July 2, 2022 • 25 mins
On March 11, 2016, 45-year-old Felicia Moore Porter was raped and murdered outside her home in Tabor City, N. Carolina, and her 15-year-old nephew Riley Dawson Conner was ultimately convicted of the crimes. The N. Carolina Supreme Court recently threw out his consecutive sentences and he’s scheduled to be resentenced in the fall of 2022.
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Brought to you by AWAY Suitcases, visit awaytravel.com/warbaby today!
Sponsored by Best Fiends!
Music:
We Talk of Dreams
For sources, visit: https://murderous-minors.onpodium.com/episodes/132-a-family-matter-riley-conner-732
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/murderous-minors--2964579/support.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:09):
Just so you know, this showis built scary stuff. So don't say
I didn't warn you guys. Iremember, Don't be Scared m Episode one
(01:02):
thirty two A family Matter war BabyHere with another episode of Murderous Miners.
The North Carolina Supreme Court recently throughoutthe sentence of convicted juvenile killer Riley Dawson
Connor, who has been incarcerated sincehe was arrested at fifteen years old for
the violent rape and murder of hisfather's sister, his forty five year old
(01:26):
aunt, Felicia Moore porter This weekon Murderous Miners, we look at the
murder case behind that high Court's recentdecision, along with the other ramifications his
original consecutive sentences have had on juvenilejustice legislation in the state of North Carolina.
Please be advised that sexual assault willbe mentioned. Connor's mother and other
(01:49):
relatives testified later as to many detailsabout his childhood, and she said that
her son began experiencing disruptive sleep patternsbetween the ages of one and two.
His family called them night terrors,but his mother testified that she later realized
that his nighttime behaviors were likely epilepticin nature, his true condition would go
(02:12):
undiagnosed for another decade. Court transcriptsindicate that she was eighteen and his father
was twenty when they had him.In August two thousand. The family lived
together on Miller Road near Tabor City, North Carolina, a border town known
to some as the Yam capital ofthe world and located only about thirty miles
north of popular vacation spot Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Connor's parents had substance
(02:38):
abuse issues, and his mother heavilyabused crack cocaine, while his father sold
marijuana and participated in other criminal activitiesthat made the home environment unfit for children.
The family next moved to a houseon Savannah Extension Road in Tabor City,
North Carolina, in close proximity tomany extended family members from both sides,
(03:01):
including grandparents, a great grandmother,aunts, uncles, and cousins.
One would imagine that having such easyaccess to lots of family would have helped
Connor deal with not having either parentaround. However, the area that they
lived in was tough and hard scrabble, leaving little time for proper mentoring or
(03:23):
parenting. At the tender age offour, Connor was home when his house
was raided and his father and unclearrested at gunpoint for being in possession of
a literal quote truckload of marijuana,one of the handful of times he'd see
his father taken into custody. Theyended up moving into his mother's parents home
when he was five and his sisterwas a newborn, with his mom testifying
(03:47):
later that she was strung out oncrack cocaine and running the roads, having
left the care of her kids toher parents. When Connor's baby sister had
been born, their father borrowed avy that he was supposed to use to
retrieve his wife and child from thehospital. Instead, though he's accused of
having driven through the front window ofa gas station to steal cigarettes and the
(04:11):
jar of money they kept on thecounter to buy drugs, and he never
picked them up. That was accordingto an aunt on Connor's mom's side,
who also said the area they livedin was quote the pits of hell,
while his own mother called it quotenowhere for a child to be because there's
nothing but drugs down there. Hereally didn't need to be down there,
and if I could go back,I'd change it. During her testimony.
(04:34):
That aunt also reflected on Connor's childhoodof being passed between relatives, saying that
his quote and mother and father wereconstantly in and out of his life,
calling them quote not by any meansanywhere close to being stable parents. They
rejected him time and time again.The court records indicate that Connor's father was
(04:57):
released from prison when the child wasfive, but was soon arrested again,
this time along with Connor's mother,who acted as a getaway driver while he
committed a robbery. By then,their son had started school, and his
mother later testified that Connor was heavilyteased because of their issues. When he
was six, his father was sentencedto seven years in prison, and the
(05:18):
following year, his mother's drug usecontributed to her violating her probation, and
she was sent to prison herself.By her own testimony, she had already
been largely absent quote, running theroads, getting in trouble. Crack took
over my whole life, and thatwas all I was worried about, was
going to get the next hit.Her sister testified that Connor's parents missed nearly
(05:43):
all of his early birthday parties andrecalled that his mother only came to one
or two of the celebrations. Shealso remembered her nephew running behind his mother's
car she drove away one time whenhe was seven, while he screamed,
I hate you and begged her tostay. She said that her parents would
buy gifts for Connor and his sister, but that their parents would sell them
(06:03):
and use the money to help fundtheir habits. Around the same time,
Social services received a call from theaunt saying that the Connor children had been
taken to a crack house and custodywas awarded to their mom's parents, but
they couldn't care for them either,and they often stayed with the aunt,
who later testified from seven to eightyears old, his aunt notice that Connor's
(06:27):
night terrors had only worsened, duringwhich you couldn't wake him. He was
noted to flail his arms and slinghimself at things while pacing the house.
