Man pleads guilty in stabbing deaths of Shallotte couple Torrence Helms (Source: BCSO) By WECT Staff | December 14, 2020 at 4:14 PM EST - Updated December 14 at 4:28 PM
BRUNSWICK COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) - A man has pleaded guilty to the murder of a Shallotte couple last year.
In a Brunswick County Superior Courtroom on Monday, Torrence Helms, 32, pleaded guilty to:
two counts of First Degree Murder
one count of Attempted First Degree Murder
one count of Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon
one count of Fleeing to Elude Arrest
Helms received an active sentence of 207-261 months for the attempted murder charge, followed by a life sentence for the murder of Dennis Rowell, followed by a second life sentence for the murder of Theresa Rowell.
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North Carolina is just beginning to see the impact the Thanksgiving holiday may have had on the state s coronavirus numbers. In a press conference Tuesday, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen said that she believes the numbers the state has seen thus far are just the beginning. It is likely the increase in COVID-19 cases reported over the last week reflect those that went to Thanksgiving gatherings already sick. Throughout the next week, the state s numbers will start to reflect those that did not know they were sick with the virus until after attending those holiday gatherings. This week, the state continuously set record numbers of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. The case counts, in addition to a positive test rate of 10.5%, prompted Sec. Cohen to urge North Carolinians to consider canceling any remaining travel plans and to keep any gatherings small and outdoors this
BOLIVIA – Nearly two years after being arrested, a Calabash man has pleaded guilty to the murder of a couple and the attempted murder of their teenage daughter.
In Brunswick County Superior Court on Monday, Torrence O’Neal Helms, 32, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted first-degree murder, one count of robbery with a dangerous weapon, and one count of fleeing to elude arrest.
He was sentenced to two life sentences for the double murder, and between approximately 17 and 22 years for the attempted murder. He was eligible for the death penalty.
Authorities arrested Helms just hours after the Jan. 9, 2019 fatal stabbings of Dennis Edmund Rowell, 66, and Theresa Lee Rowell, 55, at their home on Ivey Stone Court in Shallotte. The couple’s daughter, Irene Elizabeth Rowell, then 19, was also stabbed but survived and was able to escape and call the police.