A Durham man has admitted his role in the killing of 19-year-old Semar Barbour and now faces more than two decades in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. Barbour vanished in October 2023 after visiting a home in South Durham and was later found dead in a Morrisville parking lot, according to court records.
Durham police say Barbour was reported missing on Oct. 23, 2023, and that his body was discovered on Nov. 13, 2023, in the back seat of a vehicle parked on Walnut Woods Drive in Morrisville. Those details, along with the list of later indictments, appear in public reports from the Durham Police Department.
What Investigators Say
Court filings and search warrants reviewed by reporters state that investigators found two layers of rugs nailed to the floor in a bedroom at the Delray Street residence, covering a red stain that later tested positive for Barbour’s blood. An expended projectile was recovered near the stain, and detectives noted that a Ring camera that had been fixed to the house was missing. Investigators also seized an Instagram video that shows three people holding guns and saying a phrase prosecutors interpreted as a claim of responsibility, as reported by The News & Observer.
Family Members Charged
In April 2024 a grand jury returned indictments tied to the Delray Street case, and the Durham Police Department materials name five people connected to the investigation. The filings include murder and conspiracy counts for Phillip Maurice Williams Jr. and Nakia Montell Williams, accessory-after-the-fact charges for Theodore Cash and Shelia Frazier Cash, and a conspiracy indictment for Yakir Ben‑Zion Lee, according to the department’s report from the Durham Police Department.
Prosecutor’s Account And Sentence
Assistant District Attorney Mary Jude Darrow told prosecutors that Phillip Williams shot Barbour seven times, including five times in the back, a detail described in court materials. Williams pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to a minimum of 23 years and a maximum of 28 years and eight months in prison. In court he apologized, saying, “I really didn’t mean to hurt your brother. I’m sorry,” and that he was “very sorry for everything that has happened,” as reported by The News & Observer…