At eight years old, the doctordiagnosed Connor with ADHD and attributed these nighttime
episodes to possible PTSD, but nofollow up was made. His grandma had
(06:47):
a stroke around this time, andConnor was then cared for by his mother,
who was back living on Savannah Road. His performance at school was well
below satisfactory, no doubt attributed tohis continued lack of adequate sleep. Connor
would also be pulled out of schoolfrequently due to being bullied and his violent
(07:08):
interactions with his classmates. He washeld back and had to repeat the third
grade, and self reported that hestarted smoking marijuana at nine years old.
His mother remarried and they moved tolive with her new husband, but then
his dad got paroled and remarried ayear later, and Connor went back to
Savannah Road to live with him forthe first time in several years. They
(07:30):
all lived with his dad's grandma,along with an aunt and her son,
Connor's cousin, Brad. By allaccounts, Connor idolized the man, who
was roughly ten years older and aknown criminal and addict whose profession was selling
drugs such as meth cocaine, PCP, heroine, and opiates. He was
known to regularly supply the ten yearold with whatever he wanted, while Brad's
(07:55):
mother took Connor with her to motelswhile she worked in the sex trade.
Connor was heavily abusing the prescription drugXanix. By the time he was eleven
years old, sometimes taking eid ata time, and began drinking alcohol almost
every day, often until he passedout. By the time he was twelve,
he'd become sexually active and failed thefifth grade, but instead of repeating,
(08:18):
he changed schools and they put himinto the sixth grade at the middle
school. He was staying with hisaunt then, and she testified that he
was confrontational there as well, sayingthat she just quote lost the ability to
influence him. He went to livewith his father on Savannah Road, but
when he tried to get back intothe sixth grade at the middle school,
they admitted him, but they didn'tknow what to do with him because he
(08:41):
had issues with so many of thekids who already attended there. He was
ultimately expelled for bullying and disruptive behaviorand went to an alternative school for a
bit before returning to live with hismother because his father went back to prison,
this time for robbing a bank.He went to an alternative school in
South Carolina, where he was expelledand charged with assault for hitting a classmate
(09:03):
in the head with a textbook,a charge which was later dismissed. Connor
was re enrolled, but was expelledagain after being adjudicated delinquent and juvenile court
for possessing marijuana at the school,and an evaluation completed by the South Carolina
Department of Justice determined that his IQthen was seventy nine and represented quote borderline
(09:24):
intellectual functioning. When I finally reachedthe end of another crazy day, don't
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(10:33):
without the are Best Fiends. Itappears that Connor never went any further in
school than the sixth grade. Althoughhe was supposed to be being homeschooled by
his grandmother, that never happened.His aunt testified that her parents had simply
become unable to care for him.Court records refer to Connor around this period
as a quote free agent. Startingbetween age twelve and thirteen, left to
(10:56):
rome unsupervised, drink alcohol, havesex, and used drugs that his cousins
supplied him with. At thirteen,doctors determined that Connor had been having nightly
disruptive epileptic seizures since he was ababy, and that he'd never been having
night terrors at all. He wasformally diagnosed with frontal lobe epilepsy and was
(11:18):
placed on a cocktail of medications thatno one made sure he took. Connor
was also diagnosed with behavior problems anda year later with mild conduct disorder,
severe cannabis use disorder, moderate alcoholuse disorder, sedative use disorder, and
disruption of family. When he wasfourteen, he had a falling out with
(11:39):
his aunt and cousin and went backto his mother in South Carolina before CouchSurfing
at his stepsisters, his father's exwife, and his father in Florida before
returning to his mom's. All thewhile he was having more and more seizures.
By the time Connor was fifteen anda half in January two thousand and
sixteen, his uncontrolled seizures had increasedin both severity and frequency, going from
(12:05):
six to ten per night to upto twelve per night the following month,
as determined by emergency room doctors.Connor visited another doctor soon after, who
said that PTSD could be exacerbating hisepilepsy, and he changed his meds on
February twenty fifth, two thousand andsixteen. Less than a week later,
on March second, Connor stole hismom's van and used it to break into
(12:30):
the Fowler's grocery store and steal cigarettes, eerily reminiscent of his dad's actions when
his sister had been born, Connor'smom reported the van stolen, and police
soon realized it was the same personwho had robbed the store because they had
security camera footage showing the four ambreak in. When police caught up with
the van at eight am, Connor'smom was driving and he was in the
(12:52):
passenger seat, having returned home earlierwith the cigarettes he boosted in the heist.
He was charged in June court forquote breaking or entering, larceny after
breaking or entering, and larceny ofa motor vehicle, and possession of a
stolen vehicle. Police also scheduled Connorto see a juvenile court counselor a week
(13:13):
and a half later. On Marcheleventh, two thousand and sixteen, after
the police officers left from Savannah Road, one of Connor's dad's sisters, Felicia
Porter, called nine to one oneto report that her fifteen year old nephew
had gotten into a fight inside hisgreat grandma's house, telling dispatchers about the
crimes he'd allegedly committed earlier that dayand saying that he quote needs to get
(13:37):
locked up. Court documents indicate thatConnor told multiple people that he was going
to quote make that bitch Felicia paynine days later. It seems that he
did just that. A timeline ofMarch eleventh, two thousand and sixteen,
was determined and laid out in thedocuments, indicating that Felicia Porter awoke at
(13:58):
six am and dropped her husband offat his car pool spought for work.
