A 27-year-old man has been arrested and charged with murder after three people were found dead inside a camper in Robertson County, North Carolina, in what officials called a “senseless and tragic” triple homicide.Officers responded to a property on Melinda Road, near Pembroke, early on Sunday morning after reports of two bodies inside a campervan. Upon arrival, they found a third person dead at the scene.Authorities identified the victims as Triston Goins, 28, of Maxton, Howard Dean Jones, 51, of Lumberton, and Ashley N. Jacobs, 35, of Pembroke. Their bodies have been sent for autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.
Suspect arrested after confrontation
The suspect, Ethan Lee Spaulding, 27, was arrested later in the day after a brief standoff with police at a Red Springs apartment complex. He eventually surrendered without further incident, officials said.Spaulding was charged with three counts of first-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and inciting fear by discharging a firearm within a fence. He is currently being held in a detention center without bail.Sheriff Bernice Wilkins said investigators believe illegal narcotics may have played a role in the slayings, calling the case part of a disturbing pattern of drug-related violence in the area.“The devastation caused by illegal narcotics continues to impact families and communities in Robeson County,” he said, adding that authorities remained committed to combating such crimes.The investigation is ongoing with assistance from federal agencies including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Authorities are asking anyone with information to come forward as they continue to piece together the circumstances surrounding the killings.
