on Sept. 6, the deadline for absentee ballots to be sent under state law. However, rulings by the N.C. Court of Appeals and N.C. Supreme Court required election officials to remove the We The People party line from the presidential contest on the ballot, including the party’s presidential nominee, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and vice-presidential nominee, Nicole Shanahan.

In North Carolina, any registered voter can vote using an absentee ballot after submitting a request for the ballot. Voters can request their absentee ballot at votebymail.ncsbe.gov. The deadline for absentee requests is Oct. 29. However, election officials urge voters who wish to vote by mail to request their ballot soon, so it can be completed and returned to the voter’s county board of elections by 7:30 p.m. Election Day – Nov. 5.

Through Thursday, more than 166,000 voters – including more than 13,600 military and overseas voters – have requested ballots in North Carolina.

During the past week, State Board staff, county boards of elections staff and voting system and printing vendors have worked to code, design, proof and print new ballots without the We The People party line. Staff have worked to devise contingency plans to ensure that ballots could be delivered as soon as practicable.

Due to the timelines for the printing, delivery and assembly of all absentee ballots in every county, the State Board concluded that the only way to meet the federal deadline for military and overseas citizens was to establish separate dates for distributing absentee ballots.

Election officials will first focus on distributing the military and overseas citizen ballots, which is a smaller group of ballots. Currently, about 8 percent of 2024 absentee requests are from military and overseas citizen voters.

State Board staff have arranged for special on-demand ballot printers to be positioned around the state to fulfill any orders for military and overseas citizen ballots for counties whose orders from their print vendors will not arrive in time for those ballots to be prepared for mailing by next Friday. These special printers can print any ballot style approved for use in the state. There are nearly 2,350 different ballot styles statewide for this election.

Meanwhile, staff will work over the weekend and through next week to prepare the online portal for electronic delivery and return of ballots that is available for military and overseas citizen voters. Nearly 90 percent of military and overseas citizen voters opt for this electronic ballot delivery feature.

This plan allows time for the much larger orders of absentee ballots for all other voters to be printed and delivered to the county boards in time for counties to prepare their outgoing absentee ballot packages for mailing on Sept. 24.

“This schedule is only possible because of the hard work of elections professionals across this state that will continue throughout the next week,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the State Board of Elections. “Because of them, we expect to meet the federal deadline for ballot delivery, and North Carolinians can finally start voting in this important election.”

The State Board has received many questions about the statewide cost of reprinting ballots. Preliminary estimates show the costs vary widely by county, depending on how many ballots must be reprinted and other factors. Estimates range from a few thousand dollars in some smaller counties to $18,000 in Caldwell County, $55,100 in Durham County and $300,000 in Wake County, home to the most registered voters in the state.

Here are key dates and deadlines for the 2024 general election in North Carolina:

Sept. 20: Ballots distributed to military and overseas citizen voters who have requested them.

Sept. 24: Absentee ballots distributed to all other voters who have requested them.

Oct. 11: Voter registration deadline (5 p.m.).*

Oct. 17: In-person early voting begins; same-day registration available.

Oct. 29: Absentee ballot request deadline (5 p.m.).*

Nov. 2: In-person early voting ends (3 p.m.).

Nov. 5: General Election Day.

Nov. 5: Absentee ballot return deadline (7:30 p.m.).*

*Voter registration and absentee voting deadlines are different for military and overseas citizen voters.

Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Events At Perry Memorial Library

 

The Perry Memorial Library is doing its part in the city’s recently launched anti-litter campaign. Youth Services Librarian Melody Peters said upcoming Storytime programs will have an anti-litter theme, and while there might be a little talk about trash, there will be no trash talking.

The programs will be held at the library on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 4:15 p.m. and on Friday, Sept. 27 at 10:30 a.m. Although geared for preschool and elementary-school aged children, Peters said all are welcome. There will be a craft activity and some giveaways with an anti-litter theme.

After attending last week’s kickoff, “I wanted to add a special story time,” Peters said on Tuesday’s segment of The Local Skinny! As part of the NC Litter Sweep program, which runs Sept. 14- Sept. 28, participants will get a chance to clean up around the outside of the library, too.

As fall programming continues to crank up, Peters said the monthly Survival Skills series for young people in grades 6-12 resumes beginning today at 4:30 p.m. The focus will be on quilting, she said. Once the crafters create their quilt top, it will be made into a pillow. Register by emailing mpeters@perrylibrary.org. Subsequent dates will be Tuesday, Oct. 15 and Tuesday, Nov. 19.

The Kids Connect program for children in grades K-5, comes back on Tuesdays beginning Sept. 24 from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The kickoff session will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and will include arts and crafts activities like weaving and flower-making.

