ASHEBORO, N.C. — A Randolph County jury has sentenced Branson Raye Lambert to death for the 2021 killing of 23-year-old Dillion Wirt, a case that began with a late-night shooting in Asheboro and ended with his body recovered from a Moore County rock quarry.
For Wirt’s mother, Patricia Parnell, the verdict brings a sense of justice, even as she continues to reflect on the final moments before her son’s death.
“In the beginning, I kind of felt sorry for Branson,” Parnell said. “But throughout the trial, things come up. I don’t feel sorry for him anymore, and I think he got what he deserved.”
A final night
Police were called around 2:13 a.m. on Feb. 7, 2021, to the 400 block of East Salisbury Street in Asheboro for reports of a shooting. Investigators later determined the shooting happened in the 600 block of Farr Street…