She was back home by nine amand checking her social media. Shortly after
that. Connor's step grandfather was tryingto get his truck unstuck from a field
and saw him walking toward his auntFelicia's house around nine thirty am. The
(14:18):
teen would say later that he'd alreadysmoked marijuana and snorted PCP that morning.
When Felicia came to the door,Connor got her to come outside, and
the fifteen year old attacked and violentlyraped her his own aunt, before beating
the woman to death with a shovelleft lying nearby. All of her front
teeth had been smashed out of hermouth, and she had numerous broken bones
(14:41):
in her face, as well asa broken arm and multiple lacerations. Connor
moved Felicia's body about one hundred yardsaway into the wooded area adjacent to her
trailer. He burned an article ofher clothing on her burnt pile, and
set off. Walking back to hisgreat grandmother's house, he encountered his step
grandfather again, who said that theteam had been heavily perspiring and that the
(15:05):
pair spoke about the appointment that Connorhad with the juvenile court counselor. Later
that afternoon, when Felicia Porter stoppedanswering her phone, Connor's great grandmother sent
his step grandfather to check on her, accompanied by his cousin Brad, who
first helped get the truck unstuck fromthe field. Right around the time that
(15:26):
Connor and his mother left for hiscounseling appointment, his aunt Felicia was determined
to be missing from her home herfront door ajar. The Columbus County Sheriff's
Department was notified, and an officialmissing person's report was filed with local news
that evening, announcing that Felicia Porterhad last been seen around Fowler's Supermarket on
(15:50):
Swamp Fox Highway East earlier that morning. The following afternoon, at approximately two
thirty pm, deputies located her bodyin the woods by her house, and
results from her autopsy indicated that homicidalviolence had caused Felicia Porter's death. The
State Bureau of Investigations joined in onthe search for her killer, and although
(16:12):
they didn't release any information pertaining toher manner of death or injuries, the
sheriff did say that quote, Iencouraged the Tabor City community to carry on
their normal activities. There is noreason to fear for your safety. A
rape kit had been performed on Felicia'sbody, and DNA had been recovered,
(16:33):
which would ultimately be linked to hernephew, Riley Connor. Alone. On
the day Felicia had been found,Saturday March twelfth, two thousand and sixteen,
Connor was questioned by police for thefirst time, giving the first of
several stories about the events of theprevious day. Connor told police that he'd
(16:53):
actually walked in the opposite direction ofhis aunt's home and had seen a suspicious
vehicle in the vicinity. He'd beenstaying at his great grandmother's and Felicia's grandmother's
home on Savannah Road, but leftTabor City and North Carolina altogether once that
first interview was complete, going backacross the border to stay with his mom.
(17:15):
Four days later, she took himto the emergency room because his epilepsy
just kept getting worse. Connor's mothertold the doctors that his arms and legs
were all bruised up because his seizureshad become so violent. They'd also increased
in frequency to as many as fifteenper night, leading up to a frighteningly
(17:36):
severe seizure that caused Connor to foamat the mouth and lose control of his
bodily functions five days after the ervisit. He was then hospitalized for four
days and diagnosed with poorly controlled intractablefrontal lobe epilepsy quote, complicated by non
compliance of medication, lack of insightof his condition, and severe oppositional behavior
(18:00):
problem and agitation that often is dueto the frequent partial epilepsy. While admitted
to UNC Memorial Hospital, Connor's seizuresreportedly broke his bed and he suffered more
than two dozen per night. Doctorsnoted that his quote partial seizures are associated
with psychiatric agitation, that significant behavioralchanges could well be due to uncontrolled frontal
(18:26):
seizures, and that Connor's quote frontallobe epilepsy may affect a patient's ability to
regulate his emotions and prevents a patientfrom getting adequate sleep. The psychiatrist said
that quote mood liability and agitation areat least in part due to his frontal
lobe seizures, and an MRI showedquote damage to his frontal lobe on the
(18:48):
right side, consistent with scarring fromnumerous childhood head injuries. According to court
documents, Connor's mother assaulted him whilehe was in the hospital, which resulted
in his being placed in his stepsister'scare by social services when he was released
on March twenty fifth, two andsixteen. On March twenty ninth, Connor
(19:08):
spoke to police three times, tellingthem that he had indeed walked toward his
aunt's house on the days she wasmurdered, contrary to what he'd told them
the day her body was found,but he said that it had only been
to check on the pop plant andhe was growing in the woods. Then
he requested investigators come back out sohe could tell them some story about accompanying
(19:30):
his cousin Brad, to retrieve apilfered kilo of heroin from Felicia's husband.