Learn more at https://www.perrylibrary.org/.

 

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VGCC Logo

TownTalk: VGCC Truck Driver Program & National Truck Driver Appreciation Week

 

This week is National Truck Driver Appreciation Week and Vance-Granville Community College joins the nation’s trucking industry in a weeklong celebration of the millions of professional truck drivers who deliver America’s freight safely and securely every day.

Established by the American Trucking Associations in 1988 to recognize the vital contributions of truck drivers to our daily lives and to the economy, the national observance highlights the contributions of the nation’s 3.5 million truck drivers who deliver 70 percent of the country’s total freight to communities large and small.

Vance-Granville Community College has actively supported trucking in its four-county service area since launching a commercial driver’s license program in 2020. Originally offered in collaboration with Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute, VGCC’s program achieved the criteria to run independently late last year. To date, 290 VGCC students have graduated from the nine-week program, many of whom have been hired immediately or gone on to open their own trucking business.

“Kelvin Sharpe, our truck driver training coordinator, says, ‘Give us nine weeks and we’ll change your life,’” said Kyle Burwell, VGCC dean of Business & Industry Solutions. Since 2020, the program has graduated close to 300 individuals

Vance-Granville’s next Truck Driver Training course begins Oct. 21. There’s still time to register, and Burwell said there is a mandatory orientation that will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at the Henderson campus. The session will conclude on Dec. 20.

To view participant requirements and register, please visit www.vgcc.edu/cdl.

Burwell and lead instructor Georgie Bullock were guests on Tuesday’s TownTalk and provided more details about the program.

As with driving any vehicle, Bullock said the top priority to convey to students is safety. Safety and patience.

“Take your time, watch everything moving around you,” Bullock said. “Always be prepared to stop,” he said. Driving on the open road is one thing, but driving a big rig through town can be unnerving at first, Bullock acknowledged.

“They can get kinda nervous driving through town,” he said. But city streets are part of the everyday training routes, as well as the testing route.

“If you can’t drive in town, you don’t need to be a driver,” he said.

Burwell calls the VGCC program “turnkey,” meaning that once the students complete the course, any one of three licensed examiners are on campus to administer the CDL test. The only thing left to do after a student passes the examination is go to the DMV to get their photo taken and get their CDL.

Burwell said she is thankful that the program’s instructors and coordinators stress safety, whether they’re on the driving range or on the road. There is no room for error or distraction when you’ve got 80,000 pounds of truck and cargo behind you.

Bullock tells students, “When you’re on the road, be 100 percent focused on what you’re doing.”

Learn more at www.vgcc.edu/cdl.

 

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Families Living Violence Free

FLVF Hosts Quarter Auction Friday, Oct. 4

Families Living Violence Free is having a Quarter Auction on Friday, Oct. 4 at Carlee Farms in Granville County.

The doors open at 5:30 p.m., dinner begins at 6:15 p.m. and the auction begins at 7 p.m., according to information from FLVF Executive Director Amy Langston.

Tickets are $25 and include dinner and bidding paddle. All proceeds go to direct services for victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Don’t forget to bring your rolls of quarters for bidding and some extra “folding money” to purchase products from vendors that will be on site for the event. For a $50 ticket price, bidders can upgrade their paddles to have unlimited bids on items during the auction. There will be a 50/50 raffle and silent auction held as well.

Carlee Farms is located at 1003 Carlee Farms Rd. in Granville County.

Purchase tickets by calling 919.693.3579.

Langston said businesses, organizations and others can provide extra support by becoming sponsors of the event. The sponsorship levels are Bronze: $50; Silver: $100; and Gold: $200.

Checks, payable to FLVF, can be sent to:

P.O. Box 1632

Oxford, NC 27565

The FLVF Crisis Line operates 24 hours a day. Call 919.693.5700; Spanish speakers can call 919.690.0888.

For more information, contact FLVF at 919.693.3579 or email info@flvf.org.

 

 

Maria Parham Health

Maria Parham Health Offers Prostate Cancer Screening Sept. 19

– Information courtesy of Maria Parham Health

Maria Parham Health is sponsoring a free prostate cancer screening clinic Thursday, Sept. 19 as part of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.

The American Cancer Society recommends an annual screening for men ages 50 and older. The screening event will be held from 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., according to MPH Public Information Officer Donna Young. No appointment is necessary, just show up. The screening should take about 15 minutes.

African-American men and those with a history of prostate cancer are considered at higher risk, and should consider getting screened at age 45. Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers among men; early detection is crucial and can be lifesaving.

Prostate cancer is highly treatable when detected early, and this screening could make a  significant difference for you or a loved one.

For more information, please call 252.436.1656 or visit  https://www.MariaParham.com/event/56