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Three of Four Suspects Involved in Jan. 2015 Murder in Western Watauga Sentenced So Far

By Jesse Wood

Sentences are being handed down to the suspects involved in the murder of Brandon Lee Byrd, 32, of Iredell, in Western Watauga in January of 2015. The murder took place near a residence on Smith Henson Road.

Cable
Cable

Initially, William David Cable, Jr., 34, of Smith Henson Road in Bethel; Travis Lane Ward, 29, of Vilas; Candice Rogers, 26, of Smith Henson Road in Bethel; and Jessica Lynne Oakes, 28, of Bryant Combs Road in Sugar Grove were all charged with one count of murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon.

So far three of the four suspects have been sentenced, according to www.GoBlueRidge.net.

Cable pled guilty to second-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon and conspiracy to rob with a dangerous weapon. Cable was sentenced to 216 to 272 months in prison.

Oakes pled guilty to two counts of accessory after the fact and was sentenced to 16 to 29 months. Rogers pled guilty to the conspiracy charge and was sentenced to 16 to 39 months.

Ward is scheduled to appear in court on July 18, according to the N.C. Court System database.

During the execution of a search warrant, investigators found remnants of a meth lab near the scene of the crime in a trailer on Smith Henson Road. After the initial investigation, the conspiracy to rob charge was handed down to some of the suspects.

Rogers
Rogers
Ward
Ward
Oakes
Oakes