Connor told investigators that it was hiscousin who had hit his aunt with a
brick before raping and killing her,But then Connor said that he had raped
her, but that Brad had killedher. Following that interview, Connor experienced
an emotional breakdown that resultant in himinsisting his mother call investigators, who came
(19:56):
back out to speak with him again. His last version of the story that
day saw him recanting the heroine stuff, but sticking to the part about Brad
committing the crimes. Connor did,however, add in his third statement that
day that he'd helped with all ofit, marking the first time that he'd
even admitted to any involvement in hisaunt's death. After spending all day speaking
(20:19):
to investigators, fifteen year old RileyDawson Connor was arrested just after midnight on
March thirtieth, two thousand and sixteen. He tested positive for PCP and marijuana
after having a terrible seizure that nightin juvenile detention. His charges were filed
in juvenile court, but the prosecutormade it clear that he planned to try
(20:42):
Connor as an adult. The sheriffannounced the arrest of a suspect in Felicia's
murder, but released no indication asto the identity of her suspected killer,
only saying that it was a juvenileand that quote both families have suffered a
loss and need the communities continued supportand prayers. Eight months later, in
(21:03):
mid December two thousand and sixteen,Connor was indicted by a grand jury on
charges of murder and first degree forciblerape in his aunt's assault in death,
along with larceny of a motor vehicle, breaking and entering, larceny after breaking
and entering, and two counts ofpossession of stolen goods for the grocery store
(21:23):
robbery from just before the murder.It was then reported that he would be
tried as an adult, and Connor'sname in details were allowed to be reported
following his transfer hearing. Ultimately,the team was offered a deal and pled
guilty on February twenty first, twothousand and nineteen, to first degree murder
(21:44):
with premeditation and deliberation and first degreerape. The other charges dismissed in exchange
for the plea of guilty. Prosecutorswere asking for life without parole, but
the defense painted the picture of achild who'd had limited positive of role models
and whose rough upbringing, PTSD andepilepsy precluded him from being sentenced to life
(22:07):
without parole. It took Judge Stoneless than half an hour to sentence the
then eighteen year old to life withparole possibility after twenty five years for the
murder and twenty to twenty five yearsfor the first degree rape charge. The
sentences are to be served consecutively,meaning that Connor wouldn't be eligible for parole
until around sixty years old. Thedefense objected, calling the back to back
(22:32):
structure equivalent to a sentence of lifewithout parole and thus a violation of the
Eighth Amendment, but was overruled.One of Felicia's aunts said that quote,
it's not what we really wanted,but we're satisfied with it. It won't
bring Felicia back, but at leastwe know that he's not getting off.
By then, cousin Brad was lockedup himself because just five days before Connor's
(22:55):
sentencing, he allegedly cut off hisangle monitoring device and stole it truck in
North Carolina before attempting to rob astore in South Carolina. Once back across
state lines, Brad ditched the truckand stole a different truck. He then
led officers from several jurisdictions on ahigh speed chase through several people's yards that
almost resulted and a head on collisionwith multiple police officers before getting stuck in
(23:21):
some mud in the woods and wasapprehended after taking off on foot. Connor
appealed his consecutive sentences, and hiscase was ultimately reviewed by the North Carolina
Supreme Court, resulting in a bombshellannouncement. On June seventeenth, two thousand
and twenty two, a quote sharplydivided state Supreme Court ruled that forty years
(23:42):
in prison is the maximum that juvenileoffenders in their state could be sentenced too
before becoming parole eligible. JLWAP sentencescan still be handed down in North Carolina,
but only if the offender has beendeemed irreparably corrupt, permanently incorrigible,
or redeemable. A few days afterthat decision, on June twenty first,
(24:03):
two thousand and twenty two, theHigh Court announced that they had ruled on
Connor's appeal and agreed with the defensethat his consecutive sentences do indeed demonstrate cruel
and unusual punishment and combined are toosevere and violate the Constitution given the mitigating
factors in his case. The majoritywrote in their decision quote that juvenile offenders
(24:26):
who have received sentences of life imprisonmentwith the possibility for parole, while not
guaranteed parole at any point during theirrespective terms of incarceration, nonetheless must have
the opportunity to seek an early releaseafforded by the prospect of parole after serving
no more than forty years of incarceration. To compel defendant to serve a term
(24:49):
of incarceration in excess of forty yearsupon the trial Court's determination that defendant,
in light of his status as ajuvenile is neither incorrigible nor irredeemable, would
unconstitutionally constitute a de facto life sentence. His sentences have been thrown out,
and Riley Connor will face a newsentencing hearing in late fall two and twenty
(25:11):
two, knowing that no more thanforty years will pass before he can apply
to be paroled. Following the HighCourt's decision, Columbus County District Attorney John
David had this to say, I'mdisappointed by the ruling of a divided Supreme
COURTMA. Nonetheless, we will abideby DOT Court's decision. However, in
doing that, I want to reassurethe citizens of Columbus County and we will
(25:33):
fight very hard to keep Riley Connorin prison for as long as possible.
As always, thanks for listening.Be back soon with an all new episode,
but until then, Loveley's don't bescared.
