GOLDSBORO, N.C. — Nearly three years after a deadly shooting on Cashwell Drive, a second suspect has been arrested in connection with the case.
On May 16, 2023, at approximately 5:30 a.m., officers with the Goldsboro Police Department were notified by the Kinston Police Department about a shooting victim who had been transported to Lenoir Memorial Hospital.
Stephanie Lynette Smith, 32, was suffering from a gunshot wound and was later pronounced deceased.
A witness reported that the shooting occurred in the 3100 block of Cashwell Drive in Goldsboro. Officers responded to the area and located the crime scene. The department’s Investigative Services Bureau launched an investigation that led to the arrest of Johnique Nicolie Richards, 26, on May 16, 2023. Richards was charged with one open count of murder.
On March 4, 2026, investigators announced a second arrest in the case. The Goldsboro Police Department’s Emergency Response Team, with assistance from the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office S.W.A.T. Team, took Demarion Khari Briggs, 21, into custody in the 100 block of Lindsey Brook Lane in Pikeville.
Briggs was booked into the Wayne County Jail and charged with one open count of murder. He was given no bond.
Arrested:
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Johnique Nicolie Richards, 26, Goldsboro — Murder (1 open count)
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Demarion Khari Briggs, 21, Goldsboro — Murder (1 open count)





