2 more arrested in deadly 2015 home invasion in Robeson County

ROBESON COUNTY, N.C. (WBTW) — Two more men have been charged in a deadly 2015 home invasion in Robeson County, authorities said on Monday.

Paul Benthall Jr., 42, of Greensboro, North Carolina, and Kevin Billings, 46, of Maxton, were arrested Monday and charged with first-degree murder, three counts of armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury and seven counts of kidnapping. Both are being held without bond.

Robeson County deputies responded at about 10:30 p.m. on Sept. 28, 2015, to the 3300 block of Shaw Road for a home invasion, the sheriff’s office said. When they arrived, they found Rodney Murphy, 51, of Maxton, dead from a gunshot wound. Two other men were shot and a woman was assaulted.

Quatrell D. Nicholson, 33, and Carson Brown, 35, both of Laurinburg, were arrested in 2016 in Murphy’s death. Both face the same charges as Benthall and Billings.

As the investigation continued, Ismul Hines, 46, of Charlotte, and Kenneth McCoy, 30, of Laurinburg, were arrested in 2020 and face the same charges in the incident.

“The additional arrests of these suspects, even years later, are examples of continuous hard work and dedication to bring closure to the families of victims by Robeson County Sheriff’s Office investigators,” Sheriff Burnis Wilkins said. “As with this case, investigators will continue to follow up on leads on unsolved murder cases and murders that have additional suspects who have not been charged.”

The Robeson County District Attorney’s Office, Laurinburg Police Department, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and U.S. Marshals assisted in the investigation.

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Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here .

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