Just so you know, this showis built scary stuff. So don't say
I didn't warn you guys. Iremember, Don't be Scared m Episode one
(01:02):
thirty two A family Matter war BabyHere with another episode of Murderous Miners.
The North Carolina Supreme Court recently throughoutthe sentence of convicted juvenile killer Riley Dawson
Connor, who has been incarcerated sincehe was arrested at fifteen years old for
the violent rape and murder of hisfather's sister, his forty five year old
(01:26):
aunt, Felicia Moore porter This weekon Murderous Miners, we look at the
murder case behind that high Court's recentdecision, along with the other ramifications his
original consecutive sentences have had on juvenilejustice legislation in the state of North Carolina.
Please be advised that sexual assault willbe mentioned. Connor's mother and other
(01:49):
relatives testified later as to many detailsabout his childhood, and she said that
her son began experiencing disruptive sleep patternsbetween the ages of one and two.
His family called them night terrors,but his mother testified that she later realized
that his nighttime behaviors were likely epilepticin nature, his true condition would go
(02:12):
undiagnosed for another decade. Court transcriptsindicate that she was eighteen and his father
was twenty when they had him.In August two thousand. The family lived
together on Miller Road near Tabor City, North Carolina, a border town known
to some as the Yam capital ofthe world and located only about thirty miles
north of popular vacation spot Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Connor's parents had substance
(02:38):
abuse issues, and his mother heavilyabused crack cocaine, while his father sold
marijuana and participated in other criminal activitiesthat made the home environment unfit for children.
The family next moved to a houseon Savannah Extension Road in Tabor City,
North Carolina, in close proximity tomany extended family members from both sides,
(03:01):
including grandparents, a great grandmother,aunts, uncles, and cousins.
One would imagine that having such easyaccess to lots of family would have helped
Connor deal with not having either parentaround. However, the area that they
lived in was tough and hard scrabble, leaving little time for proper mentoring or
(03:23):
parenting. At the tender age offour, Connor was home when his house
was raided and his father and unclearrested at gunpoint for being in possession of
a literal quote truckload of marijuana,one of the handful of times he'd see
his father taken into custody. Theyended up moving into his mother's parents home
when he was five and his sisterwas a newborn, with his mom testifying
(03:47):
later that she was strung out oncrack cocaine and running the roads, having
left the care of her kids toher parents. When Connor's baby sister had
been born, their father borrowed avy that he was supposed to use to
retrieve his wife and child from thehospital. Instead, though he's accused of
having driven through the front window ofa gas station to steal cigarettes and the
(04:11):
jar of money they kept on thecounter to buy drugs, and he never
picked them up. That was accordingto an aunt on Connor's mom's side,
who also said the area they livedin was quote the pits of hell,
while his own mother called it quotenowhere for a child to be because there's
nothing but drugs down there. Hereally didn't need to be down there,
and if I could go back,I'd change it. During her testimony.
(04:34):
That aunt also reflected on Connor's childhoodof being passed between relatives, saying that
his quote and mother and father wereconstantly in and out of his life,
calling them quote not by any meansanywhere close to being stable parents. They
rejected him time and time again.The court records indicate that Connor's father was
(04:57):
released from prison when the child wasfive, but was soon arrested again,
this time along with Connor's mother,who acted as a getaway driver while he
committed a robbery. By then,their son had started school, and his
mother later testified that Connor was heavilyteased because of their issues. When he
was six, his father was sentencedto seven years in prison, and the
(05:18):
following year, his mother's drug usecontributed to her violating her probation, and
she was sent to prison herself.By her own testimony, she had already
been largely absent quote, running theroads, getting in trouble. Crack took
over my whole life, and thatwas all I was worried about, was
going to get the next hit.Her sister testified that Connor's parents missed nearly
(05:43):
all of his early birthday parties andrecalled that his mother only came to one
or two of the celebrations. Shealso remembered her nephew running behind his mother's
car she drove away one time whenhe was seven, while he screamed,
I hate you and begged her tostay. She said that her parents would
buy gifts for Connor and his sister, but that their parents would sell them
(06:03):
and use the money to help fundtheir habits. Around the same time,
Social services received a call from theaunt saying that the Connor children had been
taken to a crack house and custodywas awarded to their mom's parents, but
they couldn't care for them either,and they often stayed with the aunt,
who later testified from seven to eightyears old, his aunt notice that Connor's
(06:27):
night terrors had only worsened, duringwhich you couldn't wake him. He was
noted to flail his arms and slinghimself at things while pacing the house.
At eight years old, the doctordiagnosed Connor with ADHD and attributed these nighttime
episodes to possible PTSD, but nofollow up was made. His grandma had
(06:47):
a stroke around this time, andConnor was then cared for by his mother,
who was back living on Savannah Road. His performance at school was well
below satisfactory, no doubt attributed tohis continued lack of adequate sleep. Connor
would also be pulled out of schoolfrequently due to being bullied and his violent
(07:08):
interactions with his classmates. He washeld back and had to repeat the third
grade, and self reported that hestarted smoking marijuana at nine years old.
His mother remarried and they moved tolive with her new husband, but then
his dad got paroled and remarried ayear later, and Connor went back to
Savannah Road to live with him forthe first time in several years. They
(07:30):
all lived with his dad's grandma,along with an aunt and her son,
Connor's cousin, Brad. By allaccounts, Connor idolized the man, who
was roughly ten years older and aknown criminal and addict whose profession was selling
drugs such as meth cocaine, PCP, heroine, and opiates. He was
known to regularly supply the ten yearold with whatever he wanted, while Brad's
(07:55):
mother took Connor with her to motelswhile she worked in the sex trade.
Connor was heavily abusing the prescription drugXanix. By the time he was eleven
years old, sometimes taking eid ata time, and began drinking alcohol almost
every day, often until he passedout. By the time he was twelve,
he'd become sexually active and failed thefifth grade, but instead of repeating,
(08:18):
he changed schools and they put himinto the sixth grade at the middle
school. He was staying with hisaunt then, and she testified that he
was confrontational there as well, sayingthat she just quote lost the ability to
influence him. He went to livewith his father on Savannah Road, but
when he tried to get back intothe sixth grade at the middle school,
they admitted him, but they didn'tknow what to do with him because he
(08:41):
had issues with so many of thekids who already attended there. He was
ultimately expelled for bullying and disruptive behaviorand went to an alternative school for a
bit before returning to live with hismother because his father went back to prison,
this time for robbing a bank.He went to an alternative school in
South Carolina, where he was expelledand charged with assault for hitting a classmate
(09:03):
in the head with a textbook,a charge which was later dismissed. Connor
was re enrolled, but was expelledagain after being adjudicated delinquent and juvenile court
for possessing marijuana at the school,and an evaluation completed by the South Carolina
Department of Justice determined that his IQthen was seventy nine and represented quote borderline
(09:24):
intellectual functioning. When I finally reachedthe end of another crazy day, don't
be alarmed if I sneak away andgrab a few minutes to play Best Fiends,
the free to download casual mobile puzzlegame that does a great job of
clearing my mind. It's the kindof game you can play anywhere, at
any time, with no pressure andno WiFi needed. When I'm in the
(09:48):
zone, It's hard to put downbecause the fun just keeps on coming,
and adults always think that fun isonly for kids. But logging some daily
fun time on Best Fiends has becomemy go to activity for winding down.
I play while my polish is dryingor while I'm waiting for commercial break to
end. Anytime I can squeeze alevel in I do. I'm on level
(10:09):
nine to fifteen now and can't waitto break one thousand. With thousands of
levels to play and new events andchallenges always popping up. Now is a
great time to get in on thefun. Download your new favorite getaway Best
Fiends for free today on the AppStore or Google Play. You'll even get
five dollars worth of in game rewardswhen you reach level five. That's friends
(10:33):
without the are Best Fiends. Itappears that Connor never went any further in
school than the sixth grade. Althoughhe was supposed to be being homeschooled by
his grandmother, that never happened.His aunt testified that her parents had simply
become unable to care for him.Court records refer to Connor around this period
as a quote free agent. Startingbetween age twelve and thirteen, left to
(10:56):
rome unsupervised, drink alcohol, havesex, and used drugs that his cousins
supplied him with. At thirteen,doctors determined that Connor had been having nightly
disruptive epileptic seizures since he was ababy, and that he'd never been having
night terrors at all. He wasformally diagnosed with frontal lobe epilepsy and was
(11:18):
placed on a cocktail of medications thatno one made sure he took. Connor
was also diagnosed with behavior problems anda year later with mild conduct disorder,
severe cannabis use disorder, moderate alcoholuse disorder, sedative use disorder, and
disruption of family. When he wasfourteen, he had a falling out with
(11:39):
his aunt and cousin and went backto his mother in South Carolina before CouchSurfing
at his stepsisters, his father's exwife, and his father in Florida before
returning to his mom's. All thewhile he was having more and more seizures.
By the time Connor was fifteen anda half in January two thousand and
sixteen, his uncontrolled seizures had increasedin both severity and frequency, going from
(12:05):
six to ten per night to upto twelve per night the following month,
as determined by emergency room doctors.Connor visited another doctor soon after, who
said that PTSD could be exacerbating hisepilepsy, and he changed his meds on
February twenty fifth, two thousand andsixteen. Less than a week later,
on March second, Connor stole hismom's van and used it to break into
(12:30):
the Fowler's grocery store and steal cigarettes, eerily reminiscent of his dad's actions when
his sister had been born, Connor'smom reported the van stolen, and police
soon realized it was the same personwho had robbed the store because they had
security camera footage showing the four ambreak in. When police caught up with
the van at eight am, Connor'smom was driving and he was in the
(12:52):
passenger seat, having returned home earlierwith the cigarettes he boosted in the heist.
He was charged in June court forquote breaking or entering, larceny after
breaking or entering, and larceny ofa motor vehicle, and possession of a
stolen vehicle. Police also scheduled Connorto see a juvenile court counselor a week
(13:13):
and a half later. On Marcheleventh, two thousand and sixteen, after
the police officers left from Savannah Road, one of Connor's dad's sisters, Felicia
Porter, called nine to one oneto report that her fifteen year old nephew
had gotten into a fight inside hisgreat grandma's house, telling dispatchers about the
crimes he'd allegedly committed earlier that dayand saying that he quote needs to get
(13:37):
locked up. Court documents indicate thatConnor told multiple people that he was going
to quote make that bitch Felicia paynine days later. It seems that he
did just that. A timeline ofMarch eleventh, two thousand and sixteen,
was determined and laid out in thedocuments, indicating that Felicia Porter awoke at
(13:58):
six am and dropped her husband offat his car pool spought for work.
She was back home by nine amand checking her social media. Shortly after
that. Connor's step grandfather was tryingto get his truck unstuck from a field
and saw him walking toward his auntFelicia's house around nine thirty am. The
(14:18):
teen would say later that he'd alreadysmoked marijuana and snorted PCP that morning.
When Felicia came to the door,Connor got her to come outside, and
the fifteen year old attacked and violentlyraped her his own aunt, before beating
the woman to death with a shovelleft lying nearby. All of her front
teeth had been smashed out of hermouth, and she had numerous broken bones
(14:41):
in her face, as well asa broken arm and multiple lacerations. Connor
moved Felicia's body about one hundred yardsaway into the wooded area adjacent to her
trailer. He burned an article ofher clothing on her burnt pile, and
set off. Walking back to hisgreat grandmother's house, he encountered his step
grandfather again, who said that theteam had been heavily perspiring and that the
(15:05):
pair spoke about the appointment that Connorhad with the juvenile court counselor. Later
that afternoon, when Felicia Porter stoppedanswering her phone, Connor's great grandmother sent
his step grandfather to check on her, accompanied by his cousin Brad, who
first helped get the truck unstuck fromthe field. Right around the time that
(15:26):
Connor and his mother left for hiscounseling appointment, his aunt Felicia was determined
to be missing from her home herfront door ajar. The Columbus County Sheriff's
Department was notified, and an officialmissing person's report was filed with local news
that evening, announcing that Felicia Porterhad last been seen around Fowler's Supermarket on
(15:50):
Swamp Fox Highway East earlier that morning. The following afternoon, at approximately two
thirty pm, deputies located her bodyin the woods by her house, and
results from her autopsy indicated that homicidalviolence had caused Felicia Porter's death. The
State Bureau of Investigations joined in onthe search for her killer, and although
(16:12):
they didn't release any information pertaining toher manner of death or injuries, the
sheriff did say that quote, Iencouraged the Tabor City community to carry on
their normal activities. There is noreason to fear for your safety. A
rape kit had been performed on Felicia'sbody, and DNA had been recovered,
(16:33):
which would ultimately be linked to hernephew, Riley Connor. Alone. On
the day Felicia had been found,Saturday March twelfth, two thousand and sixteen,
Connor was questioned by police for thefirst time, giving the first of
several stories about the events of theprevious day. Connor told police that he'd
(16:53):
actually walked in the opposite direction ofhis aunt's home and had seen a suspicious
vehicle in the vicinity. He'd beenstaying at his great grandmother's and Felicia's grandmother's
home on Savannah Road, but leftTabor City and North Carolina altogether once that
first interview was complete, going backacross the border to stay with his mom.
(17:15):
Four days later, she took himto the emergency room because his epilepsy
just kept getting worse. Connor's mothertold the doctors that his arms and legs
were all bruised up because his seizureshad become so violent. They'd also increased
in frequency to as many as fifteenper night, leading up to a frighteningly
(17:36):
severe seizure that caused Connor to foamat the mouth and lose control of his
bodily functions five days after the ervisit. He was then hospitalized for four
days and diagnosed with poorly controlled intractablefrontal lobe epilepsy quote, complicated by non
compliance of medication, lack of insightof his condition, and severe oppositional behavior
(18:00):
problem and agitation that often is dueto the frequent partial epilepsy. While admitted
to UNC Memorial Hospital, Connor's seizuresreportedly broke his bed and he suffered more
than two dozen per night. Doctorsnoted that his quote partial seizures are associated
with psychiatric agitation, that significant behavioralchanges could well be due to uncontrolled frontal
(18:26):
seizures, and that Connor's quote frontallobe epilepsy may affect a patient's ability to
regulate his emotions and prevents a patientfrom getting adequate sleep. The psychiatrist said
that quote mood liability and agitation areat least in part due to his frontal
lobe seizures, and an MRI showedquote damage to his frontal lobe on the
(18:48):
right side, consistent with scarring fromnumerous childhood head injuries. According to court
documents, Connor's mother assaulted him whilehe was in the hospital, which resulted
in his being placed in his stepsister'scare by social services when he was released
on March twenty fifth, two andsixteen. On March twenty ninth, Connor
(19:08):
spoke to police three times, tellingthem that he had indeed walked toward his
aunt's house on the days she wasmurdered, contrary to what he'd told them
the day her body was found,but he said that it had only been
to check on the pop plant andhe was growing in the woods. Then
he requested investigators come back out sohe could tell them some story about accompanying
(19:30):
his cousin Brad, to retrieve apilfered kilo of heroin from Felicia's husband.
Connor told investigators that it was hiscousin who had hit his aunt with a
brick before raping and killing her,But then Connor said that he had raped
her, but that Brad had killedher. Following that interview, Connor experienced
an emotional breakdown that resultant in himinsisting his mother call investigators, who came
(19:56):
back out to speak with him again. His last version of the story that
day saw him recanting the heroine stuff, but sticking to the part about Brad
committing the crimes. Connor did,however, add in his third statement that
day that he'd helped with all ofit, marking the first time that he'd
even admitted to any involvement in hisaunt's death. After spending all day speaking
(20:19):
to investigators, fifteen year old RileyDawson Connor was arrested just after midnight on
March thirtieth, two thousand and sixteen. He tested positive for PCP and marijuana
after having a terrible seizure that nightin juvenile detention. His charges were filed
in juvenile court, but the prosecutormade it clear that he planned to try
(20:42):
Connor as an adult. The sheriffannounced the arrest of a suspect in Felicia's
murder, but released no indication asto the identity of her suspected killer,
only saying that it was a juvenileand that quote both families have suffered a
loss and need the communities continued supportand prayers. Eight months later, in
(21:03):
mid December two thousand and sixteen,Connor was indicted by a grand jury on
charges of murder and first degree forciblerape in his aunt's assault in death,
along with larceny of a motor vehicle, breaking and entering, larceny after breaking
and entering, and two counts ofpossession of stolen goods for the grocery store
(21:23):
robbery from just before the murder.It was then reported that he would be
tried as an adult, and Connor'sname in details were allowed to be reported
following his transfer hearing. Ultimately,the team was offered a deal and pled
guilty on February twenty first, twothousand and nineteen, to first degree murder
(21:44):
with premeditation and deliberation and first degreerape. The other charges dismissed in exchange
for the plea of guilty. Prosecutorswere asking for life without parole, but
the defense painted the picture of achild who'd had limited positive of role models
and whose rough upbringing, PTSD andepilepsy precluded him from being sentenced to life
(22:07):
without parole. It took Judge Stoneless than half an hour to sentence the
then eighteen year old to life withparole possibility after twenty five years for the
murder and twenty to twenty five yearsfor the first degree rape charge. The
sentences are to be served consecutively,meaning that Connor wouldn't be eligible for parole
until around sixty years old. Thedefense objected, calling the back to back
(22:32):
structure equivalent to a sentence of lifewithout parole and thus a violation of the
Eighth Amendment, but was overruled.One of Felicia's aunts said that quote,
it's not what we really wanted,but we're satisfied with it. It won't
bring Felicia back, but at leastwe know that he's not getting off.
By then, cousin Brad was lockedup himself because just five days before Connor's
(22:55):
sentencing, he allegedly cut off hisangle monitoring device and stole it truck in
North Carolina before attempting to rob astore in South Carolina. Once back across
state lines, Brad ditched the truckand stole a different truck. He then
led officers from several jurisdictions on ahigh speed chase through several people's yards that
almost resulted and a head on collisionwith multiple police officers before getting stuck in
(23:21):
some mud in the woods and wasapprehended after taking off on foot. Connor
appealed his consecutive sentences, and hiscase was ultimately reviewed by the North Carolina
Supreme Court, resulting in a bombshellannouncement. On June seventeenth, two thousand
and twenty two, a quote sharplydivided state Supreme Court ruled that forty years
(23:42):
in prison is the maximum that juvenileoffenders in their state could be sentenced too
before becoming parole eligible. JLWAP sentencescan still be handed down in North Carolina,
but only if the offender has beendeemed irreparably corrupt, permanently incorrigible,
or redeemable. A few days afterthat decision, on June twenty first,
(24:03):
two thousand and twenty two, theHigh Court announced that they had ruled on
Connor's appeal and agreed with the defensethat his consecutive sentences do indeed demonstrate cruel
and unusual punishment and combined are toosevere and violate the Constitution given the mitigating
factors in his case. The majoritywrote in their decision quote that juvenile offenders
(24:26):
who have received sentences of life imprisonmentwith the possibility for parole, while not
guaranteed parole at any point during theirrespective terms of incarceration, nonetheless must have
the opportunity to seek an early releaseafforded by the prospect of parole after serving
no more than forty years of incarceration. To compel defendant to serve a term
(24:49):
of incarceration in excess of forty yearsupon the trial Court's determination that defendant,
in light of his status as ajuvenile is neither incorrigible nor irredeemable, would
unconstitutionally constitute a de facto life sentence. His sentences have been thrown out,
and Riley Connor will face a newsentencing hearing in late fall two and twenty
(25:11):
two, knowing that no more thanforty years will pass before he can apply
to be paroled. Following the HighCourt's decision, Columbus County District Attorney John
David had this to say, I'mdisappointed by the ruling of a divided Supreme
COURTMA. Nonetheless, we will abideby DOT Court's decision. However, in
doing that, I want to reassurethe citizens of Columbus County and we will
(25:33):
fight very hard to keep Riley Connorin prison for as long as possible.
As always, thanks for listening.Be back soon with an all new episode,
but until then, Loveley's don't bescared.
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